Disclaimer: We do not own, nor claim to own anything that is from the wonderful imagination of Stephenie Meyer.

A/N: Hello! We really, really hope you enjoy the story. We know we loved writing it. It takes place during New Moon, as Alice and Bella are headed to Italy to stop Edward. Italicized words are not ours, but Stephenie's, used for purposes of our plot. The whole story will be from Bella's POV.

What He Would Have Wanted
By: cALLIEfornia BENches

The sun had risen unbearably high. God was mocking me; He seemed to willingly grant Edward the perfect weather so he could successfully end his eternal life. It wasn't just today either. Not being able to see him or touch him or breathe him in was torture enough. Leave it to the heavens to make him think I'm dead too.

I probably should have watched out the window as first the city of Florence and then the Tuscan landscape flashed past with blurring speed. This was my first trip anywhere and maybe my last, too. For once, I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to fully comprehend Alice's speeding. Not that I cared. The sooner I could save Edward, the sooner I could hold him, and the easier the ache in my chest would cease.

My ache. Perhaps this was the longest my mind had gone without thinking about this widening hole for many months. I scoffed. How ironic was it that Edward was on the brink of death, and my breaking heart was the closest it was to mending? Then again, Edward always did that to me. He always knew what to fix. Even when he didn't know it.

Time was going by fast now. Luckily, the pixie of a girl driving cruised fluidly through the traffic.

"He's still planning on noon?" I checked.

"Yes. He's decided to wait. And they're waiting for him."

"Tell me what I have to do."

She kept her eyes on the winding road—the needle on the speedometer was touching the far right on the dial.

"You don't have to do anything. He just has to see you before he moves into the light. And he has to see you before he sees me."

"How are we going to work that?"

"I'm going to get you as close as possible, and then you're going to run in the direction I point you."

I nodded.

"Try not to trip," she added. "We don't have time for a concussion today."

I groaned. That would be just like me—ruin everything, destroy the world, in a moment of klutziness.

The clock seemed to be bulleting toward noon and with each minute the time seemed to dwell over, I was once again panicking. How could this happen? Why must I have been so ridiculously stupid as to cliff dive? And alone for that matter? If only I was smart enough to bring someone—anyone—along with me, none of this would be an issue right now. It would be my entire fault if Edward succeeded in stepping out in the sun and dazzling everyone with his sparkling skin. It would be my fault that Edward was dead and the Cullen's lost a son. Their son. My Edward.

I held back the tears that I had barricaded behind my eyes hours before. Someone had to be strong and stay hopeful. Alice already sacrificed her life to stop Edward. She had said goodbye to Jasper. Now it was my turn to risk myself for Edward. Fixing my eyes on the road ahead, Alice pointed toward the walled off hill leading up to a city. Volterra.

We began the steep climb, and the road grew congested. As we wound higher, the cars became too close together for Alice to weave insanely between them anymore. The cars crept one by one toward the city. As we got closer, I could see cars parked by the side of the road with people getting out and walking the rest of the way. It all seemed normal enough. But when we came around a switchback, I could see the filled parking lot outside the city wall and the crowds of people walking through the gates. No one was allowed to drive through.

"Alice," I hissed.

"I know."

The dense crowd swarmed the entrance like ants around an anthill. We were crawling at a snails pace and I was quickly growing impatient. I leaned forward in my seat. The seatbelt was cutting into my neck, but I was too concerned to notice. I did notice, however, that my nails were tapping recklessly on the dashboard when Alice reached over and put one cold, iron hand over my own to stop them. I placed my hands in my lap and began to put my arms over my chest.

"Bella." Alice spoke quickly in a fierce, low voice. "I can't see what the guard here will decide now—if this doesn't work, you're going to have to go in alone. You're going to have to run. Just keep asking for the Palazzo dei Priori, the clock tower, and run in the direction they tell you. Don't get lost."

I nodded curtly and repeated the name several times in my head, attempting to memorize it.

"Edward will be under the clock tower, to the north of the square. There's a narrow alleyway on the right, and he'll be in the shadow over there. You have to get his attention before he can move into the sun," she explained.

I glanced upwards out the window at the sun. It already seemed so high in the sky. I never thought I would be able to despise a part of our solar system so much. I couldn't bring myself to look at the clock, but the sun told me enough; I was running out of time.

