Annabelle

"Hey Bill, said Sheila as she came out of her office to meet them. "Where are you taking us to lunch, I'm starving. Hi AB, nice to see you again."

"Sheila, is Charlie in the building? I want him to check out AB's freshly upgraded laptop. The guys at the computer store are good, but I'd feel better if Charlie gave it a once over to make sure it's running perfectly, nothing too good for my little girl."

"Daddy!! I'm seventeen!" She blushed automatically at being called little girl in front of the tall woman.

Sheila did something on her phone and moments later Charlie walked up to the entrance.

"Hi Bill, hello AB. Sheila pinged me to come up."

"I'm taking my two lady's to lunch, and I was hoping if you're not too busy you could give AB's laptop the once over. She just had it worked on at the repair shop and I'd feel better if you could put your magic hands on it."

"Sure Bill, I can run some diagnostics and scans to make sure it's running optimally. No problemo at all, I brought my lunch in today so it can run while I gobble my food toiling away in my lonely cubicle."

"Ha, ha Charlie. I hope you kill the emperor today, you've invested so much time on that game it's no wonder nothing ever gets done around here. While you're at it could you make sure to dispose of these old parts properly." Bill handed him the plastic bag.

Charlie's mention of his sandwich had cemented where they were going to eat. They found a table outside the café and tucked in. AB made it about a quarter of the way through her chicken salad on sourdough when she opened the conversation.

"Daddy, I wanted to bring up the thing I mentioned yesterday about getting to know more about your security business. I think Sheila mentioned that I might be able to do an internship this summer. You know, filing and other office stuff." AB was happy with that opening, it included Sheila in the idea and AB hoped that the older woman didn't remember much about who had said what at their lunch the other day.

"Yeah Bill, I've been kinda bogged down with the admin stuff since I haven't really ever hired that kind of help. It might give us some breathing room and help us understand if we want to hire somebody full time for those kinds of tasks. That might free me up for more goofing off."

AB thought Perfect! Sheila had said exactly the right thing in exactly the right way. Almost as if they'd planned it.

Of course, unbeknownst to AB this conversation had indeed been planned. But it wasn't AB who was doing the manipulating, nope- AB didn't realize she was the one being played.

"Don't tell me Charlie has convinced you to join Star Force and fight the evil emperor on company time!? Having an admin/intern would give you plenty of time to practice with your laser rifle. But seriously AB I thought you had your heart set on becoming a big time lawyer like your mom? Working at the shop might be considered a step down from that lofty ambition."

"Oh daddy. It's not like I want to be a security guy like you and Sheila. Oops, I'm sorry. That didn't come out right. Let me put it this way, I only know you as my daddy. Sure you share stories sometimes about what you guys do, but I don't really understand that side of you. It's like there's this whole aspect of your life that I know nothing about. You're such a family man and great father, that it's the only side of you I know. Being an intern doesn't mean I'm signing up for whatever it is you guys do, I'm looking at an internship as a way to get to know you better."

AB was super pumped, that little speech had come out just right. A little stumble at the beginning, and then a strong finish. It helped that she really meant what she'd said; that she had an ulterior motive notwithstanding.

"AB I'm touched by what you just said. I mean the part about being a great father." He grinned.

"Daddy!!"

"No, I mean it. What you said gives me great satisfaction that this is the image you have of me. As to an internship, I think it's a great idea. And you're right; working here at the shop won't derail your plans for your career. And right back at you, it'll give me a chance to see you in a different setting too. Let's see how you handle real grownup responsibilities. Yes, let's do it. But, seeing as how I'm the big boss man, I'll have to delegate supervision of your time to my most trusted minion. Sheila, she's all yours."

AB was on cloud nine the rest of the day, Sheila had promised to exchange emails arranging the start date, pay!, and promised to find a cubicle not too far away from the Star Force barracks. Plus Charlie had handed her laptop back even faster than the repair guys had left it. He said something about tuning the CPU to work better with the new upgrades. That night AB burrowed under her blankets with a very satisfied sigh. Her plans had gone off without a hitch.

