Two chapters in one week, WOO HOO! I love it when inspiration hits. If this chapter seems a little crazy, it's because it is and it's supposed to be. Lol By the end, I'm pretty sure you'll be shocked and/or confused. =D Once again, I own nothing Twilight, but I am crazy and I'm okay with that. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 24

You're All Crazy

"Some people never go crazy, What truly horrible lives they must live"~ Charles Bukowski

KPOV(Kate)

I watch Emmett help Bella onto the couch as she fights back tears. I can't help noticing that she doesn't flinch at the contact the way she did with Jake a week and a half ago. Then again, the last time I spoke with him, he said that she had made a lot of progress with her intimacy issues. At the thought of Jake, I let out a sigh. It's been only a little less than a week since Sam, the lead agent in the case, told me to back off from him. Still, it feels like ages. The fact that I miss him so much only corroborates what Sam claimed. He felt that I was getting too close and he was right. When Sam reassigned me to the three new informants, I lashed out, but I denied it had anything to do with my feelings for Jake. I argued that I liked my position; I liked having Emily and Leah around to watch my back in case something went wrong. Sam just laughed when I said that, he didn't believe my lies for shit. I can't say I'm surprised. They were horrible lies. Sam has read my background sheet and he knows I prefer working alone. I had to try though; I had to try to stay close to him.

I give myself a mental shake. It's so stupid; I can't be close to him, not as close as I want anyway. Besides, even if I could get closer to him in the physical sense, in the romantic sense, our interaction would be based on a lie. Hell, our entire friendship is based on a lie. We needed the inside details on Toffee Coffee to prove Aro's been smuggling drugs through the business so Emily, Leah, and I, we're placed in Jake's path eight months ago in hopes that one of us would attract his attention. If he ever found out that, I doubt he would even be interested in me; he'd probably hate me. I know I would hate me. It wouldn't be easy to love someone whose job at one time was to get information out of you.

That's what it all comes down to, the job, it's always about the job, and up until I met Jake, I've always been able to keep my feelings separate from my work. At one point, I actually had the opportunity to stop myself from falling deeper, but I didn't. When we found that he knew nothing, I fought to keep him around anyway, claiming he might be useful. That was also a lie, but a much better one that Sam believed and it let me keep Jake close. Lies, it's all a bunch of lies. Sometimes, I feel like my whole life is a lie.

"Um, Kate, do you think maybe we could get this over with while Bella's still somewhat functioning?" Alice asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I look up to see that Alice has her arm wrapped around Bella, who's gotten incredibly quiet. She has a tissue in her hand that she's using to dab at her eyes and I wish I could tell her that I know how she feels, but I don't, not really. The person she loves, loves her back and not because she told him a bunch of made up crap about her past, or gave him some phony reason for why she chose to attend medical school. The guy she loves actually knows her real last name.

Fuck! Pull it together, Kate!

"Oh, yes, of course," I reply, nodding my head in agreement as I mark Edward's tape with his assigned number and replace it with a fresh one. "This is testimony taken for the case against Aro Paolo Volturi by agent Katelynn Louise Denali, ID number 287-46A. Please state your full name for the record."

"Isabella Marie Swan," she snivels.

"Whenever you're ready, Ms. Swan, start with the first time you ever heard of Aro Volturi and I'll stop you periodically to ask questions."

"Well, the first time I heard of him was when Alice told me her story, but I discovered later on that he may have been involved with the death of my father, Charlie Swan." Alice hands Bella a glass of water and she pauses to take a sip before going on with the story. "Edward showed me a painting that he had done. The painting was of two pictures of me, one was with my father a few months before he died and the other was a photo of me that Ms. Penny had taken when I moved out. See, she always paid for a professional photo when one of her orphans left the home."

