A/N: So this is part four of the Without You series. I swear it is the last. I wasn't planning on anything else after Miles, my muses, however, had other plans. They wanted me to thicken the plot so much so that it deserved to be a story within itself. They beginning of it will be a little confusing, especially Bella's parts but I promise it will all fall together when it supposed to. So here we go with In The End.

EDWARD

It had been fifteen years since I had joined the Volturi guard to save Bella. Fifteen long and hard years. I had done everything that Aro and his brothers had asked of me, whether or not I agreed with it. I just had to keep telling myself that it was all for Bella. It was pretty easy because Aro never let me forget that little bit of information.

I hoped the Bella had gotten married and started a family by now. I hoped that she had forgotten about me and was very happy. That was all I ever wanted for her, her happiness. I wanted her to be as normal as she possibly could. I hoped she was able to allow herself to do that. I didn't think I could live with myself if she spent the past fifteen dwelling on eveything that happened with the Volturi. That was just to horrible to think about.

The day started out like any other assignment free day. I was laying on the couch in my room thinking about Bella and my family. I oftened wondered how they were doing. I knew they were no longer in Forks. They could've only gotten another two or three years out of it. So I oftened wondered, where had they moved to? Had the family gotten bigger in the last fifteen years? Did Roxanne ever find a mate? Did they still talk to Bella? Or did they decide that it was better to sever all ties with her?

I would ponder what became of Bella too. What did her husband look like? What did he do for a living? How many kids did she have? What did she name them? What did they look? How old were they now? Did they live at Charlie's still? What about Renee and Phil?

When I was exceptionally bored, I think about the pack. I was curious to know what happened to them. Did Sam and Emily have any kids? Did Alyssa and Jake ever tie the knot?

I found myself trying to answer the questions and ceating more from those answers. It was the best way for me to stay connected with them at the time. Even if everything I ever thought was completely wrong. I'd find out later just how off I was about everything.

"He not gonna like this at all." The only mental voice in the whole place that I didn't mind hearing cut through my thoughts.

It was quickly followed by a knock on the door. I opened it and found myself face to face with my only friend in this whole place, Damon.

The guard regarded me with nothing short of hostility. This was due mostly to the fact that Jane hated me as much as I hated her. The rest of the guard followed her lead because they were afraid of what she'd do if they didn't. I also figured the fact that I was one of Aro's favorites had something to do with it.

Damon, on the other hand, didn't give a crap about the other members of the guard. In fact, he disliked them as much as they disliked us. That was one thing that we both had in common. Another was the fact that we were both favorites of Aro's and treated slightly better than the rest of them. Our most important similiarity and the thing that made as such good friends, though, was the fact that both of us were only to protect the ones we love.

Damon's story, however, is slightly different from mine. He was sixteen when he was changed and that had been roughly twenty years ago. He was in Italy taking care of his sick grandmother. One day while she was napping, he went out for a little sight seeing.

He, or course, got pulled in by Heidi to go on the "tour." Before the tour even started, though, he and two others were pulled out of the group. They were told that they had won a door prize and were to wait for their prizes in another chamber.

They waited for nearly an hour before Aro came in and told them about vampires. He then offered them positions on his guard. The others jumped at the chance but Damon just wanted to go home. Aro told him he could simply leave, but with Aro things are never that simple.

He had Jane and a few others ambush Damon on the way out. Jane had sunk her teeth into his neck before he could defend himself. After the transformation, Aro once again offered Damon on spot on the guard. Damon, once again, declined. But Aro doesn't take no for an answer.

He had guards watching Damon's family, just waiting for the order to kill them. Damon accepted after that. He knew that Aro was telling the truth that day, in fact, he was pretty sure that Aro still had people watching. Which is exactly why Damon continued to obey Aro.

"Hey." I said sounding as enthusiastic as I could in this stupid place. "What's up?"

One look at his face told me that it wasn't good. I stepped aside to let him in. Then I peaked out to make sure no one was coming up the hallway before shutting and locking the door.

As I headed back to the sofa, where Damon was already sitting, I tried to get a read on his thoughts but I couldn't get anything. As useful as his gift had been these last fifteen years, it still got on my nerves quite often.

Damon had what humans called a guardian angel. It usually came to him in the form of loved ones he's lost. Only he could see them. They would keep him updated on what's going on in the world. As well as give him information that would help him and us. They would tell him what he should and shouldn't tell Aro.

That was the useful part. The unnerving part was the fact that he could decide when he wanted another vampires gift to work on him. He usually kept his protection down for me, unless it was something that he knew I wasn't going to like. I took a deep unnecessary breath as I sank into the chair.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"Aro's going to be coming to see you shortly." Damon stated. "He has a mission for you and it's something that you aren't going to like."

"And what's that?" I pressed.

