The Fictionators

Monday, February 8, 2010

Teaser Monday - 2/8/10

Are you ready to get teased, baby?

If you'd like to be included in next week's post, please e-mail your Teaser, Chapter # and Link to teaser@fictionators.com or via our new web form no later than Sunday evening by Midnight... There are no restrictions, if you have something you want to tease, we're happy to share it with our readers (we ask that you keep it under 500 words, though). Teasers will be listed in alphabetical order according to the name of the fic.

There seems to be some confusion on teasers, please remember that if it is already posted, we will not post a teaser. These are for unpublished chapters/one-shots or stories only. If your teaser is missing from the list that's posted, this is the reason.

Just a reminder that if you find something new on Teaser Monday, please review and let the author know where you found their story!

So are you ready? Here they are...

Chapter 16 of A Labor of Love by lizconno
Chapter 28 of A Litany At Dusk by duskwatcher2153
Chapter 9 of Absolucion by gkkstitch
Chapter 4 of Accused by bqotfu
Chapter 6 of Ashen Skies, A Tainted Genocie by QuestionXisting
Chapter 17 of Bad Habit: Book One by AmeryMarie
Chapter 4 of Battle between Love and Morals by LoveLaPerla
Chapter 6 of Beautiful Stranger by NJNYTwiGals
Chapter 20 of Behind The Clouds by EchoesOfTwilight
Chapter 3 of Bittersweet Irony by SweetVenom69
Chapter 2 of Bubblegum Pop by AzureEyedI
Chapter 13 of Cat O' Nine Tails by booboo.kitty2.0
Chapter 2 of Coming Home by HookaShewz
Chapter 15 of Dark Games & Twisted Minds by katinki
Chapter 16 of Dead Confederates by goldenmeadow
Chapter 6 of Decadence by EscapingGreatly
Chapter 9 of Desired by mcc101180
Chapter 22 of Devil's Angel by ObsessingOverEdward
Chapter 12 of Evading Edward by VampiresHaveLaws
Chapter 11 of Fighting for Love by LexyW
Chapter 6 of Friendly Discontentment by Manderbetis
Chapter 20 of Girl with a Red Umbrella by spanglemaker9 and justaskalice
Chapter 12 of Give Me A Reason To Live by rachelcullen77
Chapter 4 of Gloaming by Readingmama
Chapter 3 of Here, There and Everywhere by LightStarDusting
Chapter 18 of Hold On by todream
Chapter 7 of Homecoming by dont_run
Chapter 15 of Homecomings by Smishli
Chapter 3 of I Wept Not by ArcadianMaggie
Chapter 29 of In Pursuit of Normalcy by KariAnn
Chapter 5 of Innocence Is Dripping Red by EchoesOfTwilight
Chapter 2 of Interviews & Evaluations by Writing4Roses
Chapter 2 of Leave the Pieces by heather dawn
Chapter 17 of Life Flights by if only
Chapter 11 of Life Is Okay by bnjwl
Chapter 4 of Music of My Soul by Addicted to Edward
Chapter 38 of Near You Always by ebalways
Chapter 20 of No Place Like Home by tellingmelies
Chapter 11 of Not Just A Girl by emg78
Chapter 20 of Over, Under & Through by StupidSuckedinReader
Chapter 9 of Punch Me, Love Me, Save Me by ericastwilight and emerald_rosalie
Chapter 27 of Reunion by KeepersoftheNaughtySparkle
Chapter 30 of Reviving Fireflies by greeen goldfish
Chapter 25 of Running Home by twitina
Chapter 33 of Sacrificial Lamb by Nolebucgrl
Chapter 1 of Saints and Sinners by evieeden
Chapter 22 of Since You Been Gone by Dennycullenlutz
Chapter 5 of Smoking in the Boys' Room by CorrinaTFF
Chapter 9 of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Serendipitydooda
Chapter 10 of Stolen Singer by nerac
Chapter 29 of Stripped by reagan o'connor
Chapter 6 of Take a Little Trip by KristenLynn
Chapter 3 of Taste of Innocence by Nolebucgrl
Chapter 7 of The Bottom Line by StupidSuckedinReader
Chapter 3 of The Diner by Jessypt
Chapter 13 of The First Breath by LaViePastiche & ElleCC
Chapter 14 of Ultio by 22blue & mac214
Chapter 27 of Volition by Rochelle Allison
Chapter 23 of Waiting for Dr. Right by vickitori303
Chapter 2 of Washington & Thirteenth Street by Miztrezboo
Chapter 10 of Where The Road Meets The Sun by Miztrezboo
Chapter 17 of Where There's Smoke by NJNYTwiGals
Chapter 25 of Work in Progress by araeo
Chapter 19 of Yeah, You by marvar

~*~
Chapter 16 of A Labor of Love by lizconno

Jazzy and I stood in the doorway watching Bella trip her way to Edward’s SUV. The second the car left our sights, I kissed Jasper on the cheek and returned to the living room.

"What do you think you’re doing?" he asked with an accusing tone.

"Those two belong together. I’m just doing what I think I need to do to help them realize it."

He sighed and plopped down onto the couch waiting for the proverbial shit to hit the fan. Although he trusted me, he didn’t expect my conniving to go as smoothly as it always did. I grabbed the phone, ready to put my plans into motion.

"I was so sure you had already turned her," Rosalie said to me when Bella was beyond the reach of our voices. "Then we’d really be fucked."

"I can hardly stand smelling her; you really think I’d have the control to turn her?" I asked bitterly. If I'd felt it was a viable option, I would have considered it.

"Looks like you were doing more than smelling her when we arrived," Jasper said as he and Alice joined us.

"Is that so?" Emmett asked, grinning and looking at me with eyebrows raised.

"So what is your plan?" Carlisle asked. "If she won’t be turned."

Good for her, Rosalie thought, her chin jutted slightly, knowing I would hear.

"I don’t know," I said, shooting Rosalie a look. "She’s going to need some kind of protection."

Edward.

Bella's voice in his mind reached him as if she were standing next to him. Midnight! In a blink of an eye he was standing in their bedroom door. The sight that greeted him stunned him into immobility.

Bella was standing at the window looking out at the dark yard. Only the light on the bedside table was on. Her hair fell over her bare shoulders in waves. Her eyes met his in the reflection of the window. She had prepared for him, prepared for their time together. She was nude.

He took a deep breath to sigh. Instead, he was destroyed by her scent as he breathed in. He could taste her on the air. Edward tensed, fighting to control himself. The tether that always connected them snapped taught, vibrating between them.