When I hear Bella say the word orphan, I can't help feeling as if something is off. I remember that I got the same feeling earlier when Alice mentioned Bella living in the girl's home with her, but I had been distracted because she had jumped to something more significant. Now, however, I can't seem to shake the feeling. I've read so many papers about these three in the last few days that it's hard to keep everyone straight, especially with all my thoughts on Jake, but regardless, I try to recall what I've read specifically about Bella as she continues to talk.

"Anyways, he told me that he saw Aro hand Tanya the photos and he overheard him tell her something like 'James is a dimwit; he can't even do a simple task.' I put the pieces together later and now I believe the same James with the blonde ponytail who smelled like alcohol in Alice's story was the man who tried to kidnap me when I was 12, the one who also shot and killed Charlie."

Why the hell would Aro want to steal a cop's daughter, one of his co-worker's children no less? That doesn't make any sense! We have suspicions that he's taken children, and of course, Alice's story earlier proves that for us finally, but the suspected kidnappings were all of unknown children, orphans and runaways with no family, no one to miss them, no fathers or mothers…mother! That's it! I never saw any paperwork on Bella's mother!

"Ms. Swan, what do you know about your mother?"

"My mother?" She questions with a start. "What…I-, I don't know, nothing really I guess. My father never liked to talk about her because I think it made him sad. He told me when I was young that she died giving birth to me, but never said much else about her."

No…no, that doesn't seem right. There was no death certificate or any report of complications in the hospital record and the orphanage file said something…God, what did it say? Stupid Jake, stupid distractions! UGH! All of a sudden, the mist in my mind clears and I can see the words in my head as sharp as if I'm reading them on the paper again.

A close friend of Charlie, Harry Clearwater, claims Mrs. Swan ran off with another man shortly after child's birth. There were no records in the household to indicate the mother's whereabouts and contact was unable to be made. Child handed over to state custody.

Oh, fucking hell! Come on! Can't I get a break here?

I reach forward and shut the recorder off. It's bad enough that I have to do this; I don't want it recorded for everyone to hear.

"Are we done already?" Bella asks and I wish there was a way I could tell her yes. I wish I could continue to lie like everyone else in this damn world seems to do all the time, but the girl deserves the truth. Everyone deserves the truth once and a while, no matter how hard it is to hear.

"No, but there's something I need to tell you," I start, speaking as kindly as I can as I gaze at Bella's blotchy red face. She's sad, scared, and I'm about to shock the poor girl to death. "I know it's not a good time and I know you're upset and that this is just going to open up your brain to a thousand questions that may never be answered, but I have to tell you. I don't want to, trust me, I really don't…"

I take a deep breath and do the one thing that I know will make this easier, I slip into professional mode, separating myself as best as I can from the situation in my mind.

"I've spent the past couple of days, looking at every file I could get my hands on for you, Alice, and Edward, and in none of those files, was a death certificate for your mother. Nor was there any report of complications on your birth record. There was one bit of information I found, however, and I'm sorry, but I believe your father lied to you. There's testimony from one of his close friends that states that your mother ran off with another man shortly after you were born."

It happens so fast that for a moment, I don't think it happens at all, but the proof is hovering over top of me and my back is pinned to the floor. Bella's fist pulls back, her eyes are raging, and I have a feeling that I'm about to end up with a broken nose or some shit. All I can think about though is how much I deserve it. I've been lying for a long time with no repercussions; it makes sense that when I tell the truth, this would be what happens. The truth will set you free, my ass. The truth in these situations just plain fucking sucks no matter what side you're on, I know because I've been on both. I can see the hesitation in her eyes, the doubt.

"Just do it all ready!" I yell, the memory of my own rage two years ago coming to mind, how much I wanted to just hit him, but I couldn't. "It's not going to change anything! It's not going to make the truth any easier!"

Her fist trembles, her eyes water, and I see so much of the old me in her that I nearly start crying myself. I hold it back though, only to hear words coming out of my mouth that I never intended to say.

