I hope you enjoy this next chapter, consider this a transition chapter for some awesome things coming in the next chapters.

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Thanks again to my mother in law for editing and making this chapter flow better. Love you!

Chapter 9 Deception

As I stood in the shadows that engulfed me, while the rain ran down my face, I watched across the street into a dark alley with a yellow light cascading softly down, just barely showing the figures that stood beneath it. I watched in absolute terror as Number One and Number Two pummeled Edward back and forth making strikes across his gorgeous face. He was out numbered and couldn't fight back. I had to pull my hand to my mouth, biting on my index finger to keep me from crying out for him. They landed hard blows to his stomach making him hunch over in agony; then kicked the back of his knees to make him fall to the ground. He placed his hands to the wet ground, then propped himself back up again sitting on his feet. He was defeated, done for; no fight was left in him. Number One pulled out his gun and held it to his head. Edward screamed out "I love you Bella!"

The shot rang out and his head hit the brick building with his lifeless body sinking to the ground.

"NO! Edward!"

I was pulled from my nightmare by the sound of my cell phone chirping at me. It was now ten o'clock Monday morning. The sun crept in through my window and spanned over my bed warming my half-covered body. As I reached for my phone, I noticed that I had two missed calls, one from Alice and the other from Edward. Instead of returning either of their phone calls right away, I decided I would get ready for the day.

While I was getting ready I really felt the urge to return to school and start teaching again, but I wasn't exactly sure if I could walk back into my classroom and not see Bree there. I was already aware that they had put a full time sub in my position, when the school found out that I had wakened from my coma and couldn't speak. That made me feel sad because I loved teaching so much, but obviously, a teacher that couldn't speak wasn't effective in a classroom.

One thing was for sure though. Deep down in my soul I knew I needed to meet with the FBI and find out what had happened to the Newton's before I could ever move on with my life. Whether they were still alive or if they were dead, I needed to close that door before moving on to the next one. Hopefully, the next door would be with Edward, but I knew I might have to walk away from him and into protective custody.

The thought of that next stage in my life reminded me of my nightmare. If I left, would he still be in danger? The pit in my stomach was so deep from guilt that I was sure I would not be able to ever lead a happy, normal life knowing that I was the cause of his death. Would he ever consider going into protective custody with me, or was that too much to ask? I shook my head at myself; I was being selfish to think I could ever ask him to leave his family, career and the life that he has worked so hard to obtain.

Looking in the full-length mirror in my room, I looked over myself and just knew that I could never ask him to give up his life for me; someone that had nothing special to offer. That just meant that I would have to come up with a way of getting myself away from Edward…but how?

Leaving the solace of my bedroom I grabbed my cell phone and headed to the kitchen. As I wasn't too hungry and it was late in the morning I opted for a simple bowl of cereal. As I sat down at the table, I noticed Renee had left a note:

Bella,

I went to Port Angeles to go shopping. I peeked in on you this morning and noticed you were out cold, so I decided not to wake you. Your Dad's shift ends at five and he said he invited Sergeant Cullen and his wife over for dinner at seven. We would like you to join us. Hope you are feeling better and we'll see you around three.

Love, Mom

Charlie and Renee were always gone, but I didn't really mind. It gave me a chance to be by myself; it was especially nice, with all this drama going on.

I decided that I would wait to call Alice until she got out of work; so that left me with Edward. Picking up my phone I found his name and pressed send.

"Bella."

"Hello, Edward." I couldn't help but smile hearing his voice.

"I was just about to call you again; I didn't want to seem like a stalker calling you so much though."

"I believe it's a little too late for that. You have already shown me that you have stalker capabilities." We both laughed and then it fell silent.

"So what are you doing for lunch? Do you want to go into town and grab a bite to eat?" I asked not really knowing what my intentions were going to be.

"How could I pass up an invitation from my favorite patient? Sure what time? Do you want me to pick you up?" He boasted sounding a little too excited.

"Well, Dr Cullen, how about you meet me at Forks Coffee Shop* around noon? I have some errands to run, so it will just be easier to meet there." I said, not knowing if that was the whole truth.

