Either Way
"Edward, my love, I don't know what to tell you." Bella said sadly. Her face was sad and pale; her expression was broken just like her heart. She sighed and the tear that she had been trying to hold back silently slid down her face. She looked up at Edwards perfect face and gave him a look that made him panic.
"What do you mean, Bella?" he asked, the panic was dripping from his voice and you could easily see that he was frightened.
"You have broken me in more ways then one and you have done it repeatedly." She said firmly yet sadly. "I have gone through hell and back for you and you continued to shun me away because you thought that it was protecting me and yet everyone else could see that you were only doing more harm then good!" she said her voice and resolve growing with every word that she said. "I know who I want to choose but I also know who I have to choose and sadly they are two different beings." She said with a few more tears falling down her face.
"Please, Bella, you can't mean what I think you mean." Edward said shaking his head slowly, disbelievingly.
"Edward don't make this harder then it already is" she said exasperatedly
"Bella this shouldn't be hard at all!" he said raising his voice, "you only have to choose between me and that disgusting mutt!" he exclaimed
Bella cringed at his harsh words. Then her sad, distraught face hardened. She raised her head and looked Edward straight in the eyes, "That disgusting mutt will never break my heart, if anything he will put it all back together again." She said coldly.
"You know better then anyone that I never meant to hurt you Bells" he said pleadingly "I thought that you forgave me" he added after a moment of silence. Bella turned around to face the Tribal lands and gave a soft depressing sigh.
"Edward, you are right" she said after a moment. Edward smiled thinking that their argument was finally over, "however that doesn't sway my decision." She said. She looked down at the ground and turned back around to face Edward. "I have been through Hell and back for you like I said before. I went to Italy to save your immortal life and we came back with the understanding that I would be changed!" she said her temper finally getting the better of her.
"Calm down Bells" Edward said in a vain attempt to make her call herself.
"No, Edward, I will not calm down and you will not interrupt me again!" she said venom dripping from her sweet voice. "Even with the threat of the Volturi hanging over all of our heads you still refuse to change me! Not only that Edward, but you left when you promised not to!" she said on the verge of hysterics. Edward went to say something but she held up her hand to stop him before he even started. "That's not even the worst of it" she said shaking her head "no, the worst of it is Ivy. As soon as we met her I knew that I had lost you. Even you can't deny how much like me is. Emmet was the one who brought it to my attention. He said, and I quote, 'wow Bells, I think that if Edward ever decides to change you, you would be just like Ivy.' Do you know what that did to me?" she asked him. She had just entered full blow hysterics. "To top it all off I heard Alice's prediction. I know something that you don't know as childish as that sounds. Edward you stand here and give me a choice, you, my love, my life, my whole being, and Jake, my best friend, the one who put me back together again, the one who lights up my world after you cast a dark cloud on it. You are playing me EDWARD!" she screamed the tears now flowing relentlessly
"I'm not playing you, Bells" he said softly
"NO? So tell me then, who is it that you go hunting with every week? When I fall asleep, or when you think I fall asleep, where is it that you go and with whom? Why is it that every morning I see you, you don't smell like you but like a combination of you and Ivy? CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY EVERYONE SEEMS TO THINK THAT YOU ARE FALLING FOR HER?!" Bella said finally loosing it. She took a step away from Edward and a step closer to the tribal lands. Edward didn't respond to her questions, he avoided them.
"You know that I would never do that to you." He said to her pleadingly
"Oh but you would, you forget the visions that Alice shared with me and not you. She came to me when you decided to give me my choice and she told me all of the possible outcomes of my two possible decisions. You choosing me after I chose you was never one of them." Bella said quietly "how am I expected to compete with a beautiful immortal vampire who is just like me? You don't have to change her, so there is no worry about damning her soul or what ever it is you are afraid of; there is no worrying that you will kill her when you reach out to touch her face; she doesn't have a strong smelling blood that makes you want to drink her dry; Edward she's perfect for you." Bella said brokenly. She had finally passed the hysterics stage and the anger stage. She was in the acceptance stage, although she still felt betrayed.
"I will tell you one thing though Edward, with out you, I will die before I am twenty." She said levelly. At that his face registered shock and sadness, but that was it, there was no overwhelming since to protect her no want to go to the Volturi should he fail.
"You won't die" he said but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself
"Yes, Edward, she will die" said a voice from the trees. Edward just snarled as Alice stepped out from under the canopy of tree tops. "I've seen it Edward, I've seen it several times and several different ways." Alice said sadly
"It's a lie!" he said enraged
"I would never bet against Alice." Bella said firmly. Edward just looked at her as she threw his own words in his face.
"Edward, if she chose you, you would both be happy for a very, very short time because you would be given the choice of Bella or Ivy by your family, your whole family. You would choose Ivy. I've seen it and every time I've seen it Ivy kills Bella right after you choose her. Sadly that's just one scenario." If Alice could cry she would be crying now.
"I wouldn't let that happen!" he shouted
"You wouldn't have a choice! Don't you get it?" Bella yelled "I have to die! I know your secret even if you don't kill me or turn me that doesn't mean it won't happen! Did you forget about the Volturi? Edward I will die or I will be changed with or with out you by my side." She finished harshly
"But I wouldn't—" He started to say.
"Edward, what she is saying is true" Alice said sadly "how do you think it feels for me to see my best friend die several different ways and all because of some stupid vampire who just walked into our lives and stole you away from Bella?" Alice shrieked "Either way Edward she will die!" she said harshly
"Edward I am going to choose Jacob because the little time that I do have left on this earth will be needed for getting over you." Bella said quietly. "as of right now I don't know if I will be turned or if I will be killed but either way things just don't look good for me." With that she turned around and walked on to tribal grounds and away from Edward.
"Why is every thing always against us?" Edward moaned
"Because you are Romeo and Juliet" Alice answered. "Now all we have to do is wait and see what happens to Bella." Alice sighed dejectedly.
FIN