AN: I don't own Twilight!

Hello everyone! I want to thank you all for your continued support and your wonderful reviews. My story finally made it to 50 reviews and I couldn't be happier.

This chapter is dedicated to the amazingly talented Charley (My Lion. My Lamb), I hope I don't disappoint you!

Jagga-Love, you rock my world baby!!

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Renee POV

I like to think that I have been a good mother. I have done my best to provide the best for my daughter, even at times when it meant sacrificing myself. All I ever asked was that she married well, and gave herself the opportunity to live the life that I was never able to provide for her.

I was the one who convinced Mike to move to Washington DC and pursue her. The poor guy had been in love with her since they were in high school, but never had the guts to ask her out. I could tell that he was heartbroken on their graduation day, seeing how she was going to leave for DC and he was stuck in Forks learning the family business.

If it wasn't for the fact that Mike was the heir to the Newton Empire, I would have never invested the time and effort to convince him that he was meant for Bella.

I was super ecstatic when Bella called one day to tell me that she was dating Mike. I knew it would be a short time before he would ask for her hand in marriage. My little girl was on her way to become Mrs. Newton, and I could not wait to rub that in the faces of all those women who saw me as a poor little nothing. Our time to shine had finally come.

There was one little problem, Jessica Stanley. Jessica had been in love with Mike since they were in high school, and it was no secret that she kept him company every time he had a need for someone.

When she heard of Mike dating Bella, she called me to accuse me that it was all my doing and to threaten me that she was going to make sure Mike left her. I still remember that conversation in detail.

I was looking at the new Bride magazine that had just arrive on the mail when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"What the hell do you think you are doing pushing Bella on Mike?" the person at the other end of the line asked.

"Jessica?" I asked, recognizing her voice.

"Who else?" she spat.

"What the hell do you want? You know that you have never been good enough for Mike. That is why he has never made you his official girlfriend, why he keeps your relationship a secret," I told her with as much venom as I could muster.

"You know that Mike loves me, he always has. The only reason he is after Bella now is because you have been giving her to him on a silver platter, telling him that his family would never accept anyone else," she yelled.

I laughed. I could not believe how delusional she was.

"Jessica, honey, please stop making a fool of yourself. If Mike really loved you, he would not have moved to DC to be with Bella," I told her.

"That is where you are wrong Renee. Mike came here for me. He laughed at all your efforts to get him to pursue Bella. He thinks she is a prude and an idiot. The only reason he is pursuing her now is because you convinced his mother he could not do better, and now she won't accept anyone else. But if you think that Mike's father will let him marry some poor shit like your daughter, you are sadly mistaken," she spat.

"I admit that convincing his father will be an uphill battle, but Mike and Bella are already together, so it looks like you lose," I yelled back, unable to control my anger anymore.

"I am going to have him break it off. He will be married to me by the end of the month. You'll see," she continued, now in a mocking tone.

"And how in the world do you think you are going to accomplish that?" I asked.

"I am pregnant with Mike's child. I just got confirmation from the lab. I am going to tell him tonight, after he returns from his stupid date with Bella," she snickered.

I gasped. This could not be happening. I had to act quickly.

"Go to hell," I yelled before hanging up the phone.

As soon as I hung up with Jessica I called Mr. Newton. I told him how I heard from some of the ladies at the country club that Jessica Stanley was trying to trap Mike by getting pregnant on purpose and how she was only doing it so that she could inherit their money. It was not hard to convince him that she was a gold digging whore.

That same night Mr. Newton took a flight to DC and made Jessica an offer she could not refuse. He offered her an offshore account with five million dollars if she got rid of the baby and never, ever spoke to Mike about the existence of the baby.

A few weeks later I received another call from Jessica, this time she told me in a resigned voice that I won, but that the war was far from over.

I thought that she was done fooling around with Mike, but I was sadly mistaken. She decided that the best revenge was to kiss Mike in front of Bella at her own wedding. The little whore ruined everything and now I had a big mess to clean up.

I was more than shocked to hear that Jessica had been murdered, but I could not bring myself to feel bad for her. I was sure that she had tried to break another couple and that it had all resulted in her death. What a foolish girl.

Ever since the wedding, my stubborn daughter had refused to talk to me. She had even managed to move to a new apartment without giving me or her father any indication of her whereabouts. I still had her cell phone number, but I refused to call her until she realized her wrong ways and came back to me begging for help with Mike.

I waited and waited, but that call never came. I had no idea what was going on in that head of hers, but I was disappointed that she was throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to her. Later I found out that she had been dating some fool in DC who was murdered. I was glad. Now she would realize that she was meant for Mike, and Mike only.