The car lurched forward and I saw Alice weaving around the man that was directing traffic away from the full parking lot. He had a look of shock written all over his face as we passed, which quickly morphed to anger as he shouted at us in a foreign language and waved his arms madly to keep the next car from following our bad example.

The next guard eyed us curiously as we slowed in front of him and the locked gate. As Alice angled the car so she was in a shadow, she reached into the back and pulled a long, tan glove over her arm that reached her elbow.

There was an angry tapping at our window that had me jumping out of my seat. This impatience had me on edge. Alice quickly rolled the window down half way and the guard's eyes glazed over as he saw the beauty on the other side.

"I'm sorry, only tour buses allowed in the city today, miss," he said in heavily accented English.

Alice smiled brightly, dazzling the poor man. I inwardly rolled my eyes. We didn't have time for him to be dazzled. We were cutting it down to the wire now. I cleared my throat loudly in hopes that Alice would stop fooling around. She turned her head slightly and glared at me. My dazed attention finally caught on to her intention. Still, I inwardly rolled my eyes. Vampires really could do too much.

"It's a private tour," Alice said, flashing him an alluring smile. She took his hand, still raised from tapping her window, and pulled it into the car. She put something into his palm, and folded his fingers around it.

His face was stunned as he retrieved his hand back and stared at the thick roll of money he now held. The outside bill was a thousand dollars. My eyes temporarily bulged at the wad of cash.

"Is this a joke?" he mumbled.

Alice's smile was blinding. "Only if you think it's funny."

He seemed to have an internal argument with himself as he stared at the money, and then at Alice. He started shaking his head slowly and avoided looking back in the car. He shook his head more vigorously. Almost instantly, Alice's smug and seducing face fell; she knew what was coming next. I braced myself for the worst. Perhaps Edward had already stepped out of the shadows. I felt myself begin to tear up again. And that damn hole just liked opening up at the worst times.

"No, I'm sorry; I can't let you guys through. Maybe if the money was real...," he started mumbling under his breath in a language I didn't understand. "I'm sorry," he said again, handing her back the wad of bills. Alice quickly snatched the clump of cash and rolled up the windows. A hard look of concentration on her face, there seemed to be a piercing silence inside the yellow Porsche. I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs and thrashing around in my seat. We were wasting time. Precious, precious time that we were squandering by sitting in a silent car. Before I could begin to rebel, Alice shot a glance in my direction. In an instant, her face changed.

Alice's hands tightened into fists. "Go, Bella. We can't get in. Go."

I didn't need to be told twice. The door was open and I was out of the car before she finished her last sentence. I didn't pause to watch Alice melt into the shadows. I didn't stop to close my door behind me. "Palazzo dei Priori!" she shouted after me as I pushed my way to the entrance.

I hadn't realized the wind until it was whipping and pinching at my cheeks. Those around me were clutching their loose bits of clothing to keep them from flying away. I sighed, frustrated. Even the wind was blowing against me. Someone up there just really didn't want me to make it to the clock tower in time.

People were glaring and shouting at me as I tugged them out of my way. I stumbled a few times over the uneven ground beneath me, but the crowd of people was so thick, it held me up. I ran as quickly as I could; I felt like a lab rat running through a maze, trying to find the cheese at the end. I had to find my cheese. That beautiful cheese at the end of the maze.

"Palazzo dei Priori?" I shouted to a random bystander.

They started talking in the foreign language, but pointed to my right. I ran toward the direction they pointed me, even though they were still in mid sentence. The crowd here wasn't so difficult to weave through; it was sparse enough that I could zigzag though people without causing them too much discomfort. I stumbled over to the direction of the Palazzo dei Priori.

"Perdono!" I exclaimed. It seemed amusing that I used a word I heard in The Godfather. But the word seemed to take its effect. The crowd deviated from my clumsy jog towards the clock tower. I continued to chant the word, every so often getting angry glances at what was most likely my horrible Italian accent.

Finally, I could see a large adorned clock in the middle of the square. It wasn't too hard to notice; the designs on its edges were beautiful and the many intricate drawings left much of the crowd standing towards it ogling at the architecture. If I hadn't been so frantic to save Edward, the lovely patterns on the tower would have captured my attention right away in this busy square.