Bella felt it, too. Arcs of static raced between them. Even through the reflection of the dark glass of their bedroom window she could see Edward's eyes turn black. She could not look away from them to see if her own eyes were the same, but assumed they were by judging the change in his demeanor. He reached up with one hand and tugged at his shirt, pulling the top fastener free with a pop as if it were held by a snap and not a small black button. There was tiny pinging sound as the button flew across the room and hit the mirror above their dresser.

"Let me start off with some background. My father, James L. Hale, is an attorney. He began over thirty years ago as a prosecutor and then a defense attorney. After one of his defendants was wrongly convicted, he dedicated himself to this work. We get hundreds of letters a year from inmates asking us to review their cases. Mostly convicts with extremely long sentences, in which DNA evidence was not available when they were convicted."

"Does that mean you can't take our case?" Alice asked in a defeated tone.

"No, that is not what I mean, but your family does need to understand how this will affect you."

"Continue," Carlisle replied.

"This case will be a rarity, because Dr. Edward Cullen was convicted with DNA evidence."

"He didn't do it!" Alice jumped out of her seat in protest, slamming the palm of her right hand against the table top.

"Alice, correct?" Rosalie asked, assuring herself that she remembered the names of each of the family members.

"Yes," Alice answered, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"That is your belief, but you must understand that the evidence says otherwise."

"But," Alice began to interrupt but Rosalie held up her hand up and Alice sighed, sinking into the cushion below her.

"However, my father and I will be unbiased. But I must be bluntly honest with all of you because there is no other way to say this," Rosalie began, making eye-contact with each of them, "you need to be prepared for the possibility that he did commit this act."

An unexpected expression of compassion from a total stranger, kept me entranced well into the night. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had experience such a surprising act of kindness. I was almost ready to restore my faith in humanity, but Edward Cullen was only one man. He couldn’t and wouldn’t fix the world.

Anyways I was faithless, and I was lost under the surface, nothing and no one would be able to pull me back up. I was quickly learning to accept this.

I just wanted to disappear.

What the fuck was she doing here?

That was the only thought in my head when I saw her. As if she was Medusa, she caught my eye and I turned to stone under her gorgon’s gaze. Unable to move or get out of the way of the wrecking ball that she was…and then she was hurtling towards me, and it was too late. She slammed into me with the force of a…well, of a fucking wrecking ball, destroying everything in her path on the way. Immobilized, the soul-sucking creature…the succubus...wrapped her arms around my neck and suction cupped herself to my lips.

This could not be real, it could not be happening.

I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them she wouldn’t be the one clinging to me, but she was. I looked towards the door, part of me hoping Bella wouldn’t be there and part—the selfish part—hoping she was, simply because I craved her nearness…yeah, I already said I was a selfish motherfucker. Either way, it was the wrong thing to do. Our eyes met, locked, and…I can’t even describe what the sight of her standing by the door looking as if she had just been kicked in the guts—worse than that, really—did to me. All the times I had hurt that girl over the years—too many fucking times, honestly, and it made me fucking sick to think about it—and I had never seen her look the way she did as she watched Tanya molest me.

I shrugged. "I've got a job. I'll be cooking for our neighbor."

Alice's eyes widened. "Newton?"

I snorted. "Sure, I'm willing to spend more time than absolutely necessary with Mike." Sarcasm was dripping from every single of my words, and Alice giggled at my tone. I shook my head after a moment. "No, I'm working for our new neighbor."

"Dr. Cullen?" Alice's eyes lit up and she sat up a bit straighter, as if I was going to reveal some big secret to her any moment.

I raised my eyes at her quizzically.

She grinned, twirling her drinking straw around her index finger. "Half of Forks is talking about the new Doc. You know how my mother loves to gossip-"

I nodded. Everyone in town knew that Mrs. Brandon was addicted to gossip. I was glad that Alice hadn't taken after her in that regard. "And?"

"My mother said that most of Forks' single ladies have an eye on him."

"He's married," I reminded her, though I tended to ignore that little fact as well.

Alice grinned widely and rested her chin on her hand that she'd propped up on the table. "But his wife hasn't been in town ever since they moved here. That's strange, isn't it? Let's just say the women in Forks have high hopes to become the second Mrs. Cullen." She giggled and shook her head in amusement.

I glared at my water, not at all liking the thought of other women chasing Edward.

"And is he as handsome as my mother claims him to be?" Alice was in chatter mode obviously and I rather felt like sitting in a corner and ponder about what I'd heard.

I shrugged. "He's handsome, I guess." That's the understatement of the year, Bella, and you know it.

A thought crossed my mind and I leaned forward slightly, closer to Alice. She perked up instantly, obviously curious. "Do you know how old he is?"

Alice smirked, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "Why? Have you set your sight on him?"

I rolled my eyes but I felt my face heat. I knew Alice was only joking but her suggestion hit too close to home for my comfort. "So, do you know how old he is?" I repeated my question.

Alice took a sip from her orange juice and shrugged one shoulder. "I think my mother said he's twenty-seven."

"Oh Lauren," I said, stopping her, "I’m actually glad I ran into you. I have been meaning to discuss something with you all night."

"Is that so? What can I help you with, Bella?"

"Well I was talking to Kate tonight when I dropped my daughter off with the babysitter and she is under the impression that you don’t like her."

"Where would she ever get that idea?" she asked as she looked at her perfectly manicured nails.

"I don’t know, why don’t you tell me," I said taking a step closer to her.

At this point I think she sensed that I wasn’t playing games so she stood up tall to try and intimidate me.

"She told me that you are all nice to her when Edward is in the room but the second he walks out you totally ignore her, not bothering to even answer a direct question she asks you."

At this point the two of us were about an inch apart. I realized that even though she was taller than me, I could take this bitch down…no problem.

"Listen Bella, I don’t know what that little rug rat told you but she is lying. And as far as Edward is concerned, I don’t know what the hell happened between the two of you, but whatever it was it is over now. He is with me. I was his date last weekend, and I am his date tonight, so get the fuck over it. Whatever you are trying to pull here with me and his daughter isn’t going to work. So just go back to being the hired help that tends to the children and stop trying to dress up in borrowed clothes and join a party full of guests who are entirely out of your league."

I put my own thoughts aside while Pierre told me the story of his change, and of being separated from his wife, Vivienne. As heartbroken as I was for myself, I hurt just as much for him. The thought of being able to go to her – to change her – had been the thing that got him through the early time of his immortal life, and to have it end in such tragedy, with him killing her... I just couldn't imagine it.

Though I had no idea how I would survive my impending forever, what Pierre told me cemented in my mind that I could never go to Edward. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt him.