I was very sure she would be calling me soon, begging for me to forgive her. Once again, I waited, but no call. Then one day, I had done all but given up hope when I received a call from Mike.

I was super happy to find out that he had not given up on her, even though it turned out that Bella had become a whore. She was already dating someone else, and he was even living in her apartment.

I tried to call Charlie to warn him about the situation, but he refused to take my calls. It was decided on my conversation with Mike that I would be moving with him to what was supposed to be Bella's house, and I was going to help him figure out a way to get her back.

For weeks we discussed strategy over strategy, trying to find out the best way to get her to see Mike. I knew that if he asked for forgiveness in person, she would be unable to refuse.

We finally came up with a good plan, and I took a flight to Washington DC excited about helping Bella get back into the right path once and for all. I was going to show her that although she had been an ungrateful daughter, I loved her with all my heart and I was willing to forgive her.

I got off the blue colored taxi and I doubled checked the address that Mike had written down for me before moving close to the entrance so that I could let myself in as soon as someone came out.

From the outside, the building looked nice. I was impressed by the fact that Bella had managed to secure a place like this, and I was wondering if she had been using the man she was seeing for his money. That new fact made things easier in my mind, because it meant that she was finally getting the picture, and she would be lured easily into Mike's fortune.

I took the elevator and I pushed the number for Bella's floor. I was prepared to shut down every single pretense that she may use to fight me. Bella was so insecure. It wasn't hard to turn around her very arguments against her.

I took a deep breath and rang her doorbell. I could hear footsteps approaching and I put on my best motherly smile.

"What the hell do you want at this hour?" a man only clad in boxer shorts, with hair that screamed sex, yelled.

"Who the hell do you think you are speaking to me in such a way? Why are you almost naked? Where is Bella?" I asked in an angry voice.

"What the hell are you doing here mom?" Bella asked. She was only covered by her bed sheet. My daughter had truly become a whore.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You look like a slut! Who the hell do you think you are to disrespect your mother like this?" I yelled.

"Renee, is it? Hmm, why don't you come inside?" The asshole in the boxer shorts asked.

I moved inside and headed for Bella's living room. I was livid. I knew that she was living with someone but I had refused to believe Mike when he told me that Bella had lost all sense of morals and was having sex with this man.

Then it hit me. He was the guy from Acapulco.

"Mom, please let me explain…" Bella started.

"Shut up, Bella. Now I get it. You are such a deceiving little monster. You had us all fooled," I spat.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"This piece of scum is the guy you were whoring with at your own wedding in Acapulco. What did you do? Did you invite him to come over so that you could cheat on poor Mike? Were you planning to escape with this piece of shit?" I screamed as I pointed at the loser.

"Mom, you have no right to accuse me of something like that. You don't even know Edward. Things are not what they look like," she yelled. To say that I was shocked at her tone of voice would have been an understatement.

"Where do you get off yelling at your poor mother like that? All I ever wanted was the best for you. I can't believe that you are tossing it all away. All the sacrifices, all the things I have done for you. You are such an ungrateful daughter," I cried.

"Ungrateful? Is that what you think? Mike was the one who cheated on me at our own wedding, and you defended him. You preferred him over me. You never take me seriously, mom. You give my feelings no importance while you try to make me submit to your will. I have news for you Renee, that Bella has been dead for a long time now. Your theatrics no longer work, so you are wasting your time," she spat back.

"Bella, love, please calm down," the asshole in the boxer shorts interjected. "This is your mother, you really don't want to regret this," he continued.

"Look mister, I don't know who you are, but this is between me and my daughter so you better leave," I threatened.

"No Renee, he is not living. This is as much Edward's apartment as it is mine," Bella yelled.

"Bella, please just let him go! Mike can buy you a much better place than this. He already has. I spent some time at your house in Malibu, it's perfect. Please listen to me. Mike is so sorry. There is not a single day when he doesn't beat himself up for what happened. It was not his fault honey. That Jessica tramp had been after him for a long time and she forced herself on him in order to ruin your wedding," I replied as calm as I could be.

This was not the time to lose my temper. I needed to win Bella back, even if it meant making her feel guilty.

"That's not what it looked like mom. You did not see what I saw. He was participating as much as she was. He betrayed me," she told me, but I could sense that I was winning the battle.

"No honey, please listen. He only responded because he is a man, but you are the only person he's ever loved. Did you know that he has tried to kill himself several times since you left him? Bella, he can't live without you, you are the world to him, and I know there will never be anyone better than him for you. Do you want to live with his death on your conscience?" I bargained with her.