After much pushing and shoving, I was able to find a ledge to stand on and hopefully look over the many heads positioned inconveniently at the base of the clock tower. I climbed up the edge warily. I was not going to let accident-prone Bella suddenly take charge and ruin the little chance I had to find Edward. Unsteadily, I stood up. I was immediately crestfallen when I realized just how large the square encircling the clock was. I was amazed that I managed to tread my way over here so quickly. While I could easily scan over the heads of the crowd, I was panicking at the immense area my eyes would have to cover in such a short time. I quickly diverted my attention to the shadows, which unfortunately held the most people; the majority being overheated tourists. The blazing sun made it more difficult to peer over without being blinded. I hastily shot my hand over my eyes to shield myself from the bright light.

It would take minutes to carefully scan the entire length of the square in the shade. Minutes I might not have. I peered over my shoulder at the clock: 11: 53. I would have 7 minutes to look for Edward. Without a moment's notice, I started my search.

Sweat began beading down my face and my neck stung with heat, announcing a shortcoming sunburn. I had searched about half the square and still no luck. I began thinking up various ways for Edward to notice me. I could scream out his name. He would hear me and know I wasn't dead. But what about the Volturi? Alice mentioned that they were watching him. If I chose to yell and announce my presence, it might solve the Edward problem, but my recognition of supernatural beings would be known. No. There had to be a way we could both be safe. I continued to crane my neck and seek my bronze-haired beauty. The back of my neck felt like it was on fire. But it still didn't compare to that hole in my chest. Nor my drive to find Edward.

Why hadn't he smelled me yet? Were there too many people to notice my scent? It was 11:57 and I still could not find him. The tears I had so meticulously strained back were becoming free-flowing and ruining my vision and my sight to see Edward. Why couldn't he notice me? Had our time apart dulled his senses to me? Did he not love me? No. There must be some ray of affection. He was killing himself for me for goodness sake! But that didn't stop the widening crevasse in my chest to expand.

11: 58. I was uncontrollably gasping for air that my lungs needed to further fuel the sobs escaping my mouth. I was shaking and with each tremble came a horrible ripping of that damned fissure. Edward, I kept thinking. Where are you? I love you. Don't hurt me like this. I could take the pain of being apart, but not this. His death would mean permanent separation. My heart was already tugging at its foundation after that day in the woods. But he was alive then; that thought always slowed the hole from widening too fast. With him gone forever, any chance to stop that hole from bursting was gone. And the man I loved would never come back. I had nothing. No chance for love. No chance to laugh. Nothing.

The last stretch of hope filled me. Perhaps he would know I was here if I did another dangerous deed. I had heard him in my head during those months. Maybe he would hear me too. But I knew the attempt would be futile. Not only would I injure myself, but also Edward would not hear me. I was gagged. The only sound I made now was the raspy wheeze for air to further supply myself with racks of tears. Silent pleas to see him.

Why did I have to be so different? Had I been normal, he would be able to hear my mind, and none of this would have ever happened. Why? Why did I have to suffer? The free-falling tears had fully blurred my vision by now. And by the lapse of time, I would venture to guess that noon was moments away. I had lost. And in a game of life, there were neither second chances nor redos.

Suddenly, I saw a wisp of bronze through the droplets of salty water escaping my eyes. Quickly, I smeared my face with the back of my hand to wipe away the tears to see clearly. My head lurched forward; I scanned painfully through the crowd and sun to recapture the tint of color just moments before. I caught the color through the corner of my eye. But the hope once again diminished when it was nothing but a bronze-like shirt worn by a rather large woman. It saddened me further when the shade of it was much too dull to even match Edward's hair.

I squinted my eyes toward the clock. Thirty seconds until my life was over. But it was far from over in my mind. My new mindset was to follow Edward. Not towards the shadows he was lurking at, but in the afterlife. I was fully prepared to venture into the unknown, so long as Edward was by my side.

But God obviously enjoyed not letting me have my way, because it was at that moment I caught another blur of bronze. A man of dazzling beauty gracefully weaving his way through the crowd. His bronze hair shimmered in the shade, and a look of grief was plastered on his face. The hole in my heart opened once again, knowing I caused such mourn on that delicate, flawless facade of his.

