Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Edited by Sjdavis84 and StillDreaming85.

WARNING: This story contains mature themes and is intended for mature readers. There is mention of drug use, prostitution, human trafficking, and violence.

The beginning of the end.

The state of New York district attorney,

Charles Swan.

"The state of New York VS Carlisle Cullen. Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, your honor."

"What say you?"

"We the jury find the defendant, Carlisle Cullen, guilty, your honor."

The silence following the verdict was deafening.

Esme's soft sobs broke the silence, they filled the quiet room with an echo and it sliced right through my heart. I didn't dare turn to look at her, I couldn't bear it.

"NO!" Edward or Anthony yelled, it was hard to tell them apart.

Today's verdict was a victory for me and victory for the state. We have managed to take down Carlisle Cullen, but at what cost?

I looked at him, looking at me. His face was an unreadable mask. I had betrayed him, but I had made the right decision. I did my job.

Carlisle was a man who trusted very few, and at one point I had earned his trust, but that hadn't made my decision any easier.

I have known Carlisle for many years. We had attended law school together, we had sat for the BAR together. We lost contact shortly after that. It wasn't until I was appointed the state's district attorney, that Carlisle tracked me down.

The name Cullen had been well known to me for many years, although during our college days, I never connected Carlisle to it. He was different then. He was happy, carefree. He never mentioned or spoke of his family and there was no reason to suspect anything about him. Cullen was a common name after all, and I was not the sort of person to stereotype, not every Italian is in the mafia.

"Mr. Cullen will report back on Wednesday next week for sentencing. Members of the jury, the state thanks you for your service, you are dismissed. Court is adjourned."

The hammering of the gravel made me jump, Carlisle didn't blink an eye.

I was nervous, I would be a fool if I said I wasn't. He was...Is still a powerful man, not the sort of man you want as an enemy.

I did my job. I did my job. I repeated to myself over and over.

"Please, you can't do this," Esme cried. She had wrapped herself around Carlisle and had refused to let him go.

For her I felt pity. For Esme, I felt pain and regret for what I had done. She was a kind, sensitive woman, but she also had her guilt. I destroyed her evidence, someone like her would not survive in the prison system and her crimes were no doubt committed under the influence of her husband.

"Everything is going to be alright, sweetheart, I promise," Carlisle said, as he tried to console her.

"No, it's not. Not without you," she cried. My heart broke into a million pieces for her. She clung onto him. The grip she had on him was made of steel. Carlisle wouldn't let go either. In the end, it was her son's who managed to pry her away and the court officers who took Carlisle away.

I collected all my papers and documents and placed them into my briefcase. I wanted to leave before they did. I knew Esme would stop me and I knew it was something I would not be able to handle.

"You," Esme said, fighting out of her son's grip as I walked past them. Detective Uley followed behind me.

"I'm sorry, Esme," I said, although she and I both knew my apology meant nothing. She slapped me across the face with as much strength as she had. My head snapped to the side from the force. I recovered quickly not showing any emotion, I couldn't, not with Sam behind me.

"Mrs. Cullen," Sam warned.

"It's alright detective," I said.

"I hope you rot in hell," Esme said, as a fresh round of tears flowed down her face.

"Come on, mom." It was Edward, who put his arms around his mother and took her out of the courtroom.

"She's got a good arm on her," Sam said. "Put some ice on that when you get back to your office."

The physical pain was nothing. The physical pain would leave, it would go. But the image, Esme's face, her tears, her pain. That will haunt me until the day I die.

One by one, Carlisle's family, associates, friends exited the courtroom. One by one, I memorized all of their faces, some I recognized some I didn't. Uley followed after them leaving me alone in the courtroom, or so I thought. Someone cleared their voice behind me.

"Bravo," he said, clapping his hands. "Well done Swan."

I turned around to come face to face with Anthony, Carlisle's son.

There was something that put me off about Anthony from the very first time I met him. It was a bad vibe that he manifested. Something in his eyes, they way he would look at people, sick, sadistic almost.

"You will regret what you have done to my family," he threatened.

"You are in no position to make threats, Anthony," I said, and wondered if the boy was an idiot making threats in a courtroom, where our every move and every word was being recorded.

"I don't make threats, Charles. When I'm through with you, you'll be begging me for mercy."

~DINY~

"Something smells good," I said, coming up behind Renee. I kissed her cheek. "What's for dinner?"

"Something I saw on the food network," she said, flipping over a piece of chicken in the pan. I laughed and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of wine pouring her and myself a glass.

Renee had always been adventurous in the kitchen, sometimes it would work out for her, sometimes not so much.