"That sounds good. Well, I better go if you want me to be on time. I still have to shower."

"Sounds great, bye!"

"Bye."

I pushed end on my phone and stared at it for a moment. Taking in a deep breath I decided that I knew what had to be done.

******

After buying all the necessary items I needed to make dinner for our guests tonight I made my way over to the coffee shop.

It was now a quarter to twelve as I sat in the back corner of the restaurant waiting for Edward. Confusion and frustration were setting in, but I knew I couldn't let that change my mind about what I was going to do. This was for his own good.

I never considered myself to be a great actor, but this was for real and that is why I chose a very public place to do it. It had to look real and I hoped that my captures were still watching every move that I was making so that they would take their eyes off Edward and keep them focused on me.

While warming my hands on my cup of hot cocoa I watched as Edward walked in and then took noticed where I was sitting and gave me an enthusiastic smile. As well as I could, I kept my face emotionless, but inside I smiled to myself because I couldn't get over how gorgeous he was and that made it clearer that he needs to be with someone equally beautiful. He was wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt; he looked as if he just stepped out of GQ magazine with his hair jutting out in every direction.

As he sat down, his face fell as he lifted an eyebrow quizzically.

"Hey, sweetheart, you look beautiful as usual." He stated while taking in the appearance of my dark blue jeans and crimson v-neck sweater and black boots.

I gave him a half smile and tried not to blush. "Hi."

"Are you all right?" His entire demeanor shifted and he tried to reach for my hands on my cup, but I pulled away.

Clearing my throat I spoke, "After you left last night I had a lot of time to think. And…well…um…this isn't going to work."

All the blood drained from Edward's face. "What do you mean? I thought we had this discussion. We were going to….

"This is over!" I spoke a little louder this time while I gestured back and forth between us.

"I need you, Bella." He matched my volume.

"No. You. Don't." I looked in his eyes feeling the fire that had built up in me and couldn't believe that this was happening, that he believed me.

His eyes started to pool up with tears and he looked down at the table. Oh, man what have I done? I needed to get out of there before I changed my mind and threw my arms around him, apologizing, kissing him to forgive me. I swiftly moved out of the booth and then out of the restaurant. I knew I couldn't break down and cry at that moment, because everything that I had just done would have been for nothing.

******

After I had broken things off with Edward I was ready to set things in motion with the FBI; even though I wasn't to clear on what was going to happen. Were they just going to put me in protective custody or maybe, let me help?

Of course, I was a complete mess because I had given up my happiness and hurt Edward so deeply. I cried every time I thought of the future I could have had with him, but I would quickly withdraw my thoughts, knowing that he would probably not be in danger anymore.

Monday evening had gone well. My parents and I had a great time visiting with Sergeant Cullen and his wife Rosalie. I was happy that I did not judge Rosalie before meeting her because I found that even though she seemed to be a serious, uptight woman she was still quite easy to talk to. I held back letting her get too comfortable with me because I knew she wasn't going to be my friend and I didn't want her to get her hopes up.

Finally, it was Wednesday and I started to feel like I was breaking away from my life here in Forks. My parents were aware that I did have my debriefing with the FBI, and they knew in that they would be informed, to a certain extent, about what was to happen.

While I was sitting in the parking lot of Seattle's FBI Headquarters I thought briefly for a moment that I probably would never see my family and friends again; so I called Alice.

We talked for a few minutes and she went on apologizing that she had not seen me since after I was attacked last Saturday. I comforted her, telling her that not every one's lives should be affected by mine. I also knew that she was busy teaching as well as being a wife. After telling her that I loved her dearly I snapped my phone shut and climbed out of my truck and made my way into the building.

As I was entering the building I took in the size; it was at least had ten or eleven stories, the windows were blacked out and the building itself was a sandy brown with not much character. I walked in through the double doors and was greeted by the receptionist. She was dressed in a black pant suit and was wearing a wireless headset. As I approached her desk, she lifted her chin and looked at me.

"Hello, name please." She firmly asked, but her tone was pleasant and polite.

