Chapter Nine:
I Did Hard

Soon enough we were back in Forks and so were the
Cullens. The moment we got home I went upstairs and cuddled with Sugar.

As I was sleeping Bella came into my room waking me up. I grunted at her turning over.
"Ana, please. I need you," Bella says making me turn to her.

"What is it, Bella?" I asked her and sighed playing with her hands looking down.

"I need you to come to the Cullens with me," she told me and I looked at her wide-eyed before laughing shaking my head at her.

"Yeah no. Goodnight," I told her pulling the covers back over me.
"Please Ana. You don't have to stay for long. Please," Bella pleaded and I sighed nodding.

"Give me a few moments to get dressed. I needed to look hot so Emmett and Rosalie realized what they missed," I told her and she nodded at me with a smile.

"Okay," she told me as I started getting out of bed. After getting changed I looked in the mirror Malik sure my hair was okay.

"You got this Ana. I believe in you," I told myself giving me a pep talk. I then grabbed my phone calling the one person I knew who could give me courage.

"Ana it's so late what do you want?" Jess complained when she answered the phone after asleep.

"I'm about to see Emmett and Rosalie again and I need a pep talk," I told her sighing.
"I'm up!" Jess yelled jumping up immediately.

"You look hot right? Showings cleavage? Heels on? And hair okay?" She asked me and I nodded before remembering she couldn't see me. 
"Yep to all three I told her.

"Alright good now let's do this. Anastasia, you got this! You are going to show them what they missed walking out on you! You are a strong independent woman who is beyond sexy and badass! You show them that you are okay without them and they missed the best thing that ever walked into their life!" Jess told me and I smiled at her words feeling encouraged.

"Your right! I got this and I am Anastasia Swan! I got this!" I told Jess and she smiled at that.
"Go get them tiger and tell me everything," Jess said and I laughed at her.

"I will. I love you, Jess. And thank you," I told her and she laughed at me.
"Anytime Ana. Love you too," she told me before hanging up.

I took one more look in the mirror before heading toward the door mumbling I got this.

______

Getting at the Cullens I sighed before walking to the door with Bella holding my hand and giving me an encouraging squeeze.

I sighed and then raised my head high and walked with my heels clicking toward the living room where everyone was.

Everyone turns and looks at me but I just ignore them not looking at anyone and head over to a spot away from them while Bella and Edward stand on the staircase.

"You all know what Edward wants. And you know what I want. I think the only fair way to handle this is by vote," Bella says and I just look at her wide-eyed shaking my head.

"You can't be serious," Edward says looking completely against the idea.

"This is my meeting," Bella tells him firmly and Edward, frustrated, sits back down. She faces the Cullens again.

"Then let's take a vote... Alice?" Bella asks and Alice immediately jumps up and hugs Bella.

"Like you're not already my sister. Of course, yes!" Alice yells her making Bella smile. Jasper rises but keeps his distance.

"I vote yes. It'll be a relief not to want to kill you," Jasper tells her, and I have to admit that was funny.

"Um. Thanks? Okay, Rosalie?" Bella questions but I don't look towards either one of them.

"Edward, I'm sorry for what I did. I really am. And I know you're not ready to forgive me," Rosalie starts before turning to Bella.

"But this isn't the life I'd have chosen for myself. I wish there'd been someone to vote no for me. So... no," Rosalie tells her, and I look down at that remembering when she told me how she turned. I have never felt more murderous than at that moment. I wanted to go back in time and kill all of them painfully and slowly.

Bella looks down at that before Emmett bounds over to her and lifts Bella into a bear hug.

"I vote hell yeah. We can pick a fight with these Volturi some other way," Emmett tells her, and when he backs up Esme approaches and embraces Bella warmly.

"I already think of you and your sister as part of the family. Yes," Esme tells her and I just look down knowing that I would hug her if I looked into her eyes. Missing that motherly hug.

"Thank you, Esme," Bella says as Carlisle moves, not to Bella, but to Edward.

"Edward," Carlisle calls making Edward look at him shaking his head.

"You can't go along with this, Carlisle, you know what it means," Edward pleads to him making him sigh.

"You've chosen not to live without her, which leaves me no choice. I won't lose my son," Carlisle says making Bella nod and look towards me.

"Ana?" She questions making everyone look towards me and I just scoff shaking my head.