And there was another reason, too: I needed Edward to live as long as possible. If Pierre was wrong, and Aro right about what would happen upon Edward's death...

Even thinking those words broke me, and I knew Pierre could see the despondency in my eyes. "It gets easier," he said softly. "Living without the one you love." But his voice shook as he spoke, betraying the lie.

We made our way back to Volterra in silence, part of me thinking how stupid it was to return to what was effectively my prison. But that was only on the surface. In truth, I was trapped no matter where I went, or what I did, because there would always be an irremovable barrier between me and everything I wanted. At least staying with the Volturi, I reasoned, gave me a place where I could hide, and where I had Pierre to talk to and help me not drink from humans.

At first, when I'd woken up, I hadn't really understood why he was being so nice to me, so understanding, but it was too much of a comfort to really question it. Knowing his story helped me see that we were alike in a lot of ways; the pain etched deeply into his face when he talked about his wife a reflection of what I knew was on my own every time I spoke or thought of Edward. Though no one and nothing could replace what I'd already lost, it felt good to have a friend. Someone who actually cared that I had been ripped from a life and people I loved.

When the stone walls of the city came into view, I obeyed Pierre's command once again to hold my breath. Resolved as I was not to kill humans, they still smelled so delicious, rich and warm and inviting, and I wasn't going to risk accidentally attacking one just because I couldn't help myself.

The halls of the Volturi stronghold were empty, though I could hear voices creeping out from behind closed doors. This time, I purposefully ignored them; I'd heard enough for one evening.

On Thursday, I spend part of the day talking with a realtor in Tucson, scouting rentals for when Edward and I start at the University of Arizona in the fall. In the afternoon, I spend a few minutes at the Masens' house feeding their bird, washing the few remaining dishes in the sink, and picking up Edward's room, separating his worn clothes into color piles for the laundry. I chuckle to myself as I pull his socks from the pant legs of his jeans. This is a wifey thing to do. I'm going to be someone's wife in a few short weeks. Edward's wife. The thought both thrills and terrifies me. What if one day he wakes up and doesn't recognize me as the same Bella he's known all his life? What if he decides that he doesn't want me anymore? A sharp pain stabs me in the chest as my worry starts to escalate into paranoia again. That's when I glanced up at the mirror above his dresser and notice a small piece of paper taped to the reflective surface...

"Really? Wow. That’s so cool." Hunter slips the next slide into the silver holder thingies and peers down into the eyepiece. "Uh, Nessie?"

"Yeah?" I inch my right hand over towards his left arm. He’s wearing his football jersey today for the pep rally later this afternoon. It’s a big deal and I’ve never been to one so I’m kinda excited about it. Too bad that bitch Kaela and her two shadows Dippy and Kelly will be there to ruin it with their little rah-rah performance.

"Ya know we’re playing Friday night, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, uh, I was just wondering, uh." Hunter pulls his face up and away from the eyepiece and pushes the microscope over to me. "Metaphase."

I don’t look at the slide since I really don’t care. I managed to touch his sleeve just now and he’s not thinking at all about mitosis. He’s thinking about something else.

Actually he’s thinking of someone else.

Me.

Jasper sailed Irina into position, crossways, in the opening of the island cove. If anyone was going to get to land, they were going to have to get through him.

"Drop anchor, bower and stern," he called out to the crew, "I don’t want her to budge an inch from this spot, understood?"

When Irina was brought to, Jasper looked over the water to see Bella flying across the waves at three approaching ships at an ungodly speed.

"Look at her," Alice said in wonderment, "have you ever seen such a sight in all of your days at sea?"

"Truly, I have not," Jasper answered, "incredible."

Jasper and Alice helped the crew furl the sails in tight and load the cannons as a resounding series of booms echoed across the water.

They watched masts fall and canvases rip to shreds as Bella sailed between two of the lamed crafts to the lead ship. The third vessel broke away unscathed and was headed straight for Irina.

Jasper’s skin itched with the urge to haul anchor and run as the winds would take him and not look back. He had his Alice and that was all that he needed.

He should run.

A smart man would run.

With a deep breath he hauled Alice into his arms and kissed her like it was the last time he would ever do so. "I love you," he whispered.

The approaching vessel started to come about right in front of them, port side exposed, cannon doors open.

"Hold," Jasper called out, his hand raised in the air, ready to signal the all fire.

A pop and a zing stung Alice’s left ear. She instinctively raised her hand to the sharp pain and saw blood on her fingers just as Jasper crumpled to the floor at her feet.

"Fire!" she shouted.

I didn't want to wake up from the wonderful dream I had been having. In my dream Edward was home. He was alive and he was home. I could hear him at the recess of my dream and I fought to stay asleep, but baby Edward was moving around and I needed to go to the bathroom. Slowly waking up I could still hear Edward talking and felt a large warm hand caress my belly underneath my sleep shirt.

A glean of cold sweat dotted her forehead, and the palm resting inside his felt slick and clammy. She’s terrified, he thought miserably.

"Please, please, don’t be afraid. I will never hurt you, Bella. I swear to that. I can’t now," he appealed in his smoothest, calmest tone. Gently and soothingly, he stroked the silken skin cupped in his hand.

The velvet of his voice belied the tumult within. Inside, just the mention of hurting her nearly sent him into a tailspin. Lurching and bending, he steadied himself by concentrating and focusing his eyes on the microscopic cracks in the enamel coating the bed frame. His gaze followed the labyrinth of black lines, seeing the spidery offshoots and dust-filled pits.

"I do-don’t understand, Edward. What are you?" she stammered.

In that instant, he hated himself, hated what he was. He despised the revulsion and loathing that he expected to witness when he admitted the truth. He hated the fact that he wasn’t like her and that he could never be what she deserved or needed.

Mama had counseled me to wait, and she’d made my lurking pleasant as possible, having her boy Caleb make sure I was topped up with libations. Only, for all his pole bean tallness, he was a bit too slow on his long grasshopper legs in replenishing my refreshments.

Tonight I’d packed a cooler.

It sat beside me in Bella’s place. I drank, and waited to see her. To talk to her.

My gut clenched.

I closed my eyes.

A burst of noise made me open them and look left.

To a white cargo van decked out in little multi-colored pom-pom curtains hanging behind the silty windows, the back doors opened over two thick ropes trapping a mess of lawn maintenance equipment inside. Coming to a screeching halt, the shrill din inside the Mariache Mobile stopped.

Four Mexicans climbed out and made way for Mama’s.

During the upheaval, I hadn’t noticed Bella leaving. Until now. When a little white poofter’s pick-up rolled up to her as she walked to her ride. If I couldn’t stand pweeny pig-eye weeny BVD-wearing Newton talking to my woman, I could endure this even less!