"Bella, Bella Swan."

She pushed a button on her phone with her long index finger. "Agent Black, Bella Swan is here. Do you want me to send her up? All right, sir. Thank you."

Hearing a ding I snapped my head from her to the elevator that was a few feet behind her. "The elevator will take you where you need to go. Agent Black will be waiting for you."

Making my way over to the elevator I watched my feet so I wouldn't trip while entering. The doors closed and I felt the jolt of the elevator, half expecting and wondering what level it was going to take me, but it didn't feel like it was going up. Instead, it was going down. Errrr! I hate elevators.

When the doors opened I was greeted by the tall, russet haired man, dressed in a black suit with a simple black tie (which reminded me of Men in Black, and fit him quite well) Agent Black.

"Good to see you Bella. You are looking better than the last time I saw you. This way." He smiled and placed his hand on the small of my back to lead me.

"Thanks, good to see you. You look different too, since the last time I saw you."

We entered into what looked like an interrogation room that you would see on CSI. I glanced around briefly and noticed that there was already someone else in the room.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I yelled making it echo within the small room.

He turned his body toward me and smiled, raising one eyebrow. Why was he smiling? He should hate me for what I did to him.

"I told you, I wasn't going to let you do this by yourself." He clenched his teeth, sat back in his seat and crossed his arms refusing to give up. Goodness, he was gorgeous -and a stalker.

Why did he have to be so stubborn? Was I so transparent that he saw right through me and realized my true intentions? Maybe I could still convince him and demand that he leave before we began. My body stiffened up, I jerked my head away from him, lifted my chin and sat in the chair next to him. If he thinks he can get away with this then he is undoubtedly wrong.

Agent Black and a woman dressed in a black pantsuit sat down in front of us. The woman wore her sandy blond hair up in a high ponytail, her facial features were soft, she had green eyes and her skin was nicely tanned to a medium brown; altogether she was beautiful.

"Ms. Swan, Dr. Cullen this is my superior Agent Leah Clearwater. Well, shall we start?"

Speaking up quickly I disputed, "Actually, I have something to say before we get into all this." I looked at Edward and back to the agents with my lips pursed together. "I'd just like to say, I do not want Dr. Cullen here. He has nothing to do with this and I would appreciate it if he would leave." I heard Edward gasp, but then he didn't try to defend himself.

"Well, Ms. Swan I understand your concern, but to inform you, I spoke to Dr. Cullen yesterday and he expressed his concern. He feels that, even though you are not together romantically, he may still be in danger because he was associated with you. Because of that, he would like to go into protective custody," Agent Clearwater spoke in Edward's defense. All I could do was look at her and widen my eyes in shock and avoid Edward, but I could feel his smile upon me.

"Since that's all cleared up, let's proceed. Again Bella, are you still firm on your decision to know everything about this case that we are able to disclose to you? And are choosing to go into protective custody?"

Finally turning my head and making eye contact with Edward I firmly, and without doubt, nodded and said, "Yes, to both questions." He furrowed his eyebrows and gave me a small tight smile.

"All right let's cut to the chase. The Newton's are still alive." I raised my eyebrows in relief and hoped he would explain next where they were. "Let's start from the beginning. Marcus Newton, Mike's father, who passed away in 2007, had incurred a large gambling debt in Las Vegas. His Uncle Aro Gallo is a loan shark and part of the American Mafia that loaned Marcus money. Marcus put Outfitter's up as collateral. His debt was $987,000; he was paying off the loan up until he died of a heart attack. Unfortunately he left a debt of $563,675. Aro wanted his money, so he took it upon himself to make it Mike's problem, but Mike refused.

"Aro and his 'men' tortured his family until Mike agreed to either turn over Outfitter's or go work for him. They disappeared after they left you for dead in the parking lot. The Newton's are being held captive until the debt is paid off. Um…we know they are keeping them in Vegas, but we are unsure of where. We have had undercover agents in the area, but haven't been able to get close enough to Aro. He is highly guarded and talks to no one, unless he is captivated by them." Agent Black trailed off.