Her last thought was reminding herself that she needed to keep a close eye on the mailbox, she couldn't afford for her parents to see the envelope with the DNA results. It could come at any time; having reread the instructions again she realized it actually said up to four weeks; not that it would take all four weeks.

----

Thursday, 4:17pm, six weeks later. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Sheila rushed over to Bill's office, "AB just cried out and when I checked her bedroom camera she's weeping on her bed. There's an open envelope and a single sheet of paper next to her. Go, NOW." It had been so easy to keep tabs on AB once all the gear was in place. Sheila kept a small window open in the corner of one monitor, with just the audio feed from AB's room. She was a creature of habit that came home from school every day and went right to her desk to get her homework done. All the other feeds went to the 'ND server', ND for Nancy Drew, for review at her convenience. AB hadn't done anything out of the ordinary at all, just the waiting.

Bill was frozen for a single beat, diet soda on its way to his lips. Setting it carefully down on the coaster, he made his way quickly to his car. Since week three of the waiting, he'd been getting home right on time, usually by 5:30, making the 18 minute commute from the shop to his home. They'd decided on no travel for him, Sheila would take any out of town meetings, until the letter came. And now it had, and from what Sheila had just told him, it was the news he'd been dreading all these years.

Bill drove as fast as was legal, expertly making his way thru traffic as if he was in a getaway car. His thoughts were dark, hard, unforgiving. Kate's arrogance had hurt his little girl, all their plans for this eventuality now forgotten in the rush of emotions. Thank god she had left early that morning for a short flight to the capital, more meetings about the Court vetting process. She was probably bent over Senator Lancaster's desk by now, before they got down to their real business. Kate was easy to hate in moments like this.

Bill's expert driving got him to his front door in record time. Entering the house, he went straight to AB's bedroom and scooped her up. He sat on the bed rocking his baby in his arms as she wept into his chest, great heaving sobs that wracked her whole body. For her part AB was an unthinking, hurting ball of pain. No coherent thought was possible, only 'No Match' burned into her brain like some infernal neon sign from hell.

They were like that for at least a half hour. Bill hadn't said a word the whole time; AB couldn't do anything but cry. But she was safe, protected, her daddy was holding her. He'd make it all go away. Why had she touched that stupid watch, overheard those harpy's in the bathroom. More weeping, and then almost an hour after her daddy had wrapped her in his loving arms, she stopped crying and just let him rock her as her breathing started to get back to normal. Her whole body literally ached, almost as much as the pain in her heart.

Then her brain started to work, she really was a very bright young lady. Why was daddy home early, he wasn't due for another hour. She clutched at him even harder. But he was here, just when she needed him. What could she say, how could she tell him? Oh my god, where was the letter. He must have seen it sitting on her bedspread like some coiled snake.

AB pulled back a bit, trying to muster her thoughts and looked up at her father. And then she saw it, he didn't have to say anything, she could see it in his weary look, he already knew! The letter was still where she'd dropped it, but his gaze told her that he didn't need to read it; somehow her daddy already knew.

"How, how did you know? Oh daddy, what am I going to do?" AB went back to crying, this time not as violently, but still more heartbreaking tears were added to Bill's already soaked shirt.

"Its OK baby, it's gonna be OK." More rocking, and holding her tight. AB lost herself in her grief again for another few minutes, but as she calmed down once more her mind went in a totally different direction catching Bill off guard.

"THAT FUCKING BITCH!!" AB had jumped up and both hands balled into fists stood ramrod straight, her whole body now rigid in her anger, "I'LL KILL HER, I'LL RIP HER FUCKING HEART OUT. HOW COULD SHE BE SUCH A CUNT!! HOW COULD SHE DO THAT TO YOU!!" And then she fainted.

Her brain had finally short circuited, not enough oxygen getting up there from all the crying and then the angry outburst had done it. She crumpled like a rag doll and Bill caught her. He laid her on top of her bed and decided to let her come around naturally. She needed to heal, to come to terms with what had happened. Shutting down like that was her body's defense mechanism, he'd let her have some quiet. Checking her pulse and forehead just to be sure, Bill went over to AB's desk chair and sat down with the letter.