"It won't change the fact that she was a bitch for leaving, and it won't make you feel any less like shit because you were supposed to be important to her and she was supposed to love you. You know what it's really not going to change, the fact that you'll never feel like you were good enough and what makes it worse is when you find out that you weren't good enough, but her other two kids were. At least you weren't raised by a liar and his imposter wife who claimed you were theirs when really your mom left and took the other two kids with her, the ones she loved more than you! So do it, hit me, because it won't change shit! She's alive and she left, end of fucking story!"

I'm stunned into silence and my heart is racing, my breathing's heavy. I've never told anyone about that. Technically, I never even told the team, the only reason they know is because they were there when I found out. I had been pushing paperwork for months on Aro and when I pulled up the information on two new leads, Tanya and Irina, I was shocked as hell at what I found. It was only because of the fact that I never met them, never even knew of my sisters, that I got to stay on the team. All I wanted was to work this case so I could have the glory of bringing down that shit head Aro. That's still all I want. If my sisters fall or don't fall in the process, I could give a fuck less.

"You're a liar!" Bella screams, her eyes showing she doesn't even believe what she's saying and a crazy laugh escapes me because for once, I'm not lying.

I see the anger in her face as her fist flies forward and I shut my eyes. Finally, fuck, it's about damn time. Nothing happens, there's no pain, no cracking of bone and I can't feel any blood on my face. I open my eyes to see a hand grasping Bella's fists.

"Don't, Bella," Alice says softly. "You can't tell me that you honestly think she's lying, and she's right, it won't change anything."

Emmett helps Bella to her feet and I shut my eyes again, attempting to keep my tears at bay. Maybe it would have made me feel better or maybe it wouldn't have, but I really wish she had just hit me.

I stand next to Sam on one side of the two-way mirror, staring into the interrogation room of the F.B.I.'s Seattle detaining facility. An F.B.I. attorney, a woman with coco colored skin named Zafrina Taylor stands directly across a table from Edward, who's slouched in his chair and appearing as miserable as Bella was when I left yesterday, minus the tears. I'm pleased to see there's a middle aged, balding, man standing beside him in a freshly pressed blue suit. It seems he finally lawyered up like he should have earlier, good, there's no need for him to be a fucking martyr.

The man, who's oddly self-assured, reaches his hand across the table and Ms. Taylor shakes it politely.

"J. Jenks, we spoke over the phone."

"Of course, Mr. Jenks, please, have a seat."

Mr. Jenks sits in his chair as Ms. Taylor does the same. Ever diligent, she goes right to work, placing her briefcase on the table as she begins the discussion of our proposition.

"I've spoken with Agent Uley and Agent Denali and I'll just be frank, this is the deal we're offering for Mr. Cullen in exchange for his testimony in the trial of Aro Volturi."

She slips a small stack of papers across the table, but instead of reading the papers, Mr. Jenks simply glances at them without touching them and gives Ms. Taylor a look of indignation.

"A year long prison term with 5 years probation? That's hardly a deal, Ms. Taylor," He says and Edward's suddenly attentive, bolting upright in his chair, his eyes wide, shocked obviously at the thought of serving time. His eyes fall on Mr. Jenks and I suspect he's about to say something along the lines of 'You said you would get me out of this!', but the pudgy man holds his hand up in a gesture of silence. With a scoff, Edward complies and Mr. Jenks continues. "Not with the assistance my client can provide for your case, a case you've been working on for half a decade I might add. What about the address of the warehouse? We were in agreement that would also weigh in on this deal."

Ms. Taylor lets out a sigh, purses her lips, and places her hands on the table, folding them together.

"If he goes through with trial, the sentence could be anywhere from 5 to 7 years, depending on the judge, Mr. Jenks. One year is practically a slap on the wrist in comparison, and the address is two years old, it is of no use to the department. From what we've been able to gather, he changes locations frequently, about every two months or so."

Mr. Jenks leans in Edward's direction and it seems that their whispering to each other.

"What are they saying? My lip reading's no where near as good as yours," I tell Sam, and he gives me a smirk that reaches all the way to his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sucking up, so sue me. What the hell are they saying?"