Whoever he was, he was just this side of getting his neck slashed, forget his fucking tires.

I could smell his slobber from my parking spot across the way.

Motherfucking FUCKER!

As he slowed his engine and sidled up to Bella, I punched my fist through the roof.

And what the fuck was Edward planning? Fear gripped me as I thought of him out there, on his own, surrounded by the men who liked to taunt and play games with people’s lives. I needed him here. I needed him to help me, to help us get the fuck out of this situation.

My head started to spin faster, the room I’d grown to love fading into a mesh of dull colours. He didn’t know what he was up against. I’d seen it in his eyes before he’d left. He was going to take action. My Edward was going to take action.

But he couldn’t. They’d hurt him. They’d kill him.

"So, sticking around Washington, eh? I would have thought you’d want to head back to somewhere warm. Weren’t you thinking about University of Florida?" He shot me a quizzical stare.

Truth was I had asked myself this very question not too long ago when I was filling out my applications. I was most certainly not a fan of the cold and the wet, and the thought of at least another four years dealing with it was low on my list of priorities. My mom had also been pressing very hard for me to pick a school in her neck of the woods. So why was it that I had chosen to attend University of Washington? My logical side said it was because the bond that had slowly been building between Charlie and I was not something I was ready to separate from again, and being just a few hours away was much better than being across the country. But my heart, it told me something else. As much as I proclaimed to want a clean break, and avoided thoughts of him, this place, this state, held all of my memories of falling quickly and breaking even faster. And being the glutton for punishment that I am, I wasn’t quite ready to leave it all behind.

"Yeah, but I don’t tan so much as burn, so being in sunny Florida would be a bit of a waste. Besides, UW has a great writing program, and Angela and Ben are going there," I answered with pseudo-confidence.

I never thought that I would fall so hard for a woman. She had me completely love-struck, so much so that I was on the verge of losing my man card and breaking down to take her to the theater. I would literally do anything to make her happy.

When I saw her with Esme, I had more confirmation that she was meant for me. She just fit. Bella was everything that was absent in my life and she had the blaring approval from my aunt.

I already missed her and had only been away from her for a few hours. I wondered how I was going to make it through the week before I could see her again. I shook my head at myself and grinned, flipping on some classic rock to try and shake the pussy-whipped man I had become.

It was fairly apparent to me by now that I found her physically attractive. I was a teenage boy after all, and no matter how hard we may try, we simply cannot ignore - or deny - a pair of perky breasts or perfect legs when we see them. However much in this case I wanted to.

I was persistently telling myself than when the time arrived for me to put this little game to bed - quite literally - it would be that much more satisfying. And I was almost positive of the fact her resistance was wavering. Then it would all be over. I wouldn't have to have contact with her purposefully again.

"What's that frown for?" Jazz asked, nudging my shoulder with his own. Huh, I hadn't even realised I had been.

I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when I opened the door. Edward stood in front of me with water dripping from his hair, a single white rose, and a grin.

"Hi," he said quietly and handed me the rose.

"Hi. Come in," I replied just as quietly, bringing the rose up to my nose to inhale its fragrance. I stepped back to let him through, and he placed his hand on my hip while he leaned in and kissed the top of my head. I smiled into the rose and offered to take his jacket. He shrugged out of it and hung it on one of the hooks that was on the wall, and slipped his shoes off.

"I don’t want to track water through your house. Oh, and I brought a movie," he said, pulling out a DVD from his jacket pocket and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I said as I sat the movie down on the sofa table. I wasn’t sure what to do. This was my first date at my house in six years, and my stomach was in knots. I stared at the ground for awhile before I heard jeans swooshing and Edward’s hand came into view as he reached for mine.

He brought it up to his lips and pressed a small kiss across my knuckles before pulling me into him and wrapping his arms around me.

"Are you as nervous as I am?" Edward whispered into my ear.

"Edward, are you okay?" Bella’s voice was laced with concern. I guess I wasn’t acting like my normal self, which gave her a reason for concern.

"Just nervous." I told her honestly. I wasn’t going to hold anything back tonight.

"About?" Bella was fishing for information. She always tried to make everything better and no doubt she was already thinking of ways to cheer me up.

We reached the built in seats at the far end of the gigantic deck, next the hot tub my mother just had to have. I didn‘t answer her last question because I wanted to sit down and face her before I said anything. I wanted to see her every facial expression and reaction to my words. We sat down, Bella in the corner slightly reclined back with her feet up on the bench, I sat down leaning against the back of the hot tub and lifted her legs putting her feet on my lap.

"Edward?" Bella said.

"Bella I wanted to talk to you." For all the pep talking I did for myself before the party and even during it, I was at a loss for how to say what I needed to say.

"About what?" She asked nervously. Bella again tried to get me to say something. Not only was her voice showing concern so was her face.

"Fuck, are your shoes comfortable?" I asked while rubbing my hands through my already messed up hair. Bella laughed at me, not a funny laugh more of a nervous laugh.

"You were nervous about my shoes? There not comfy sneakers, but I‘ll survive" She said in disbelief. She thought I sounded like a tool because I really did.

I slipped off her shoes carefully and starting rubbing her left foot first, I figured with my hands busy and Bella getting a foot rub would distract both of us. She let out a soft moan, letting me know she was loving it.

"I wasn’t nervous about your shoes." I was sounding even lamer with every sentence. My nerves were getting the best of me. I need to just do this shit, and now before she thought I was losing my mind.

"Ya I kinda figured that, what‘s wrong?" Bella gave me a small, sweet smile, letting me know that whatever was wrong was fixable but her wistful eyes showed anything but that.

"They tossed my files. I can’t tell what might be missing, but I have an idea."

"What do you mean?" I muttered, feeling suddenly cold all over.

"The room was trashed, but this was lying square in the middle of the floor. No way for me to miss it."

Jasper passed me a photo. It was of Alice, sunglasses on, scarf wrapped over her hair, leaving an office building. It was taken at a little distance and Alice seemed unaware that she was being photographed.

"That’s the Vogue offices where Alice works," Jasper growled.

I stood off to the side, biting my nails and staring at her pale face. My hands were still shaking, and only then did I notice that I was still covered in her blood. It was all over me. I felt my head spin, and I reached out to grab onto the wall. I groaned, and felt vomit come up my throat. I choked it back, ignoring the burning feeling it caused, and tried to focus on not passing out.

"Hey." A young nurse came up and placed a hand on my back. "Come on, let’s get you some water. We need to wait outside." I looked at her, and groaned again. I stumbled outside, but in the hall, the light was brighter, harsher. I saw her blood more clearly now, all over my jeans, soaking my t-shirt, staining my hands. A great pressure began to build in my head, and my vision blurred, all the shapes around me merging together.