No Match was printed prominently at the top of the page; the rest was a comparison of Subject A against Subject B listing alleles that didn't mean much to a layman, except to note that the values in each of the two columns were not the same. Even though he'd been preparing for weeks now, seeing it written out finally made it hit home. He didn't waste any tears, but a checkmark had been placed in Kate's account, Bill had another piece of evidence of her betrayal.

It was just before 7pm when AB started to stir, she'd lain in the same position unmoving for almost two hours. "Daddy?" Bill hadn't moved much either, he was still in the chair, waiting.

"I'm right here baby." Rising he came and sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. "It's gonna be all right, we'll get through this."

"Daddy, how did you know? How long have you known? What are we going to do!?" Quiet tears rolled down AB's cheeks, she was profoundly sad and hurt.

"Well the first thing we're going to do is stuff ourselves with pizza so our bodies and brains have enough fuel to deal with this. Get up, go wash your face and meet me downstairs. Let's blow this popsicle stand and get something to eat."

And with that he left her bedroom. Her daddy was like that, swift decisions, do what's needed first, deal with the rest later. So she dragged herself into the bathroom, used the toilet and washed her face. Making her way downstairs she found him standing near the front door, actually staring at the inside of the entrance as if he could see through it. For his part Bill was running scenarios, getting ready to flex in whatever direction was necessary - to do whatever was necessary.

"Instead of talking right now, or silent agonizing, I want you to put on your favorite song and sing along with it as we drive over to the restaurant." Bill knew she needed something familiar, something for her mind to anchor to, he'd seen too many people lose themselves in a downward spiral after receiving a shock like the one AB had just had. And the pizza was part of that; sure it was fuel which her body desperately needed after the shock, but also a familiar surrounding that had happy memories.

AB didn't argue with her father, she was on auto pilot. She queued her song on the car's audio system and did sing along. As she was doing that her lungs got a bit of calming exercise, her mood improved a little bit, and few dark thoughts plagued her. The song was doing the trick.

"A medium number 3, extra cheese and a pitcher of diet soda" Bill paid the girl behind the counter and taking their glasses grabbed a table. Bill assumed a calm demeanor, he needed AB to focus on what he was saying, he was going to be reasonable and informative, but it would also be intense. It would do AB no good for him to be emotional, or sad, or weepy himself - she needed his strength more than ever.

"I've known, or suspected since you were two years old. I never really checked, not even when DNA testing became so cheap and easy. YOUR ARE MY DAUGHTER. Nothing, no one, no circumstance can change that; I will not allow anything to come between us. I would lay down my life for you, when I held you that first time at the hospital when you were born I made a promise that I would love and protect you as long as I was able. It has been my most important job to nurture and help you grow."

AB felt the power of her father's words; they bounced around in her shell shocked brain and came to rest in her heart. Daddy was there for her, he would protect her, he would handle it.

"But daddy, there's more that you don't know. I've learned some things that I need to tell you about."

"No baby, you don't have to tell me anything right now. I need you to keep listening to me, focus on what I'm telling you. There's nothing I don't know, I have every single detail except the one you uncovered. First in the Army, then at the Railroad, and now at the shop, my stock in trade is information. I need to know things in order to act, or decide not to act. And sometimes plans take a long time to come to a conclusion, information sometimes doesn't make sense before a pattern emerges."

AB was listening, but as she was looking at her father she realized his posture was different right now. His usual aura of easygoing daddy wasn't in front of her. Instead was this straighter, bigger man who exuded confidence and control. Was this the real Bill Ford, where was her daddy?

Just then the pizza came and at Bill's insistence they ate two slices each before he'd allow any more conversation. He needed her to get some calories into her body so the healing could begin. Once the food hit her system, she'd be in better shape to continue. After all she really was just a 17 year old kid; she couldn't be expected to deal with this all at once. He'd have to dole out any revelations carefully, be guided by her questions and not feed her too much.

Bill realized Kate being out of town, probably thru the weekend, was a blessing. He and AB would have all the time they needed to put on their game faces before Kate got back. He was going to have to get AB on target in a short amount of time. She was in for the test of her life. He needed for her to quickly transition from grief and sorrow to planning and action.