"Don't laugh. It's chicken, garlic, cream, a little bit of broccoli. It can't be bad," she laughed along with me. "What happened today?"

"You haven't seen the news?" I asked, swinging back my glass of wine.

"No, is everything okay?" She asked, leaving the pan, she gave me her full attention.

"The jury found him guilty. He'll be sentenced next week." I swung back another glass.

"Charlie, that's a good thing. Why are you upset? You've put a horrible man in jail where he belongs," Renee said. She took my empty glass and the bottle of wine from me. She was the love of my life, always caring. Renee had a lot of patience for me, more patience than I deserve.

"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with."

"You thought of him as a friend, and I can understand that Charlie, I really can, but he was a bad person. The things he did Charlie, what he was connected to. You have saved a lot of lives by having him locked away," she said.

"I know. But...What if...What if it backfired? What if he had walked? I can't stop my mind from wondering, what would happen then?" I said.

"But it didn't." She sighed, wrapping her arms around me and resting her head on my chest. "You have no right to feel bad about this and I won't let you. You did your job."

"I love you," I said, holding her close to me.

"I love you too."

Her comforting words helped, but they didn't ease my guilt. Renee was right, I had made the right choice. Carlisle was a criminal who had hurt and killed many people, he deserved to be punished for his crimes. He deserved to know he was not above the law.

"Shit, the chicken," Renee cursed. The smell of the burned meat filled the room as she tried her best to save it, but she gave up, slumping her shoulders.

"Chinese?" She asked, with a defeated sigh.

"I'll make the order," I said, kissing her forehead. "Where's Bella?"

"I spoke with her an hour ago. She's with Charlotte. She should be back any minute," Renee said.

As I waited for our order and our daughter to arrive home, I sat on the couch, my mind going over today's events. I rubbed my eyes in frustration, trying to ease my guilt but nothing helped. Esme's face, the hurt, the anger...anguish.

But what did I expect would happen?

This was all my fault because I should have never gotten involved.

When Carlisle approached me ten years ago, I thought nothing of it. Nothing more than old friends reconnecting. By that time I had been well aware of his...dealings. But we were friends and he had been good to me.

I will never forget how he walked into my office, without any fear of the law enforcement around him, but he is a fearless man. He came to me with a proposition, and his offer was too good to turn down. I wanted to, I should have done the right thing and closed all ties with him then and there, but greed...Greed is powerful and whether we like to admit it or not, we are controlled by greed, it feeds us, it fuels us.

Having close access to Carlisle, I had closer access to his work. At first, his trust was quite minimal, but as time went on, he opened up his business to me more, his associates, close contacts.

The more that was exposed, the more disgusted I felt. Never, never in a million years would I have thought Carlisle capable or involved in what I had discovered.

The drug trade was a given, that was no shock, nor was his weapons trade. But, prostitution, trafficking. It made my skin crawl thinking about it.

He offered me a choice, a choice of any woman or girl I wanted. I was quick to refuse, but accepted his offer the second time around. I thought if I could talk to one them, make them trust me, make them open up, offer her protection, maybe I could get to Carlisle another way without involving myself directly.

But he had trained them well. Not one spoke, not one said a single word.

I have done the right thing, I told myself again. I have made my bed and now I have to lay in it.

I opened my eyes and looked at my daughter's picture sitting atop the fireplace. My sweet Isabella, I smiled. She was everything to me and to her mother.

We had tried so long for her, and after our third round of failed IVF, we were out of luck and out of money. I was devastated. For so long all Renee and I had wanted was a child of our own, a piece of the two of us together.

Renee was the strong one though, she said maybe we weren't supposed to have a child of our own, that maybe there was another purpose for us, that God had another plan for us.

But I remember that night on New Year's Eve upstate. It was freezing outside, and I sat on the porch not bothering with the party. It was a crisp and clear evening and the stars were out. With Renee beside me, we rang in the New Year staring at the sky. A shooting star flew across the sky and I made my wish. I guess it worked, because six weeks later we found out Renee was pregnant.

Before she was born, Isabella had me wrapped around her finger. For her I would do anything, become anything she wanted, anything she needed.

My little girl, I sighed, she wasn't so little anymore. She's almost nineteen, I still don't know where the time went.

When did she grow up? When did she become a young woman before my eyes?

I picked up her picture off of the fireplace. She was a spitting image of her mother with light brown hair, porcelain skin, but she had my eyes.

She was in her first year of college now. Juilliard. When she received the scholarship, she cried so much, she never believed she would get in. But she was a beautiful dancer, a ballerina. My ballerina.

