EDWARD

I carried Melanie to my quarters, wanting nothing more than to cry. How could I have brought her here to this? How could I have taken her life away from her? She was only fourteen for God's sake. She had so much going for her. She had a bright future and I took that away from her.

I was so selfish. I didn't want anything to happen to Bella so I took Melanie away from her happy life. I knew Bella wouldn't want someone to be hurt or killed in her place. Whether or not the person was her flesh and blood. Yet, I can't live in a world where she doesn't exist. Especially if I could save her from this horrible fate.

It wasn't fair, though, to make someone suffer in her place. I knew that but I couldn't let anything happen to Bella. It was my fault that she was in this dangerous position. I couldn't let it get any worse for her. She had suffered enough. I didn't want Melanie to suffer like that but I couldn't let Bella be hurt anymore, or worse killed. I prayed Melanie would understand when I finally got the chance to explain my position.

Damon was waiting in my room when I got there. He already had a cot set up and was working on stashing some of the food he had bought. He looked up when I walked in.

"Oh, my god." he said when he saw Melanie. "Don't tell me they hurt her already."

"Don't worry." I replied. "She just passed out the minute she saw them. I think it was from the shock of everything. They wanted to take her anyway but I managed to reason Aro out of it." I laid Melanie on the cot and tried to make her as warm as possible.

"Good." Damon replied as I started checking Melanie's vitals. My two medical degrees were really coming in handy at the moment.

We were silent as I continued to make sure that she was alright. I was sure she just needed to sleep it off but I wanted to be absolutely sure. I didn't want her to go to Aro in anything less than perfect condition. I couldn't be sure how she would return to me. I just had to make sure she healthy enough to get through it. If she wasn't, they could kill her.

Once I was satisfied with Melanie's condition, I turned to Damon. It was time to find out if I was right or wrong. I prayed that I was wrong for Bella's sake.

"We need to talk." I stated with a sigh. "I think I've figured out who she is."

"I knew it wouldn't take you that long." he replied. "I mean they do look extraordinarily alike. Not to mention, all the other stuff they have in common."

'So she is Bella's daughter then?" I wanted to be absolutely positive about who she was.

"Yes." Damon nodded.

"But I don't understand. If she's Bella's child then why was she adpoted?" I questioned.

I needed to know the answer to that question. The only semi-logical explanation for it was that Bella had died. Even if that was the case, though, Carlisle and the family would've opted to take care of the child. They wouldn't have wanted a complete stranger taking care of family. Besides, Bella meant way too much to all of us for them to just pass the child onto some random person. Even with the danger of her being raised with vampires.

"Bella was not in a very good mental place when they left Volterra fifteen years ago. She still loved you with all her heart and didn't even want to think about moving on. Yet, she knew the whole reason you gave up everything was to make sure that she could be safe and happy. She made a sincere effort for you. However, she felt nothing for the boy she went out with. She kept trying though because it was what you wanted. In the end, she and the boy, Brian, got drunk at a party and slept together. This woke Bella up in a sense and she finally broke up with him. She discovered that she was pregnant a month later." Damon explained. (A/N: Remember Damon's power pretty much makes him omniscient. He knows everything that happened to Bella in the last fifteen years.)

I nodded letting the information sink in for a moment. Parts of it were hard to believe. Did Bella really feel that guilty about what I did for her? It didn't make sense that she would force herself to be with someone because I wanted her to move on. I wanted her to be happy without me not miserable with someone else. Surely she knew that.

The settled deeper in my stomach as I realized that most of this was my fault. If I hadn't insisted that she move on without me. I should've known that she would've felt so bad about the whole thing to have gone out done something crazy like this. That was Bella. She didn't want my sacrifice to be in vain. The only problem was this one got all of us in deeper than any of us wanted.

Damon, who saw my confusion and guilt, continued,

"She didn't want your sacrifice to be in vain. She wanted to be able to walk away from you because it was the last thing you asked of her. But she couldn't do it. Just like if you were in her shoes, you wouldn't have been able to do it either. By the time she discovered the prenancy, she was very depressed and knew she'd never be able to handle a baby in her state. The family, of course, offered to help but she just couldn't live with another reminded of how messed up everything had become. She knew the adoption would be best for her little girl. So Carlisle made all the arrangements for a closed adoption. And that's how Melanie ended up a Callahan instead of a Cullen."

"But, but, but..." I couldn't get anything out.

This was way too much information at the moment. And it all boiled down to me and my relationship with Bella. Everything would've been fine if I was strong enough to stay away. I cursed my heart for it's weakness. Why didn't I just leve her alone? Or killed her that first day? Everything would've been fine then but now, everything was so screwed and I couldn't stop it.

"She's fine now." Damon comforted. "Carlisle got her on some medicine and helped counsel her. And the rest of the family helped as well. She isn't perfectly happy now but she's a lot better off."