I had had enough of the dazzling daydream. I jumped off the ledge hurriedly and began pushing my way out of the crowds of people snapping pictures of the clock tower. Most faces I passed showed confusion and utter anger at the ruined photo I had created by standing in the frame or brushing hastily past. Not that I cared. The picture could be retaken. But with Edward gone, who would be there to retake my heart? No one. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I ran faster than I could have ever dreamt of running through the crowd. There seemed to be less people and the little human tunnel between Edward and I seemed to widen. Hope spurred me on as I realized that I could save him. It would all end well. It just had to.

Dong

I heard the clock toll above me, happily signaling the middle of the day, shattering my own silence and concentration.

The sprint to Edward seemed to elongate in front of me. The harder I ran, the farther away he was. I realized this and I was hardly halfway when the clock tower struck noon. Fear immediately wormed its way into my body and adrenaline pumped through my veins. I began to try and pick up the pace and get to him.

Edward was about ten feet from the edge of the shadows that met the light and disappeared. The look of depression was evident on his face. His eyes closed as I attempted to reach his side. Even when he was as still as a gargoyle, he was beautiful. So beautiful. Several passing tourists simply stared at his stillness and utter perfect beauty. Slowly, a smile crept up his face and he opened his eyes. Even from afar, the man dazzled me to no end. Slowly, as if to deter from his vampire extreme of speed for a small moment, Edward made his way to the sun kissed road ahead under the pale blue sky. The smile still in his eyes, I noticed tears in his eyes that he would never be able to drop. But still, there was a smile.

"Bella," Edward whispered, as if he was speaking only to me. The distance between him and I was not fully covered yet. To hear his voice after months of my own self-pain and torture was absolute bliss. I quickened my feet. I yelled his name, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of the clock tolling again. I was on the verge of screaming for such a chance to lose my Edward. My other half felt like jumping for joy at finding and being able to hear his voice. Two polar opposites I really did not need to fulfill until I was sure he was in my grasp, and as far away from the wretched sun as I could get him. I missed Forks and the overcast now more than anything.

He was still smiling with those unshed tears; about to spill over, but I knew better. He loved me. He would go to the ends of the earth for me, and I for him. It was as if this crowded square was no longer busy with people. I could see Edward more clearly, and I hoped he could see me now. My head was starting to sway from being lightheaded.

The clock tower finally stopped ringing, and I was gaining ground. Only about twenty more feet left, I thought. In a few moments, my arms would be trapped and tangled around his neck. All that mattered now was the small space separating Edward and me.

A wisp of red unfurled before my eyes; a scarf. The scarf slid over my eyes midway through my sprint to the end of the maze. The wind that had once pinched my cheeks immediately picked up, completely slapping the back of my neck with searing pain. But in another moment, the breeze was at a standstill, and the scarf continued to cover my eyes and blind my direction of sight. I hastily threw the scarf from my eyes and searched to find Edward once again. I instantly spied him; he had made his way to the edge of the shadows. His face showed fear and determination. I was pretty sure my expression was on the verge of utter dread and terror.

THUD

My foot, in an attempt to switch directions after being diverted from the red scarf, caught a passerby's camera bag. In a second, I was hurtled toward the ground, bracing myself for impact. I was lurched forward with such force and speed that when my shoulder made contact with the cobblestone floor, a wrenching pain spiraled through my body and made its way back to the epicenter. The crash dizzied me. It became very hard to breathe for a few moments. Surprise swept across my face. I was thoroughly dazed by the sudden fall.

I finally regained my mind back from its spinning frenzy. Edward. I thrashed my head in his direction. In my sudden act of klutziness, I had forgotten about the life I had to save.

There he stood. His long pointed shoes lined up with the shadow's edge. A cliff of shade that he was willing to jump off and into the bright light ahead. His eyes were still closed in the unnaturally serene manner and a lop-sided smile formed on his lips. He had never been so beautiful as he was now, in all his glory. The inclination of death seemed to take little toll on his stature and his graceful presence. But at the same time, I never saw such an ugly scene; a beautiful creature willing to jump into the face of death for a plain face. Plain Jane. Me.