"That is enough. I will not stand here and let you manipulate Bella like that," the scum in the boxer shorts spat.

"Look Bella, he is just afraid that he is not good enough for you. He knows that and he will try everything to make you stay with him," I told Bella while ignoring the half naked idiot.

"You are right. Bella is too good for me, for anyone. She is so special. I can only hope to be good enough for her. I know that. But I also know that Mike is definitely not good for her. He treated her like shit on their wedding. How could you possibly think he is best for her?" he asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"I know he has made mistakes, but Mike has loved Bella for many years. No one knows her the way he does. He loves her so much that he never went against her morals, waiting to sleep with her until their wedding night, and you robbed him of that. He is a much better man that you could ever be because even knowing that Bella is no longer the innocent girl he once knew, he is willing to forget all of that and get back with her. He is a true gentleman."

"I am in love with Edward," Bella whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"I said that I am in love with Edward," she told me with more determination this time.

"I have never loved anyone the way I love Edward, and even if I could forgive Mike, I would never go back to him. I don't love him, and I never have," she told me.

"Bella, I think you're confused. Look, I know that you have been through a lot these past few months, and that you're not thinking clearly. You and Mike belong together. You are killing him. Could you at least hear him out?" I begged.

"I will hear him out mom, but it does not change things. I wish you would give Edward a chance. He is a great person. I have never met someone as good as him. It is me who thinks I am not worthy of him," she tried to reason.

I had to hand it to her, I had no idea she would put up such a fight, but I had won this battle. I was so happy that I would pretend to like this scum if that's what it took.

"Alright," I finally responded. "You give Mike a chance to explain things, and I'll try and get to know Edward better while I am here. Do you mind having me for a few days?" I asked.

"Do I have any choice?" she asked.

"It hurts me that you can be so mean to me. I am your mother Bella. I better leave. Mike offered me a place to stay, and I don't feel welcomed here," I said in a low voice as I turned around to leave.

"Mom, you don't have to go," she called after me.

"It's alright Bella. I just hope that you don't wake up one day and regret all of this. I'll call you later to tell you where to meet Mike. You can't expect him to humiliate himself by coming here."

"Fine, I will meet him anywhere he wants. Bye mom," she said as she closed the door.

Yes! I danced in satisfaction as I left her apartment. I knew that she couldn't resist a few tears. I quickly grabbed my cell phone from my purse and dialed Mike.

"Hello?" Mike answered.

"It worked!" I exclaimed.

"Excellent. I will pick you up around the corner," he told me before hanging up the phone.

One day Bella, one day you will realize that I am the best mother you could ever have.

One day you will thank me for all of this.

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BPOV

"What were you thinking agreeing to see Mike like that, Bella?" Edward asked as soon as I closed the door.

"I have to see him Edward. I couldn't live with myself if he killed himself because of me," I told him as a few tears ran down my face.

"Don't you see he is using your mother to manipulate you?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

"I do see that, but it has to be done. What's the worst that could happen?" I asked.

"You know that I love you, and you only, but if forgiving Mike is all it takes for him to desist on his ideas of taking his own life, then I will let him know that I have forgiven him. I really have. I don't harbor any ill feelings against him," I explained.

"What could go wrong? What is he's the killer Bella? I don't know what I would do with myself if he hurt you," he yelled.

I was shocked. This was our first fight and Edward had never yelled at me in such a way.

"Would you calm down?" I asked "Mike was cleared. He is not the murderer. I'm just going to talk to him, that's all," I yelled back.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to yell like that. I'm just worried about your safety," he told me as he closed the gap between us and took me in his arms.

"I am sorry too, for everything. My mom had no right to treat you like that. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don't want to lose you," I told him as a new batch of tears ran freely down my cheeks.

He kissed me very softly and sat me on his lap once he was seated on the couch. We held each other for a while before the door bell rang again.

"We better put on some clothes before answering," I suggested.

"Just a minute," Edward called as we made our way to the bedroom. He quickly threw on a white wife beater and a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips.

I went to the bathroom to freshen up and get my hair under control while he went to answer the door.

"Is everything alright?" Emmett asked in a concerned voice.

"I heard yelling, but Rose thought it would be best if we waited before coming in," he explained.

"Everything's alright, Em," I heard Edward explain as I came out of the bedroom. I had put on one of Edward's t-shirts and a pair of jeans, my unruly hair was on a pony tail.

"It was my mom. She decided to come in for a visit," I explained.

"What?" Rose asked from the door.