The way he said that made me think there was something he wasn't telling me. A quick attempted at getting into his mind told me that I was right. He wasn't letting me in, which meant that he was hiding something. I supposed it was something that I just have to find out on my own.

"So, is she still alone? Or did she find someone to marry?" I asked.

"She's never gonna be happy with anybody but you." Damon replied sadly. "She's holding onto the hope of seeing you again."

"Is that a false hope?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid, I can't answer that." he stated. "I can tell you that your main focus right now has to be taking care of Melanie. You can't worry about Bella that'll only make you feel worse about yourself. Melanie needs you now as much as Bella needed you then. You have got to concentrate on that."

I nodded. I knew Bella would never forgive me for not doing everything in power to keep her daughter safe and alive. She would forgive me for the kidnapping simply because my intentions were good. However, Bella'd kill me if I didn't try to protect Melanie.

A moan came from the cot in the corner and both our heads snapped up. I looked over to see Melanie staring back at me.

MELANIE

I slowly came back to me senses with a terrible headache. I was laying on an uncomfortable cot with a few blankets over top of me. I was still a little cold but I could deal with it. I knew right away that I wasn't in my own bed. I hoped, though, wherever I was, it wasn't anywahere near those three men. I heard male voices but couldn't make out the words. I recognized on as Edward's but the other was new to me. I let out a small moan of fear as I realized it could've been one of the three men.

I opened my eyes to check. Edward and the new man were staring back at me. I was grateful to see that I didn't recognize the new man. Edward stood and walked to me very slowly. He had his hands raised in surrender just like before he talked to me on the plane. The new man followed him but stopped a good ten feet away. I was grateful for the space.

"I had hoped that this was all just a dream." I said unable to keep the choke out of my voice.

"I know." he replied. "And I'm very sorry."

He sounded so sincere that it was hard to believe that he had been my kidnapper. I began to think about my earlier theory that someone was holding something over his head. I wanted to ask him about it. I just wasn't sure if I should do it in front of the new man or not. Besides, Edward started speaking again before I had a chance to say anything.

"Aro wants to see you soon." he stated. I furrowed my brow in confusion. "He's one of my bosses. The main one. However, you and I need to talk first. And you should eat something." The new man was already rummaging through the closet. He climbed back out with a box of peanut butter crackers. I hesitated as he handed me a pack of them. "It's alright. I'm sorry it isn't a little more nutritious. Unfortunately, we don't have the convience of human cooking appliances." I just nodded as I took the pack and opened them. "This is my friend, Damon. He's the one who told me that you were special. Damon, this is Melanie."

"It's nice to meet you." Damon said and extended his hand to me.

I looked at it unsure at first. One look at Edward reassured me though. He nodded. As much as I didn't want to trust Edward, I knew I needed as many friends as I could get right now. He had been nothing but kind to me since the kidnapping. It really did seem like it was something that he hadn't wanted to do. He hadn't given me a reason not to trust him. Even on the plane, in front of Jane, he was kind and he did seem geniunely concerned about me after everything. That's why his nod made me believe that I could trust Damon and I shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." I stated with a small smile.

I opened the pack of crackers and started nibbling at them. Edward and Damon watched me for a minute before Edward spoke again.

"I'm sure you're wondering about my behavior." he stated. I simply nodded. "I want to start by saying that kidnapping you was not something that I wanted to do. If it was up to me, you'd still be at home with your friends. You would've been able to see Cassie's show last night. Which is something that I'm truly sorry you had to miss." I could hear the sincerity in his voice and see it in his eyes. I nodded and he continued, "Unfortunately, nothing I've done in the last fifteen years has been up to me."

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"It's a long story. I'll try to give you the Reader's Digest version. Our kind, vampires, that is, have only one law. We must keep the secret. If a human were to find out about us, they would have to be disposed of." he answered. My breathing hitched and my heart sped up as I thought about his last words. "Don't worry. My bosses, who enforce the law, wanted you to find out. They have plans for you." As curious as I was about these plans, didn't interrupt. I was more curious to find out, Edward's story. "Well, about sixteen or seventeen years ago, I made a big mistake. I allowed myself to fall in love with a human. Isabella Swan. Bella. She was the most wonderful and beautiful human that I've ever met. I tried to stay away from her and keep our secret. However, due to my inability to see her hurt and her stubbornness and persistance, she found out our secret."

I nodded. I found myself thinking that it must have been an extremely long story if this was the Reader's Digest version.

"Due to a series of unfortunate events (HaHa), which I'll get into later, my bosses, who weren't my bosses at the time, found out that Bella knew. Under usual circumstances, they would've just killed her. However, my vampire family, there was eight at the time, had four very talented vampires. Myself, my sisters, Alice and Roxanne, and my brother, Jasper. We had gifts that he wanted for his guard. So he had Bella kidnapped and used her to convince one of us to join him. I decided to do it since the whole thing was my fault anyway. He's been threating her since just to make sure I stay under his thumb." Edward finished.