I quickly tried to stand up, but was rewarded with a throbbing pain in my shoulder and a numbness in my legs that brought me crashing right back down to the ground. My ankle seemed to be securely wrapped around the strap of the bag I had clumsily fallen over. I was much too afraid to divert my attention to removing the bag's entanglement. In such time, Edward would have easily stepped over the sun-made line and the entire journey would have been useless. I began to speak, but my voice was so hoarse from the whipping wind that little sound reverberated from my lungs. I felt like a trapped child in a car awaiting a deadly impact on the side of the road; nothing I could do but sit there and watch as disaster was to unfold.

"Bella. My life. My drug," he whispered. The hole in my chest widened tenfold. The pain in my shoulder was minuscule compared to the ache that now throbbed near my heart. Nothing was worse than that ache. Except perhaps not being able to get Edward's attention.

Slowly, as if to make careful steps of precision in his death, Edward raised his foot inches above the ground and pushed his leg over the line. Immediately, a certain shine appeared under the thin texture of the jeans he wore; not so pronounced as bare skin, but enough to notice had one been paying attention. A sudden rustle of black clothing jostled in the corner of my eye; a slight swivel of my head and I noticed the two men standing in dark, thick cloaks, their focus pressed on my dear Edward. I looked to my left and there stood three more. They all seemed to await Edward's full engrossing into the light. All were ready to pounce at moment's notice.

My mind was screaming. While my physical state seemed immobile, my emotional condition was all but stable. How I wanted to shout out his name. But my body wasn't responding to my pleas for a voice. And my numb legs could not find the strength to pull myself out of the entanglement of the floor. The only response my outer shell had to the situation were the vast amount of fresh tears seeping through my eyes and creating droplets at my chin. With all my might, I cleared my throat and opened my parched mouth as I craned my sunburned neck towards the bronze-haired vampire.

"Edward. Stop," I croaked. The low moan of a voice did not seem to travel far.

But he turned. The look on his face registered shock as his topaz eyes seared into my brown watered gaze. The electric current I missed so dearly in the several months without him near me blew in my direction at full force. Had I not been already on the floor, the energy would have knocked my off my feet. A smile of relief and utter joy crept onto his face, as I'm sure did mine. For a time, neither of us spoke. Minutes must have passed before I realized I still was lying on the floor. Edward was still as a statue and had not placed his half sparkling leg back into the shadows. I mouthed my love for him and his smile became larger. Everything could go wrong on this day and it wouldn't matter as long as he was safe and smiling at me the way he was now.

My entire body seemed to melt with relief. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the cloaked figures lessen their perched stance of attack. A smile was stuck on my face. It didn't seem to want to disappear any time soon.

But fate was never this easy. Fate always challenged love. Our love.

A scuttle appeared behind Edward. A crowd of tourists with cameras in hand began to vie for a clearer view of the clock tower as the sun began to position itself right above the monolith. The sight was utterly awe-inspiring. Soon, a mass mob of shouts ensued and a large collection of pushing and shoving came into effect.

An elbow jutted out and knocked Edward from his already unstable balance. The leg already in mid-air swiftly cracked down onto the cobblestone, creating an audible cracking sound over the crowd. Heads swiveled in his direction and loud gasps filled the square.

There stood a shining Edward dazzling in the sun. Beneath him lay crumpled pieces of what was once cobblestone. All that was left had become rubble. The look of horror registered on his perfect faces when he realized what he had done. The slightly relaxed figures in the dark were now in full motion, swiftly making their way through the shadows at a slightly unnatural pace, but enough to fool passersby of simply men running along the square.

By now, all heads were turned to the sparkling man in the middle of the square. The look of shock and awe appeared on many faces in the crowd.

My head became dizzy. My mind had created a hazy fog in the seconds that the impossible had happened. My ability to run and shout was simply beyond me at this point. Shock was slowly seeping in to my body.

I felt a tug at my leg and a tight grip pulling me towards the shadows. I glanced over at the grasp to find Alice, eyes full of impossibly unshed tears and a look of knowing depression on her face. She had seen what was to come. The great sadness in her eyes said a thousand words, but they all pointed to the end of Edward. The end of my life.