"Shit," I mumbled, before I fell to the floor and hit the ground with a loud thump. I saw feet running towards me before everything went black.

QPOV

The first time I saw the Cullens, I was seated in the cafeteria. I had joined Sheldon and his friends at his table. I learned that his uncle had gone to school with my mom. I thought it was weird that he would know that, but he said that his uncle always talked about my mom like she was the one that got away. I was convinced that he must have been mistaken, I was pretty sure I had never heard her mention the name Mike Newton in my life.

They entered the cafeteria confident and yet not arrogant. Each of them exuded a carefulness in their movements that made me wonder if they had complete control over everything their bodies did. The blonde girl was the first to pass my gaze, but it was the short, dark-haired one that caught my attention. Her large eyes and pointy face reminded me of an ethereal creature from the Lord of the Rings or something. She was stunning.

I stood next to them for a moment, staring into the nearly empty cup of Jungle Juice and thinking about what I should do. Should I wait and see if Lucy was going to come up for air? Should I look for the other girls from the floor that had seamlessly blended into the crowd around us? I looked around and saw no one I could connect with. Once again, I was surrounded by people, yet alone.

So I did what any other drunk and stupid first year college student would do; I stumbled up the stairs by myself and made my way back to our dorm. One of the fraternity brothers offered to walk me home, but I knew better than that. What if he tried taking advantage instead of coming to my rescue? I wasn’t falling for that.

I waved him off and somehow made my way to campus while clutching my keychain-sized pepper spray in my hand. I’m not sure I would have had even the wherewithal to use it, but it was my security blanket in my drunken state. I might have even randomly shouted out: "I have pepper spray and I’m not afraid to use it," at squirrels rustling in nearby bushes. Thankfully, I made it back to my dorm without getting mugged, raped, kidnapped, killed, or otherwise assaulted by said squirrels and any other baddies that might have been skulking about the streets.

Jacob pictured this moment in his head differently. He saw himself sweeping Nessie off her feet and onto his bed, making love to her without any screw ups, and Nessie had visions of every romantic movie she had ever seen. However, the ideal of perfection they held in their minds for this night shifted to familiarity as they sat on the kitchen floor laughing and throwing cereal at one another. They were in love, and no matter what happened, tonight would be unequaled to anything they could ever dream up. The humor of the situation made the night more real to them, and that in itself was perfection.

The Cocoa Puff incident helped ease the pressure of trying to make the night flawless, and the two of them would never think about cereal in the same way again.

"You liked that, didn't you?" she asked in a sultry voice, raising an eyebrow.

"You got anymore in there? That was really fun," he joked.

"Don't you wish." Nessie searched and adjusted her sweater, checking for any pieces of rogue cereal that might be hiding.

"I hate to disappoint you, but you ate the one and only one from down there." Nessie's hands raked across the back of his neck right at his hair line, enjoying the feel of short hair as she stroked it. He noticed just how a simple touch from her made his body want more. Her fingers seemed to tease him, spurring him on.

Every dream and fantasy he ever had sat right here, watching him longingly. Jacob shifted his weight a bit, pulling her to him. Her head cocked ever so slightly to the side, and she gave him a look, a look that made him forget himself but still knew exactly what he wanted. Her innocent eyes hid her intentions well, just showing a hint of lust. She was filled with happiness knowing she would finally get to make love to Jacob, but she felt a small twinge of apprehension at the same time, hoping to keep that part hidden. Seeing that eager look from her let Jacob know that the two of them needed to leave the mess of cereal behind and find their way to his bed. Everything about her turned him on, and he didn't want to stay out in the kitchen any longer.

He held her closely and fisted her soft hair in his hands. "Let's go to my room," he implored. She buried her head in his shoulder, and he breathed in her lingering floral scent.

"Okay," she answered, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat. The once dull ache in her body seemed to rouse and began to spread outward to every part of her body. The laughing that had once filled the room left and only the complete and quiet surrender to each other remained.

Bella’s POV

My room is dark and Alice is sleeping soundly in the bed beside me. I’m thankful she has finally run out of energy, because I’m tired. She painted my toe nails and finger nails, made me put green goop on my face, which I had to wash off once it hardened and then I had to try on dresses from my closet so she could pick out the perfect outfit for me to wear to Edward’s birthday party. I’ve never been to a party before but my self appointed bff assures me we will have a blast.

I’m not really sure what a BFF is, but apparently I’m Alice’s. I mean Alice explained that it’s best friends forever, but what is a best friend? I’ve never had a regular friend and now I have a best friend? It’s a little overwhelming, especially since I have no idea what is expected of me in my new capacity as Alice’s bff. Don’t get me wrong I’m honored that Alice would think of me as her friend. She is a sweet girl and while that sometimes scares me with her exuberance, and I also find myself envying her as well. I envy the fact that she knows what she wants and goes for it, I envy that she knows who her parents really are, and that she knows who her brother is. Most importantly I envy her the fact she never had to deal with Renee.

Mostly I just like her though. I think it would be hard not to like Alice. Her natural warmth and her genuine nature would leave her open to only the coldest of hearts not liking her. So now I am Alice’s bff. I wonder if that means I could ask her what to call Charlie Swan? I wonder if anyone has noticed I’ve never directly called him? I honestly don’t know what to call him. Charlie? Chief Swan? Mr. Swan? Dad? These people are so different from what Renee told me to expect. I’m still waiting for that other shoe to fall and for them to turn into the monsters Renee assured me were waiting for me here.

"I like board games," I said finally. "Brings me back to days of innocence, when I thought the worst disappointment in the world was not getting to play the dog in Monopoly."

"I always played the shoe," he said distractedly, sorting through the boxes. "Oh, Life! I played this in Paris when I was younger. It was called Destin. That means ‘destiny.’"

"Yeah, I figured out that much despite the language barrier," I said, rolling my eyes. "How’d your destiny play out?"

He turned to grin at me. "I tended to have obscenely large families."

I pretended to shudder, though I couldn’t deny the idea of lots of baby Edwards running around would be pretty darn cute.

"You have Clue!"

"Well, of course I have Clue. There is no point in even owning a board game collection if it doesn’t include Clue."

He didn’t respond, just carefully put the other board games back in the cabinet and started setting up the Clue game board on my coffee table.

"Alright…if you’re sure you want to do this," I said, sitting up a bit against my pillows. "But I’ve got to warn you…I’m very, very good at this game."

"So am I."