"So, is that why kidnapped me?" I asked. He nodded. "You must really love her then."

"More than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life." he replied looking me in the eyes.

I could into the depths of those beautiful golden orbs. Their was so much sadness and self loathing that it broke my heart. He hated himself for doing the things those men forced him too. Yet, the alternative for him was much wrose. I had never loved anyone that much before, so I could only imagine what he must've been feeling about it all. I found myself backing out of my promise. I told myself that I was never going to forgive him for taking me away from my loved ones. Yet, I realized after hearing his story and seeing his face that he had been through so much. He had the thing he loved most in the world ripped from him and threatened on a regular basis. I couldn't imagine the kinds of things I would do if it were Andy in Bella's place, or any of my friends for that matter.

I couldn't hate. God knows, I wanted to but I couldn't. He was only trying to protect someone he loved. It would've been very selfish of me to ask or expect anything less. I knew if it would've been my loved ones life on the line, I would've done the same thing. There was no other way around it. I stared into his eyes for a couple minutes more before I found my voice.

"I understand." I said. "I'd do the same things if it were someone I loved. And I forgive you. I can only imagine how hard this must be."

He smiled slightly at me.

"Thank you." he said. "Now, I've gotten permission to keep you in here with me. I've also made it so my co-workers, so to speak, will be unable to harm you. I'm get decide who can touch you when and how. However, I have no say in what my bosses do to you. For that, I am so sorry. I will do the best I can to help you and keep you healthy. Damon's willing to help me with that. Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly what they'll do. It varies depending on their moods. I will however, be monitoring things and "suggesting" when it would be a good time to stop and how long you need to recover. Damon and I will also stay stocked up on food. It won't be anything fancy but we'll keep you alive and healthy. We promise to do everything in our power to protect you. I'm just not sure how far we'll be able to go."

I was confused by the way he was talking. It sounded as though as I was in for some pretty terrible things. Images from the dream flashed across my mind and I had to choke back the vomit. I took a deep breath and asked the question I feared the answer to.

"What are they going to do to me?" I asked trying to keep the shake out of my voice.

Edward sighed and looked away. It was bad enough that he couldn't answer me. My heart started pounding and my breathing picked up. Damon looked at Edward then to me as if wondering if he should be the one to tell me. It looked as though he didn't think it was his place but Edward didn't look like he was willing to share. I knew he didn't want to scare me too much but I had to know.

I looked into Damon's eyes and noticed they too were the same golden color as Edward's. I focused my gaze and put on my best pleading for him to answer. I needed to know so I could prepare myself for it. Damon sighed after a minute.

"If you're not gonna tell her Edward then I will." he stated.

"No, I'll tell her." Edward replied and I could hear the choke in his voice. "You remember how I told you my bosses are interested in what you will become." I nodded. "Well, that's because Damon's gift has told him that you will be a very powerful vampire, if you chose to be turned. Aro is obsessed with power. Which is why he wanted you. He wants to convince you to make the change and join his guard. Which is what Damon, Jane, and I do. There are many more all over the place."

Did this Aro really think that I was going to do join him? Because that was simply out of the question, especially after he brought me here against my will. I wasn't going to give him what he wanted from me. He had to learn that not all humans would lay down like dogs and give him what he wanted.

I knew there was more though. They wouldn't have made all these preparations to see to my protection. They wouldn't have done that unless they knew I was going to refuse. Which means they also know how bad it's going to get once I refused. I looked into Edward's sad eyes again.

"And if I refuse?" I questioned with a gulp.

"They're willing to presuade you." he answered with a slight shake in his voice. I didn't like the emphasis he put on persuade.

"What does that mean?" I pressed.

"It means that they will do the same to you that they did to Bella fifteen years ago." he answered. "They'll beat you and rape you and hurt you until you give them what they want."

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. It was either become one of his puppets or one of his toys. Well, I surely wasn't going to be a puppet. Thew question was, could I handle being his toy? I thought of all the things Laura told me about Mike. The horrible images were forever stamped in my mind. Could I really deal with that? Did I have any other choice? No. I wasn't going to give him what he wanted if he was going to try to force me.

I just have to depend on Damon and Edward to help me. I had no doubt in my mind that I could trust them. I knew they'd do everything in their power to keep me safe. I sighed as I looked into Edward's said eyes for another long moment.

"I'm not going to give in to him." I stated.

"We figured you'd say that." he replied with a sad smile. "Are you sure you can live with the alternative."

"As long as you two are with me." I stated.

"We're not going anywhere." he stated.

"Good."

"Let's go see Aro then." he replied with another sigh.

He and Damon led me out of the room towards my fate.

A/N: Pleas review. I hoped you enjoyed.