"I'm so sorry Bella. We tried so hard," squeaked Alice. The pain in her expression was hard to swallow and take in.

"No," I whispered.

Almost instantly, I gained some unknown energy or momentum. I kicked the leg that Alice had taken hold of in an attempt to free myself of her grip and rush to Edward's side. But it had hardly any impact against her steel grip. Alice pulled me into the shadows. It seemed she knew I'd be struggling as well. Dry sobs wracked her body as she was shaking throughout her grip on me. My sobs were anything but dry, and the pain in my chest seemed to fuel the internal screams my insides endured.

Almost blindly, I started screaming. Screaming for Edward, for us. For the Volturi to stop their paces toward him—it wasn't his fault. It was my own. My own stupid fault. If I had been even a little less klutzy, he would be safe, with me, in my arms. Alice was cradling me to her chest and rocking me slowly back and forth, trying to calm me, but it was no good. I struggled against her, the newly reopened hole on my chest fueling a new set of strength as I kicked and thrashed against her. It was still no match for her grip on me.

The ache that had only seconds before been somewhat eased had been torn open again. The pain was worse than any pain I had ever endured in my life. It felt like someone had sliced open my chest and was twisting and wringing my heart of any life it might have had left. My hands wrapped around my chest, like my arms alone would be enough to hold me together and keep me from falling apart. It didn't help.

"EDWARD! NO!" I sobbed. Our eyes once again found each other and the screaming in my head continued to develop a hazy sensation in my mind. Tears were falling out of my eyes like a never-ending fountain.

"I'm never going to leave you, Bella. Always and forever. I promise," Edward shouted, his voice cracking once. It was the only time I had ever heard his voice flawed. It sounded like he was near tears; he knew what was coming as well as Alice and I did. He began to make his way toward us. But before he could take a full stride a dark figure pounced onto him, bringing him to his knees. One by one, cloaked men jumped on Edward at full speed and began placing a black shawl over his gleaming body.

"Bella," he chanted.

"Bella."

"Bella."

The screaming began to eat away at my energy. But still, I kept my eyes focused on my love. No matter how horrific it was, I could not divert my attention from the scene. It was like a bad train crash. I knew this image would haunt me, but I couldn't get myself to look away. If I looked away, I wouldn't believe it was real. By now, the dazed and confused faces of the crowd turned into fearful and dreaded expressions once the figures had lunged at Edward. Mad scrambling and loud clambering of feet echoed on the cobblestone as waves of people began to run away from the square. I was faintly aware of screams aside from my own filling the square.

In my last moments of consciousness, all I heard now was my name. The screaming once reverberating in my mind had changed to Edward's velvet voice chanting my name over and over again. My eyes began to dwindle out of focus as darkness tried to take me over. By now, Edward was beginning to diminish his struggle to be captured. The figures seemed much too strong, and their numbers overpowered Edward's strength.

In haste, the black blanket began to cover his body. First his legs, then his waist. All the while, I stared into those deeps pools of honey topaz. I had never seen his eyes so distraught. However horrible this was, a look of understanding and liveliness still stood in Edward's eyes. He arms were latched behind his back and tied and soon covered by the black sheet.

I lost all conception of time in that moment. I lost all realization of Alice next to me, her body shaking. I forgot all the people scurrying away to the gates. The sun beating in the sky and my red neck no longer were remotely part of my focus.

Only Edward's face and the soft chanting of my name were in my head. My mind seemed to memorize his perfect features.

That jaw. The nose. The messy hair. The ears. His luscious lips. The angular face and high cheekbones.

"I'm so sorry," he mouthed to me before the blanket started to cover his face.

Those eyes. They were the last things I saw before the black blanket fully covered his body. Those topaz pools embedded into my mind. The soft chanting resumed and I felt myself being lifted off the ground and hurried to the exit. But I lost all conception.

Just him. And me. Always and forever.

The blackness took over as I lost all consciousness.

A/N: -Dodges objects thrown by the audience-. Don't hate us quite yet. We promise it's good. Just give it a chance. Reviews & constructive criticism are strongly encouraged. Flames don't count as constructive criticism. We know you're angry, but please don't stop reading yet. I promise it'll be worth it. :) Until next week.

-cALLIEfornia BENches.