"So wait, let me get this straight. They are alive, you don't know where and you can't get to Aro." I stated confirming the information as I shook my head and furrowed my eyebrows. "So do you think they are still torturing them?" I asked, feeling distressed.

"After watching Aro for this long, we believe that if you do what he asks of you, then he has no reason to hurt you. So if Mike is doing what Aro wants him to do, we believe his family is being taken care of and is safe for the time being.

"This is why we need to get you into protective custody. If he believes you know the truth then he may either try and kill you again or hold you captive."

This bit of information should have surprised me, but after all that I have been through I believe I was becoming astoundingly numb, and it seemed pointless at this time to show how weak I really was.

"I want to help, how can I help?" I quickly jutted, knowing that this was what I had planned all along.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? You are not an agent; you are just a school teacher." Ouch, his words stung. "You can't help. They will be putting us in protective custody and they will be handling it." Edward had jumped to his feet towering over me and looking me dead straight in the eyes.

Standing up, trying to meet his tall stature, I stuck my finger into his sculpted chest. "You, Dr. Cullen, can go into protective custody, since you were the one that came here when I didn't want you here. I. Want. To. Help! Plus, I can recognize all their voices and I do know what drives them to hurt people. Remember I was with them for a month and know what they are capable of!" He glared, shocked at my words.

Both Agent Black and Agent Clearwater had stood up as well, trying to cease the tension between Edward and me.

"Calm down!" Agent Clearwater yelled through her teeth. I turned my head away from Edward's glare and looked at her. "Bella's actually got a good point. Agent Black and I would like to discuss this in private." They stepped out, leaving me alone with Edward. Now what do I do?

Edward slid back down into his seat, put his hands together on top of the table and put his head down on his hands. "I can't believe you are doing this. You are intentionally putting yourself in danger. You are the most….unselfish….strongest person…I have…ever met." It came out muffled, but I was still able to understand his apprehensive words.

"For the short time you have known me have I ever just sat back and let things happen? No, I can't and I won't!" He turned his head slightly still leaving his head resting on his hands and just stared kindly at me.

We sat in silence for a moment. "Well, in the short time you have known me have I given up on you? No, I can't….and I won't. Wherever you are going, I am going. Whatever you do, I am doing. I don't care what you say, even if you meant those things to me in the restaurant, because I can't give up what I feel in my heart." I knew in my heart, as well, that he was not a quitter and I needed him to know that I understood him, but I didn't want to go back on what I said in the restaurant. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but danger was still there and I did not want to get too close to him until we were out of danger.

So I simply said, "I know."

We were interrupted by Agent Black and Agent Clearwater coming back into the room.

"All right we have come to a conclusion. First things first. We need to train both of you on how to use a gun…" I cut Agent Black off.

"Actually I already do." Everyone looked at me in shock. "Hey, don't look at me like that. My dad is Chief of Police, I grew up in Phoenix, went to Seattle by myself and Charlie wasn't going to have his only daughter go out in the world not knowing how to protect herself. Charlie and I have gone to the shooting range once a month since I was sixteen. I know how to use an H&K Glock 17 and a shotgun." I proudly stated, while everyone still looked at me in shock and I displayed the biggest smile on my face. Yeah, I know I am bad.

"Do you realize how sexy that is to picture you with a gun?" Edward blurted out obviously forgetting that there were other people in the room besides him and me. Bringing himself out of his reverie he continued. "Well, I too am aware of how to use a gun. My family goes on avid hunting trips and I am a member of the NRA. Plus, I do own my own handgun." Ah what a pair we make, I thought.

Agent Clearwater interrupted our attempts at sizing each other up, "Well, that's great. So that just leaves us to train you like we do our own agents; especially in self defense without a gun. Also, we have to lead on Aro and his men, making them believe you have forgotten about the Newton's."

"Okay, so how are we going to do that?" I asked, feeling a little nervous.

Agent Clearwater put her elbows on the table, leaned closer to Edward and me and pulled out a folder of papers, opening it. "All right, here is the plan………."