"I am so disappointed in you Bella," I tell her and she looks taken back at my words.

"What? Aren't you the one who told me that if you got a chance for eternity with Emmett and Rosalie you would take it in a second? No second-guessing," Bella says making everyone look towards me wide-eyed.

"Why is everyone looking at you like that?" Bella asks me and I sigh looking at her.

"Because I told you that on our birthday," I told Bella and she looked down in guilt now realizing I never got the chance to tell them. I just sighed at her shaking my head.

"But that's not why I am disappointed in you Bella. I am disappointed because I have spent weeks and months trying to make you live without Edward. I slept every night in your room to be there for you when you had nightmares. I was there for you even though I was falling apart myself. And finally, when you were learning to be happy again without him, he comes back and you go right back to him. Forgetting everything he did to you and made you go through," I tell her making her look down in thought. Thinking about my words.

"Ana," Edward started and look towards him with a glare that shocked everyone in the room. They realized that I wasn't the same Ana they left. I was different, maybe even stronger. 

"No, you don't get to argue with me about this. If anything you should be on your knees thanking me.  Because even though you broke my sister's heart and you are one of the main reasons I went through hell these last few months I am the one who saved your pathetic life. So if the words coming out of your mouth isn't Thank you Ana for saving me even though I am a dick, then shut the hell up," I told Edward with venom dripping from my voice.

Everyone looked wide-eyed towards me beside Jasper who looked beyond proud. He looked like someone who wished he had popcorn for this.

"Ana calm down," Carlisle says and I turned my glare to him.

"You don't get to talk shit to me," I told him making him take a step back due to the tone of my voice. I never spoke to him like this.

"You were like another father to me and did you think of anyone else besides Edward before you made your decision to leave?" I asked him and made him look down in guilt.

"Did you think of your mate who saw me as another daughter? Did you think of Alice who saw me as a sister? Did you think of Jasper who had the most control in years around me and who made a mistake and slipped up? But that one slipped up cost him his best friend?" I asked Carlisle pointing at each of them with tears welling up in my eyes.

"Did you think about what my mates were going to go through with me no longer around?" I asked him as tears fill down my eyes but I wouldn't let one fall.
I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"Did you think about me?! About the pain, I would go through?" I yelled at him making him look at me in pain.

"Annie," Emmett said and I turned to him and Rosalie and shook my head at them.

"No, you don't get to Annie me anymore. What Edward and Carlisle did hurt me but you two, you two you broke me," I told them making them look down.

"You know I understand that you left. I understand that I just don't understand why you wouldn't even try. You didn't even try to do long distances. I mean it was a year. A year!" I tell them and look at me with a broken expression.

"I tried! I fought! I texted, call, email, hell I even wrote letters but you didn't reply to one! One!" I yelled at them as I shake my head and starts to leave needing to get out of this house.

"Annie don't do this. Don't give up on us," Emmett pleads to me and I turn back to him shaking my head before glaring at him.

"Don't act like I didn't fight for us. Because I did, hard, so forgive me for being exhausted for fighting for people who never fought for me," I tell them leaving them stunned and heading to the front door slamming it shut.

Bella looked at the Cullen family with tears in her eyes.
"She's right," Bella mutters and Edward looks towards her with a broken expression.

"Bella," he says making her shake her head at him.
"No you all broke my little sister. She tried her hardest to heal herself and even tried to heal me, you all had a part in destroying the strongest person I know," Bella says making everyone look down in shame and guilt knowing she was right. Bella looked at Edward with a broken expression.

"I can't be with you, Edward. I can't give you the chance to hurt me again. And I can't forgive you for playing a part in breaking my little sister," Bella tells him turning away and going to find her sister.

Jasper looked at his family who all looked down and had sad expressions on their face. He knew that if they would cry they would be.

"You all deserved that," Jasper said grabbing Alices hand and leaving the room.

______

On the way home, Bella nor I talked the all way. When we got to the house I sat in the passenger seat not moving or saying anything.

"Ana?" Bella question looking at me concerned and when I meet her eyes I broke.

"I got you. I got you, Ana," Bella told me as she wrapped her arms around me hugging me tightly and kissing my forehand.

"It hurts. It hurts so bad Bella," I told her and she sighed hugging me tighter.

"I know it does. I'm sorry Ana," she told me and I cried even more at her words.