I put her picture back up. Closing my eyes for a brief second, Anthony's face flashed before my eyes. "You'll be begging me for mercy." his words rang out loud and clear in my ears as if he were standing right next to me now.

I jumped back almost losing my balance as I checked my watch. Isabella should have been back by now.

"Renee," I yelled out. A moment later she came running into the room, panicked.

"What? What is it?"

"Bella should have been back by now. Where is she?" I asked, frantic.

"Oh my goodness, you almost gave me a heart attack, I thought God knows what was happening," she said, with her hand over her heart. "She'll be here soon."

The doorbell rang and my heart dropped to my feet.

"Who could that be?" Renee wondered.

I ran to the front door, every bad scenario playing out in my head as I did. But when I opened the door, everything left me. There was my baby girl, standing right there.

"What are you doing ringing the doorbell?" I said, pulling her inside.

"I was in a rush this morning. I woke up late and I forgot my keys," she said. "What's wrong dad?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong, just happy to see you and you're late. It's nine-thirty," I said, shaking my finger, but she didn't fall for that. She laughed at me, hanging up her coat in the closet.

"I have to finish this assignment for tomorrow, so I'm going to call it a night," she said.

"Hey honey," Renee said.

"Mommy," Bella said, kissing her mother on the cheek. "Chinese?" She questioned, as she looked past her mother at the burned pan on the stove. "At least you didn't burn down the kitchen this time."

"Don't make fun of your mother," Renee pouted. "Aren't you hungry?"

"No, I ate at Charlotte's."

She skipped out of the kitchen carrying her backpack, I followed after her.

"Bella," I called out. She stopped halfway up the stairs. Dropping her bag, she came back down to me.

"What is it dad? What's bothering you?" She asked.

"Nothing's bothering me," I defended.

"You're a horrible liar dad."

Everything was bothering me. Carlisle. Anthony's threat. My own mind that refused to shut down. Even though detective Uley said he would have a patrol around my house, at least for the next few months, an uneasy feeling settled into the pit of my stomach.

"I feel like we haven't spent any time together. I miss you, kiddo," I said.

"Hmm, are you free tomorrow morning? I don't have any classes until after lunch. You can be my breakfast date and we can gossip about all the weird people that walk by us?" She laughed.

"It's a date," I said. "I love you kiddo."

My little ballerina, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek. "I love you too, dad."

I don't know if it was the loud banging of the front door that woke Renee and I up or if it was the sound of the screeching tires outside.

I ran down the stairs, trying the light switch, but the power was out. The front door was wide open. Stepping out on the stoop, the entire street was blacked out.

"Renee, check on Bella," I called out.

The power outage didn't last long, a few seconds later the lights came back on and Renee's echoing scream traveled down the stairs.

DINY

I stared at the TV. It was all I could do, all I was capable of doing. It was the only thing that the news talked about now. Her picture was everywhere.

"It has been one week since the disappearance of eighteen year old Isabella Swan.

Isabella, daughter of Charles Swan the state's district attorney, was

taken from her home in the early hours of Thursday morning last week.

Police still have no leads on the whereabouts of Miss Swan and are urging the public for help. NYPD Detective Uley, released this statement earlier."

"I regret to say that at this time we have no leads. We have not ruled out Charles Swan's connection with the Carlisle Cullen conviction, but we do not have any evidence to suggest that the family is connected in any way to Isabella Swan's disappearance," Uley said.

"Martha, the Swan home still remains a crime scene here. Just to recap our top story. It has been one week since the disappearance of Isabella Swan. Police are urging anyone with any information about Isabella's whereabouts to come forward and as a reminder a reward is offered."

I threw the remote at the screen, the glass shattered from the screen. I fell to my knees with my head in my hands. The pain too much, too raw. One week, one week and nothing, no leads, no sign of her.

There was a hole in my heart that grew bigger each day she was away.

I knew Carlisle had to be behind this. This was his revenge. Anthony had made a promise for his father. This was their revenge to take my little girl, to use her in their game as if she were an object, as if this was a damn game.

Uley, he was doing his best, but right now his best was not enough. My house was full of detectives, FBI and not one of them could find my Bella. Not one of them could connect Anthony to her.

They said there was no evidence. They said, everyone they looked into had an alibi for their whereabouts that night. But I knew it, I knew deep in the pit of my stomach that Anthony had her. I knew they had her.

Renee was holding herself better than me, she could walk, she could talk. I was a mess. My life, gone, lost. The one thing that was most precious to me was now...I couldn't think about it, I didn't dare. I knew if I thought of the worst, I would sink into a black hole, one that I would not come out of.