"I just had a talk with my friend." he air quoted friend. "And there's a human girl who, if changed, will be the most powerful of our kind. Aro, of course, wants that power. And you know how far Aro will go to get what he wants."

We both looked down. Nothing else needed to be said. We were both here because of how far Aro was willing to go to get what he wanted.

"He will, of course, make the offer first." Damon continued. "However, I'm told that she will refuse the offer. So you know what that means." Once again we both fell silent. "Her name is Melanie Callahan and she's fourteen years old. She is the adopted daughter of Nancy and Ronald Callahan. It was a closed adoption at birth so nobody knows anything about where she really came from. She is currently living in Seattle with her parents. They are, however, on their second honeymoon in the Caribbean and aren't do back for another two weeks. Melanie, who is quite mature for her age, is home alone. So that should make things easier?"

My mind was spinning. Why was he telling me all of this? Surely, I wouldn't need to know any of it unless... That's when the pieces slid into place.

"No! No! No!" I all but shouted. "I will not do that to a human. I will not bring her here to let them do those things to her. She hasn't done anything wrong and I won't condemn her to a fate worse than death!"

"Edward, calm down, please." Damon pleaded. "Look at me, I know this is going to be hard for you but it has to be done. It'll screw her future and ours up terribly if you don't. I can't tell you why because that would screw the futures even more. Just know that this is for the best. I can't really explain it so please just trust me. It's all going to work out and be okay. I promise but you have to do this. She'll thank you for it some day."

"Why in the hell would she thank me for bringing her to hell?!" I questioned.

"I can't tell you. You'll just have to trust me. Have I ever let you down before?"

He was right. In the entire fifteen years that I had known him, he'd never given false advice. He always made sure I knew what I was walking into before I went. Hell, he was usually right behind me when we went. Before either of us could speak, I heard Aro's excited thoughts,

"This is going to be fascinating. I wonder which one he'll choice. HIs morality or his love."

Damon opened his mouth to plead some more but I put my index finger to my lips and mouthed he's coming. I quickly unlocked the door and was back in my seat in seconds.

"Come in, master." I stated as respectfully as possible before he could even knock.

He stepped inside with an excited smile on his face.

"You never cease to amaze me, Edward." he stated.

"Glad I can still entertain after fifteen years." I replied my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He laughed then looked to Damon.

"Damon, what are you doing in here?" he asked.

"Well, Edward and I haven't been able to talk recently so I thought I'd pay him a little visit." Damon replied and stood to offer Aro his spot on the couch.

"I see. Well, it's good to know that he gets along with at least one of you." Aro stated.

"Like that's my fault." I thought and mentally rolled my eyes.

"However, I must speak with Edward alone for a moment." Aro continued.

"Of course, master." Damon stated and with a small bow left the room.

"I have a mission for you Edward. One that you aren't going to be very happy about. About an hour ago, Damon told me about a human girl from Seattle. He's says she's going to be a pretty powerful vampire. I'd like to have her on my side once I've changed her. Since you're most familiar with the area where she lives, I'd like you to get her and bring her here for me." Aro stated.

"And what are you going to do with her after that?" I questioned.

"I will offer her a place on the guard, of course." He answered.

"And if she refuses?"

"Well, then I'll just have to persuade her." he taunted.

Images of Bella from the two horrible days she spent here flashed through his mind. I growled. He laughed.

"It be such a shame if something happened to Bella, wouldn't it?" he smirked.

"Leave her out of this!" I growled.

"Edward, you know I always get what I want. Regardless of what I have to do. If you just bring me what I want then I'll have no reason to bring Bella back into it. However, if you refuse to do this, then I'll just have to send Jane and Demtri out to finish what I started. So think carefully before you answer."

I took a minute to think about the right and wrong of this situation. On the one side of things, it be wrong for me to make this inoccent girl give up everything for Bella's life. On the other, though, it'd be wrong to ask Bella to give up her life for this other girl. It was a double edged sword. Either way someone lost. I thought about everything that Damon told me. If I did this then everything would work out in the end. However, if I didn't three futures could get screwed up.

I thought about the possible outcomes. If I kidnapped this girl then Damon and I could help protect her as best we could. We could help her through the whole ordeal. She would be much better off then Bella was. Whereas, if I don't, Bella was just plain dead and nothing could help her. I didn't have much of a choice. I just hoped this poor girl would understand.

"I'll do it." I stated. "But I would like permission to be her keeper and allow her to share my quarters. And I don't want anyone else to touch her except you, your brothers, and myself."

Aro laughed.

"The way you're still trying to hold on to your humanity intrigues me." he said. "Very well, I will inform the rest of the guard that this one is solely for my brothers and myself."

"Thank you." I stated.

"You leave tomorrow and Jane will be accompanying you. Just to make sure you don't break the rules."

With that he swept from the room, leaving me to stew in the thoughts of what I had just agreed to.

A/N: What do you think? Are you intrigued?