"Let's see…'You're going to have to serve time. I can probably get her down to 6 months, but that's all I can do, unless you have something else. Think, Edward, anything, a name, a number?'"

A flash of recognition comes across Edward's face.

"Yes! A number! What if I could give you a number for Tanya Denali?" He blurts out and Mr. Jenks shakes his head as Ms. Taylor smiles in triumph. A desperate client makes for an easy deal.

I smack my forehead. Edward really isn't fucking thinking this shit through. Shut your mouth, you idiot! Let your lawyer talk for you before you fuck up your only deal.

"It depends, how old is the number?"

"Irina gave it to me last week at Toffee Coffee when she told me-"

"Not another word, Mr. Cullen!" Mr. Jenks cuts him off and signals for him to lean towards him. They go back to whispering.

"Sam, some help?" I ask and he groans in irritation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, hold on a minute. Cullen's all excited, he's talking fast…ah, Irina told him to call Tanya so they could discuss a way to steal the last painting and when he didn't call, Mr. Cullen claims that Aro blew up his apartment building."

"You mean that explosion on Union and Central, he thinks it was Aro? Damn…if so, he's getting even gutsier these days."

"Yeah," Sam agrees, sadly. "I'll have to send Colin and Brady to check the place out."

Mr. Jenks grins at the new revelation and turns to Ms. Taylor.

"No jail time, 2 years probation and the number is all yours, Ms. Taylor."

She shakes her head and laughs.

"No deal. You and I both know that number could be for a disposable cell phone. Even if it's not for a disposable, it only gets us Tanya not Aro. My bottom offer is 6 months and 3 years probation with the number. Take it or leave it."

Edward whispers something to Mr. Jenks.

"Don't even ask, Denali. He was too fast for even me that time," Sam informs me, damn…

"Alright, what if I said I could get you Mr. Volturi on a silver platter," Mr. Jenks says with a wider grin than before. Now we're talking!

"I'd say talk is cheap, but if you could get him, that's the only way that I'd be willing to take your deal. No jail time, 2 years probation."

"You need hard evidence. All you have is a bunch of stories. You haven't even been able to get anyone on the inside, but Mr. Cullen already has an in. He'll wear a wire and a vest. He'll contact Tanya Denali, offer to steal the paintings, and forge them himself. He'll go in undercover to get the evidence you need to bring Aro in."

Ms. Taylor relaxes back in her chair as she considers the offer.

"We can't guarantee his safety,"

"Ms. Taylor." Edward addresses her with an expression that I can only describe as pure determination "As Helen Keller once said, 'Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.' So, no, you can't guarantee my safety, the truth is safety may not even exist, but I know love does. I love my friends and family, I love my fiancée, and I don't want to live the next year or six months in a jail cell while they're cowering in fear of this guy. I want to be with the woman I love. If I can stay out of jail this way and protect them, make her at least feel safe, than I have to do it because love is always worth the fight…Just let me try to fight."

My eyes are watering and my vision's blurry. This guy is fucking crazy. Aro will probably try to shoot him on sight, but it doesn't stop me from appreciating his passion. If being a little crazy about some one you love gets you to do something brave, something that you wouldn't normally have the strength to do…well, maybe being crazy isn't so bad.

"Alright…you have one week Mr. Cullen, make it count," Ms. Taylor replies, shaking his hand in agreement. "I'll have the paperwork drawn up ASAP and we'll get you in with one of the agents who will hook you up with gear and help guide you."

I choke back my tears and laugh.

"You have fun with that, Sam,"

He's quiet and when I look over at him, he's giving me a grin. Son of a bitch…why do I have to work with the crazy people?

So, confused? Shocked? Maybe a little bit of both. Oh, it's going to get even better my friends. =D These last few chapters (probably anywhere from 3-5 chapters left) are going to be interesting to say the least. So let's play psychiatrist, here's how it works. You babble to me about how crazy this chapter made you and I'll ask you how that makes you feel...Lol