He was still smiling, which showed how little an idea he had of my extreme competitiveness when it came to Clue. "No. Edward. You don’t get it. I have a strategy. I always win."

"Like I said…so do I. Who do you want to be? Miss Scarlet?"

"Edward, what if this game ruins our relationship?"

He smiled lazily. "Afraid your pride will take a beating?"

My eyes narrowed. "Miss Scarlet will work fine, thank you."

He handed me the red piece, took Professor Plum for himself (when I snickered, he said, "Hey, don’t bash the intellectuals"), and doled out the cards between us.

"Don’t look," he said as I carefully selected – facedown – the murderer, the weapon, and the location.

"Thanks for your faith in my integrity."

"All’s fair in love and war," he said lightly, and then cleared his throat and looked away.

He really needed to stop saying things like that.

In desperation I crushed my lips to Peter’s and pressed into him, backing him against the wall. I could feel his surprise, but it didn’t last long before it turned into a heated desire. His lips parted and I thrust my tongue inside his mouth, feeling his own sliding against it. His hands were on my clothes, urgent and impatient, pulling my shirt away from my body, undoing the belt from my pants so he could feel my hard flesh and touch my skin.

Sam stopped abruptly in his dash through the woods, his eyes quickly skimming the tree line, and it only took him a moment to spot the source of the strange scent – three cowering, filthy, and frightened children. Their eyes were wide in their dirt-smeared faces, and the one he assumed to be the oldest – a girl with black ringlets and black eyes – shielded the other two. She hissed at him, and he knew that she wasn’t human – at least, not entirely. His thoughts flashed to the only other human-hybrid he’d ever known.

At that moment, there was a blur of movement from the other side of the clearing, and four starkly pale figures appeared in the trees. Carlisle, Edward, Bella, and Emmett.

Sam watched on as the four vampires registered the children. The girl hissed again as she attempted to shield the other two once more.

"At peace, little one," Carlisle soothed, raising his hands in a friendly gesture as he slowly moved toward the children. "My name is Carlisle Cullen, and I am a doctor. I wish only to help. I see you’ve met my friend Sam," he said, his eyes flashing in the werewolf’s direction. "What are your names?"

The girl’s eyes widened in visible surprise, and she rushed forward with a sob, flinging herself into Carlisle’s arms. Clearly startled by her reaction, Carlisle raised one confused eyebrow at Sam as he returned the girl’s embrace.

"You came!" the girl sobbed into his jacket. "Momma always said that you would come for us some day…"

Sam didn’t miss the way Carlisle’s eyes shot in Edward and Bella’s direction then. "Who’s your mother, child?"

She pulled back slightly, her wide, tear- stained black eyes peering into his face. "My momma is Renesmee, your granddaughter, of course."

The city embraced us, wrapping arms of scent and neon light and humming activity around the speeding car, pulling us in. Hundreds of potential victims were here, lurking around corners and leaning on bars of scratched oak as they drowned sorrows of their own devising.

A lucky one - or perhaps a few - would have their miserable human existences ended tonight. The urge to take the lives of innocents would be swallowed from them, washing down our throats in a river of blood spiced by cruelty and hate.

Not as delectable as the adrenaline-sweetened mouthful I had sampled from Bella, but delicious nonetheless.

Hunting this time would take slightly more care, more attention than even I usually invested, the pool of possible kills narrowed by my wish to avoid testing her gift too thoroughly.

Excited as I was by its prospects, it was no time to be foolish.

No cretins whose sins ran to the sexually depraved. And none who had killed the ones they loved. I preferred to keep the pain Bella could cause me with her newborn strength as an electrifying addition to sex.

The thought nearly made me pull over to the side of the road. Already I wanted more. City lights washed over her skin, emerald and amber and crimson, the latter making her appear awash with blood.

I licked my lips.

Immediately began to think of the night at the bar on San Jacinto Boulevard and Keeton Street. I had played a full set of songs and received a warm response from the crowd.

"Thank you," I smiled through the shining lights, taking my guitar in my hands and slinging it over my back as I stepped down-stage and walked back over to my table.

He was sitting proudly at our table, sticking out like a sore thumb in his dress clothes. My boyfriend was looking absolutely handsome as he was clapped his hands on my arrival to the table and wrapped me up in a bear hug. As he let go, I gave him a once over, taking in the vision of his dress shirt, tie, slacks and dress shoes. Yep, my man rushed right over straight from work to see my show.

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just don't know what to say besides I love you and I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby, so much it hurts," I assured her quickly. "I love you, baby. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," she said with a sniffle. "I'll see you soon."

With a heavy heart I disconnected the call. I couldn't bear to sit there and listen to her cry, half a world away when there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

Monday morning, I found myself, once again, in the helicopter, waiting on the medical crew.

I had the helicopter ready for departure when Mike, followed by Edward, walked up and boarded the aircraft. Unfortunately, they both arrived at the same time and I wasn’t able to give Edward the ‘hello’ that I would have liked to.

"Dr. Masen, what brings you up here today?" I asked as Edward leaned in to my seat.

"Captain Swan, I am scheduled for your flight today. What do we have?"

"Dr. Masen, this is Mike Newton, your PA for the flight. The other nurse should be here shortly, she stocked the chopper just a little while ago."

Mike and Edward shook hands and the other nurse approached the helicopter.

"Looks like we have a victim of multiple gunshot wounds to pick up in a remote area about 35 minutes from here. Ready?"

They all nodded and we took off in the helicopter. After we were airborne, Edward started to talk to me from the co-pilot seat that he was occupying. "So, can I have dinner with my wife after we get back to the hospital?"

"That would be nice. I wish Newton wouldn’t have come out at the same time as my husband did, I didn’t get to kiss him yet."

"Hmmm. I didn’t have a chance to check out the supply closet locations yet, either." He looked over and smiled that devious smile at me. I couldn’t help but to smile back.

Before I could say something in response, Mike tapped on my shoulder as he was putting on the other head set. "Bella, after we get back, do you want to grab some dinner with me like we used to, sweetheart?"

"Sorry Mike, I already made plans for dinner . . . and for the record, the only time that we have ever grabbed any dinner together, Sweetheart, is in your dreams."

"Well, now that Dr. Cullen appears to be out of the way, right, there isn’t anything stopping us from getting together."

I could see Edward getting pissed "Mike, as flattered as I am that you would want to go out with me, I must still decline your offer. I am involved someone that is very important to me." Edward gave me a small smile.

"Bella, I can make you forget all about him." Mike said in a voice that I’m sure he intended to be seductive, but it was more like the mating call of a bullfrog. He was rubbing my shoulder with the tips of his fingers.