"When I was in the Army I accidentally found my calling...." Bill spent the next 15 minutes describing his stint in the Military Police, meting out swift justice, often coloring outside the lines. Good, he observed, another half a slice had disappeared into AB. Then he moved on to describe his training and subsequent job at the Railroad as a supervisor, and his rise over the years to Director. How he had to come up with more and more clever strategies to stay ahead of the cargo thieves, he even mentioned digitizing the security cameras, that part always made him smile inwardly. The rest of that third slice was now gone and AB had grabbed another, more goodness, she was going to be so carb loaded she'd sleep like a rock tonight.

And finally Bill described what Ford Security did; they fixed problems and broken things. They analyzed situations and programs, came up with fixes and improvements, listened to their clients and gave them what they needed, not always what they wanted. Bill had woven a tale across his three careers of seeing a situation for what it was, and then applying the right fix. It only took about 45 minutes of talking but he could see AB starting to think about what he was saying. And that fourth slice had disappeared and she was nibbling on some crusts.

So Bill sat back and gave AB some space, her next words would be important.

"But daddy, what are we going to do?" Bingo, he had her in a better place.

"Well AB, you've just had a real adult shock. Part of your world has been torn down and now we have to figure out what to put in its place. That's the important bit, WE as in you and I need to come up with a plan and then put it in motion to get through this to the other side. Let's leave that planning for tomorrow, we should get home and get some sleep. It's 9:30 and tomorrow's a school day, that is if you're feeling up to going in the morning. Let's head home and you can sing along with that tune of yours on the way."

Bill headed up to Kate's bathroom as soon as they got home. He found her sleeping pills and grabbed one. AB was almost as big as her mother, so he reasoned that AB could handle a full tablet.

"Here baby, I want you to take one of your mother's sleeping pills. We need to guarantee you get a full night's sleep so you'll be rested for what comes tomorrow. Also, I want you to take a hot shower before bed, that will help relax your muscles; you've had a physical reaction too."

A bit later AB was under the covers, and drifting off to sleep as the pill and the shower worked their magic. Her daddy was there, he loved her, they would plan together what to do. And her last thought was, do I tell him everything I know?

----

"How did it go? I've been on tenterhooks since you rushed out of the office."

"Actually it went pretty good. I got her into listening mode once we got to the pizza place and eventually she asked the right questions."

"My god Bill, when she jumped up and yelled about killing Kate I was so surprised. Even watching remotely through the cameras her rage was palpable. You look very surprised when she did that, when we review the tapes we can chuckle at the look on your face."

"I was completely surprised, I knew there would be tears and maybe some exclamations, but rage, I wasn't expecting that. Must be some of Len popping through."

"Don't ever say that, she is your daughter! I won't have you giving that bastard any credit, or that whore of a mother for that matter. That young lady is all you, she may her own person still to blossom, but that is Bill Ford's daughter we're talking about." It was one of the few subjects that Sheila got heated about, AB might not be hers, but she was Bill's, and that was good enough for Sheila.

"I gotta sign off my lady, I'm drained too. That was an intense afternoon and evening. Having it be AB and not some client or perp raging hit me in a whole different way. I've got to come to terms with the new reality too. Hopefully a good night rest, and a belly full of pizza, will get me prepared for what is next. Good night my love."

"Bill I love you so much. Good night."

Bill's thoughts didn't keep him awake for too long. He knew tomorrow would be hard, but not as bad as today. He felt that the worst was past. But what exactly would happen next? He felt ready; all the years of preparation and planning gave him confidence, and options. Yes, he and AB had plenty of options.

----

It was 10am the next morning when Bill heard the upstairs toilet flush. He was in the kitchen reading the paper with a cup glass of juice when AB came downstairs carrying her laptop.

"I called the school and you have a sick day today. Your mother will be out of town until Sunday evening so we have plenty of time together."

"Thanks daddy, wow I slept for like 11 hours. I guess I really needed it. It all seems so unreal this morning with the sun coming in and you looking all normal. But it's not, everything's changed."