"How did she get your address?" she asked. Rose knew that I had refused to give my address to my parents, trying to avoid a situation like this morning. Only this morning was much worse because Edward had been here and it was obvious what we had been doing.

"I have no clue. It doesn't matter. The fact is that she was here and she treated Edward like shit while begging me to get back with Mike."

"She is unbelievable. I have never met your mother, but I really don't like her," Rose told me.

"I don't like her either. Why is she treating my little brother like shit anyways?" Emmett asked. He was really upset about everything.

"I don't care what she thinks, Em, I love Bella, and there is nothing her mother can say or do to change that," Edward added.

"You are not going to see Mike, right?" Rose asked concerned.

"I don't think I have much of a choice," I shrugged.

"You don't owe him anything Bella. They are both trying to make you feel guilty so that they can manipulate you. I thought we buried that Bella more than a year ago," Rose continued.

"We did, and no matter what they say, I am not going back to Mike. I just need to let him know that I forgive him, and that he needs to move on just like I have moved on," I explained.

"I don't like this Bella. He was a suspect. What if he does something to you?" Emmett asked.

"I agree with you Emmett, but Bella won't listen," Edward added.

"Look, I don't appreciate being teamed up like this. I have made the decision to talk to him and you guys are not changing my mind," I said in an exasperated tone.

"Why do you have to be so darn stubborn Bella? We are all just concerned about your safety," Rose said.

"I know, I'm sorry. But please, you have to understand that I need to give this closure so that I can move on once and for all. I want to be happy with Edward. I want my family to accept him and I want this whole thing with Mike to be over," I explained.

"Fine, but please let me and Alice go with you, and at least keep an eye on you from a distance. Mike gives me the creeps, I don't trust him," Rose begged.

"I guess that is reasonable," I gave up.

"Yes, and if something happens, the girls can call me and I will be there if you need me," Edward added.

I could tell that he was still very reluctant about me meeting Mike face to face, but he was trying hard to let me do what I needed to do and I really appreciated that.

"Thank you, baby," I told him.

"Let me call Alice and ask her to come over. We need to come up with a good plan," Rose told us as she went back to her apartment.

"I think that Bella should get to choose were they meet, just in case," Emmett added.

Half an hour later Alice and Jasper arrived and we started discussing our plan. Jasper had a lot of ideas, he didn't like this at all, but just like Edward, he was willing to let me do it, as long as they were all nearby, just in case.

After hours of going back and forward we decided that I would meet Mike at the DC Mall. The guys wanted an area that would be full of witnesses in case Mike tried anything. I thought it was kind of silly, I really didn't think Mike was capable of hurting a fly. He had always been nice to me.

"Rose and Alice will be a couple of feet from you. Mike has never met any of us, and he won't suspect a thing," Jasper told us.

"Us guys will be farther away, all at a different location, but with our cell phones ready in case something happens," he continued.

"I really hate wasting everyone's time like that. Everything will be fine," I said.

"Nonsense Bella, your safety and well being matters to all of us, you are now part of our family and we protect each other," Emmett added.

"Alright. Thank you!" I told them.

Edward and I went to the kitchen to cook for everyone while Jasper and Emmett played Wii, and Rose and Alice discussed wedding plans. Rose and Emmett were getting married in June, and they were going crazy with all the preparations.

After dinner, everyone left their separate ways as Edward and I chilled in the living room.

"What a day," Edward sighed.

"I know. I really am sorry about my mother. She is so wrong about you. I feel so bad for everything she said," I apologized once again.

"Bella, please stop apologizing. This was not your fault. I'm sure your mother will come around once Mike stops filling her head with stuff. I am confident that I can win her over," he told me as he caressed my face.

"If you give her half of that dazzling smile of yours I think she will be putty in your hands," I assured him.

We talked for a little while before deciding to take a shower and then head to bed. We were both emotionally exhausted from our long day.

I laid in bed watching Edward sleep. He looked so peaceful and so handsome. I really felt lucky to have him, and to have such great friends, friends that had become my family, a family that cared more for me than my biological one.

I then thought about Mike. I couldn't believe that he had tried to kill himself. I truly felt sorry for him. I was not going to be able to fully move on with my life until I cleared everything with him, perhaps with time, we could once again be friends.

I thought of all the possibilities as I drifted to sleep. Tomorrow I would call my mother and tell her how I wanted to meet with Mike.

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?POV

I was glad that I was finally being released from the hospital. I had been there for months and my recovery had been long and painful. The only thing that kept me going was my own personal guarding angel, Agent Lamb.