When I shuddered from his touch, I may have accidently shifted my gloved hands around on the flight controls and he lost his footing, slamming him into the glass of the door.

"Whoa, Bella. If I can get you all twitchy by touching your shoulder, just think what I can do . . ." Thankfully, Mike was cut off by Edward.

I wanted to tell him so much more but it couldn’t be done on a text, I would wait until I was face to face with him. I wanted to tell him that he was so important to me. Make him understand that I wanted to help make him whole again, make all of his trouble go away, and to love him like no woman has ever loved a man before. I needed to tell him that I loved when he touched my cheek, when he opened the door for me, when he asked me what I wanted to do first instead of telling me what he wanted. How much I loved that he kissed Esme when he saw her and how his eyes softened when she hugged him. I loved the way his eyes glinted when Emmett called him Eddie but deep down I knew he loved it, how he could talk so animated to Jasper about so many things and I loved to watch their conversations when it was the two of them discussing something that engaged them both. How he always did exactly what Rosalie told him to do to take care of his car and that he trusted her completely. That he followed Carlisle’s advice every time. I loved the way he touched my body and caressed my face. How tender his kiss is and how it turns to fire a second later. How his eyes look when he enters me, they become glazed and heavy lidded, like he has to fight to keep them open. I love the way he whispers my name as he comes, and the sweet words he says to me to excite my body. I love so many things about him, and I can’t wait to tell him all of them.

It hadn’t been this bad since the beginning, those first few months after her death. But something happened inside me last night. The box I’d so carefully wrapped my emotions in and hidden away had ripped open and refused to close again.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to remember the feeling from last night, the pure joy that Jasper’s dancing had infused in me. I tried to picture the way he moved across the stage, so fluid that it was as if he was an angel, floating just above the ground.

My memory just couldn’t do justice to his grace. No matter how hard I tried to envision him, I couldn’t recreate that feeling of being wrapped in warmth, protected from sadness.

I would have to see him again.

I could feel the heat coming into my face. That’s exactly what I’d done after the fire, and she knew it.

"You’ve created a vicious cycle for yourself, Edward," Dr Jordan continued. "You lost yourself in Chicago and basically sold your soul, but that’s not who you really are; those behaviors were self-protective, keeping you from facing the real problem. Your standards for yourself are incredibly high, and you allow no room for error. And when those closest to you try to tell you that it’s okay, you lash out, because to you, it just isn’t acceptable. Tanya’s cruelty to you is only part of the reason you said those things to Bella and your mother. You also did it because the only option you’ve allowed yourself when you fail is anger and self-resentment. Instead of listening to the reassurance you receive from your friends and family, you’ve put words into their mouths, and projected your feelings onto them because of your own problems with self-acceptance."

I shifted in my seat. "No offense, doc, but I … I’m aware of most of these things now. You’ve said it better than I could, but trust me … I’ve been thinking those very things ever since the day of the fire."

I was lost in the taste of cherries when Bella suddenly pushed away from me and leaned back against the counter. She brought her hand to her mouth, eyes growing wide.

"I kissed you," she said, sounding more like she was talking to herself than to me.

I nodded slowly, "I know."

She shook her head back and forth, "No, not now…then."

"I know."

Without warning, Bella flew forward and slapped me, hard, across the shoulder. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it sure as hell wasn’t that.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" she shouted.

"Tell you?" I shouted back, taking a step towards her. "Why didn’t you fucking remember?"

"So this is my fault?" she asked, slightly outraged.

"Well, I don’t see how it’s mine," I countered.

We were standing toe to toe, both refusing to back down.

I don’t remember walking down the stairs. "Bells?" I manage to choke out as I realize I’m crying. She turns a little my direction and her eyes are full of sadness.

"Hey Bear." She says quietly through her tears.

"Emmett, hold this please." I’m shocked to hear Edward's cold tone as he speaks through gritted teeth. Looking at him I notice is cold stare is focused at a group of students standing at the top of the stairs. I take over holding the fabric to my sister’s head scared to look at the injury underneath.

I was convinced that he had returned, of course when I was away for the weekend. Whatever he wanted; I wasn’t it. Part of me still couldn’t believe he had broken his promise of never of returning. Maybe he lied or maybe he just broke his promise, correction promises. When I lived in Phoenix I was a realist, then Edward lulled me into a false sense of security, leading me to believe that there was someone out there for me and now I was back to being a realist. Reality was that people broke promises and you couldn’t rely on anyone, but yourself.

"Ready for the sun, Edward?" Bella asked sweetly. I shrugged my shoulders as Emmett pushed a plate in front of me. "You’ll need to put on some sunscreen. With that white as hell skin you’ll turn to a lobster out there in no time."

"You gonna rub it all over me, ThreeB?" I asked, matching her previous tone and looking completely innocent.

Bella shrugged and muttered a "sure," happily eating her food. I watched as she put a fry in her mouth, entranced by the way her lips wrapped around it.

Jamie suddenly appeared and smacked the back of my head. "My baby sister doesn’t do that, bro."

Bella looked at us confused by what just went down. Emmett started laughing, catching on. Rosalie and Jasper were snickering, but remained quiet.

"Did I miss something?" Bella asked.

I shook my head, hoping that everyone shut the fuck up.

"Nothing much," Jamie said with a smug smirk. "Eddie was just picturing you eating his fry."

NO! Just five more fucking minutes!

I tried to will myself back to sleep as the blaring alarm clock started to edge it's way into my mind. I wanted to ignore it and return to the dream I was just having. It was like so many of the others I'd had in the past couple of weeks; Bella was in my arms and my heart no longer felt like it had been slammed against the wall a million times.

I started to take a deep breath to try and hold the pain at bay that would always follow once I woke, only I felt pressure against my chest. My eyes snapped open and there she was. Bella. Her head was tucked into my chest and her hair completely blocked her face from me, but in that moment she had never been more beautiful.

I tightened my arms around her body and placed a kiss into her mess of hair as I breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn't just been another dream...it was real and we were going to be okay.

Perhaps because it was comforting to them, the two of them proceeded with their normal routine that night, by the fireplace in the parlor. Mrs. Brown mended clothing while Carlisle whittled. The only sounds were the crackles and pops of the fire and the occasional moan from the dying man. Sporadically, Mrs. Brown would rise and adjust his blanket or pillow or try to give him some water. It accomplished little, other than making her feel slightly less useless. The soldier was so young, she could not help but mother him. She knew he had a mother somewhere that would wish to be in her place.

Bella watched from her lawn chair as Rose chased after Lia, catching her by her shirt and pulling her back.

"Stay here, young lady. Your brother’s game is going to start in a minute."