She had not left my side from the moment I was brought in. I knew she was just doing her job, but the way she looked at me did not escape me. She was always encouraging me to work harder on my rehabilitation, and she was the first one to console me when things became too hard.

Now I was being taken to a secured location. Not even my family had any idea that I was still alive. The hospital staff kept telling me what a miracle it was that I had survived, and even more that I was leaving the hospital in such great condition. I could still walk, I had full use of all of my extremities, I could still talk, all of this a miracle considering all that had been done to me.

When I first woke up from the coma, I had been so confused. I had no idea what had happened, and I kept having a recurring nightmare of being trapped and not being able to save my life.

I should have been thankful that I was alive, but it was not easy. I had no idea who had tried to murdered me or why. The FBI kept questioning me in hopes that I would be able to identify who had done this to me, but I never got the chance to look at the asshole.

I knew it was a man, and I was fairly sure I could recognize his voice, but I was so worried that it would not be enough, that I kept that to myself in hopes that I would remember something else.

"We are here," Agent Lamb told me as she drove the car into a covered garage.

"Where exactly are we?" I asked as she helped me out of the car.

"We are in Annapolis, at my grandparent's old farm," she explained.

"I think you will like it here. It's very peaceful, and there are trails and such that we can take advantage of to further work on your rehabilitation."

I had been stabbed more than twenty times. Most of the wounds were to my chest and neck, but I had also been stabbed in the legs, arms, knees, and back. When I first woke, they were unsure if I would ever be able to walk.

I worked my hardest to recover the use of my legs, but I was still weak, and I needed to continue with the rehabilitation in order to fully recover.

"That sounds good," I said in a sad voice.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am. I just wish I could talk to my family, tell my mother that I am alive. I hate to think of all the suffering I am causing her," I explained.

"Listen Gage, I know this is hard, but it is for your safety and theirs. That killer left you for dead, and you are the only one who could identify him," she said in a soothing voice.

"How could I identify him if I never got a chance to look at him? He had a ski mask for crying out loud," I yelled.

I saw her flinch and I suddenly felt very guilty. I had so many things to thank her for, and she did not deserve to be treated in such a way.

"Agent Lamb, I'm sorry," I whispered. I kept on expecting her to get fed up with me and just slap me across the face or ask to be replaced.

"Please just call me Charley, and I understand why you're so angry. I would be the same or worse if I was in your shoes. You are handling all of this very well. I am so proud of all the progress you have made so far," she told me as she winked at me.

Was she flirting with me? I really liked her, even more that I had liked Bella.

Bella!

I wondered if she was alright. Agent Lamb had told me that she had taken my death pretty hard, and that they had her on surveillance in case the killer went after her.

"You are too good to me," I finally responded.

"Nonsense! Here is your room, and I will be sleeping right across from you. Agents Miller and Davey will be staying on the lower floor just in case, but I am pretty sure you are a hundred percent safe here," she told me as she showed me to my room.

"Please make yourself at home, and let me know if you need anything at all," she told me.

"Anything at all?" I asked with a wink. I must have embarrassed her because she turned pink and quickly left the room.

I decided to lay in bed for a while. Any type of activity caused me so much exhaustion that I needed to take a nap afterwards, but today for some reason I couldn't fall asleep. I kept thinking of Bella. The day of the attempt I was going to ask her to just be my friend. It broke my heart to see her try so hard to like me, and I had tried very hard myself, but I knew that we were better off as friends.

Had she moved on? Was she happy? Was she safe? I wanted nothing more than to help catch the killer. From what I was told, she had been in a lot of danger, because they were convinced the killer tried to murder me in an attempt to get to her, but after waiting for the killer to make another move for months, they were questioning all of their theories and where now leaning towards the first theory.

They thought that he was a serial killer that chose victims at random, and that his next victim would be in some other state. I hated the fact that it gave me a sense of relief, but although I was not in love with Bella, I was concerned about her safety and I didn't want anything to happen to her.

I was just about to drift to sleep when I heard a soft knock on the door.

"Gage? Are you awake?" Agent Lamb asked.

"Yes Charley, please come in," I told her as I sat up on the bed.

"I'm sorry about earlier. It was not professional and I don't want things to be awkward between you and me," she told me, her eyes on the floor.

"There is nothing to apologize for. I have to be honest with you, I kind of like you," I told her as I saw a small smile creep onto her lips.

I was developing feelings for Charley and I didn't know if it was because I felt as if she was my savior or because she was truly the woman for me.

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AN: As you can see we are back to the drama!! How many of you thought that Gage was the mysterious witness? Let me know!