Lia twisted, trying to get free. "But Mom, the playground is only over there. I can play while you watch the game."

Bella watched Lia’s face. She puckered up her lips and batted her eyes at Rose, doing her best to soften her mother.

"No, Lia. You can’t go to the playground alone." Rose was trying to be firm. Bella stifled a laugh.

"But, Mom…" Lia whined.

Carlisle grabbed Lia’s hand. "I’d be happy to swing with my favorite Lia in the world."

Lia danced around happily.

"Carlisle, you don’t have to take her…" Rose started, but he lifted his hand to stop her.

"It’s my pleasure."

He reached down and grabbed Lia around her waist, lifting her up onto his shoulders as she squealed with pleasure.

"Well I doubt he’ll be happy now that his daughter’s dead!"

I closed my eyes and heaved a deep breath. "He’ll be fine without me; he was for most of his life."

She narrowed her ocher eyes at me. "So that’s it, you’re getting payback now. He didn’t spend enough time with you when you were a child so now you’ll teach him a lesson by taking yourself away permanently."

"What are you talking about? I’m nineteen years old; I got married and moved across the country. I had already taken myself away from him. I did what most kids my age do. I made my own life."

"And ruined his. You’re the most self-absorbed person I’ve ever met."

That did it, I started yelling. "What was I supposed to do? Stay in Forks all my life and take care of Charlie? Would you have done that for your father? It seems to me that you were anxious to leave your family and marry your rich fiancée and have your own life yourself when you were my age."

Rose flinched like I’d slapped her. "How dare you bring that up? I didn’t purposely leave my family behind like you did."

"I made a choice, Rose. Like you, I fell in love with a man and got engaged. Unlike you, I got my happily ever after. I’m sorry if that bothers you." I was ashamed that I’d thrown her past at her but she was ripping my open wounds, I couldn’t help ripping back.

Curious as to what was going on, I obeyed, moving my weight up onto my knees. Edward rolled onto his side underneath me, one arm reaching for a drawer in the bedside cabinet. I watched as he rooted around inside, finally emerging with a wrapped, flat, square package which he promptly handed to me.

"Happy Valentine’s Day, love."

"Oh shit." I stared down at him completely horrified, my eyes stretched impossibly wide.

Valentine’s Day. A day for love and romance and people who were happily ensconced in their couple-dom... and I had forgotten it.

I mean I knew that I’d been busy at work lately - hence the need for a vacation - but I didn’t realise that this time of year would come around so fast. Although, if I was being honest, I couldn’t really use work as a decent excuse as to why I’d forgotten.

I had never had reason to celebrate Valentine’s Day before. It was just another day in the year for someone who was doomed to be eternally single. So for the last few years I had spent the day helping Alice get ready for a special evening with Jasper before heading towards the sofa with a bottle of wine, a mountain of popcorn and a copy of When Harry Met Sally.

I had never had anyone to celebrate Valentine’s with; the fact that I now did was utterly mind-boggling.

"Well," Edward prompted, "are you going to open it?"

"It’s Valentine’s Day." God, I’m clever sometimes.

"Yes, it is."

"And you bought me a present."

"I did... and if you open it you can see what it is."

My gaze shifted to the package in my hands and all of a sudden I felt incredibly guilty. "I didn’t get you anything."

"That’s alright." Edward shrugged, before a mischievous smile crossed his face. "Maybe I should make you pay me back in kind."

I mock glared at him before grinning back. "Oh, I just bet you’d love that, wouldn’t you?"

It rang a few times and the machine took my call.

"Hi, this is Edward, this is Bella and this is Nessie, we are not home right now but you can leave us a message after the beep"

I waited for the beep smiling, hearing our family message on the answering machine because Nessie made us do it her way.

"Hi babe! Hi Ness! I called to know if you guys were doing fine. Bella call me when you have the chance. I love you both" and I snapped my phone shut.

I exited the conference room, looking for something quick to eat because I could hear my stomach growling at me. I called Alice but she didn’t answer her phone either.

I tried Bella’s phone again after I grabbed a turkey sandwich from the vending machine and a Coke.

I watched as the man sized me up before greeting me. "You must be Edward. Bella told me you were the one that took care of her last night and that your uncle here was coming over to have a look at her latest injury."

He extended his hand and my hands suddenly felt very clammy. I hesitated to take it as I tried to sneakily wipe my palms on my jeans. I saw his eyebrows raise in question, and I knew he hadn’t missed that move. Shit. I mentally pictured a referee throwing a flag on the field, calling out a personal foul. There was no playbook to get me through dealing with Bella’s father.

Aaaaaand it's locked. Thanks for the getaway, Rose. I'll be sure to keep you in mind if I ever have the urge to rob a bank, and want to spend the rest of my life in prison...which actually sounds preferable to my current situation right about now. Because? It. Is. Fucked.

The cool rag-top of Rose’s car feels comforting against my hot, flushed face as I press my forehead into it trying to make it pop open by sheer force of will.

"Bella..."

Oh.

No.

Oh, God! Please let him go away. Please let him take the fucking hint already that I am in no mood to chat…I mean, I high-tailed it away from him just to stand shivering and half naked in a crazy crowded parking lot with my face buried in Rosalie's car roof; figure it out. Please let him go so he won't be witness to my impending meltdown into a puddle of self-pity, and the subsequent oozing out around his feet like a rejected prototype for The Blob.

Pretty please with sugar...or loaves and fishes…or frankincense, or…whatever the fuck it is that the gods are interested in…just PLEASE!

Quivering, I wait for him to disappear via divine intervention, or poke at me, or pull on my arm…or something Edward-like, but he doesn’t. He doesn't make a move, or a sound even as the silence billows around us like the world's heaviest, most stifiling, and uncomfortable blanket EVER. When the realization hits me that he obviously doesn't want to even touch me anymore, I can't stop the shaky breath that leaves my body. I wrap my arms protectively around myself, so the shakiness doesn't think that it has free reign to take over and turn me into a shivering, weepy heap of tulle and polyester, and Rose yells at me for slobbering all over the side of her car.

"Turn around...say something...please..."

"What do you want me to say, Edward?" There is so, so much I could say, but nothing that can be voiced in the minutes that we probably have before Little Ho Peep tracks down her lost little lamb, so I'm staying silent. Well, it beats screaming, which is running a close second.

"Yell at me...tell me what an asshole I am...anything..."

Those are definite possibilities that I hadn't thought of but, before he can stammer anything else, I actually DO turn around, catching him off guard. Surprised, he sharply draws in a breath of air.

There is one thing that I just have to say. It’s the thing that has most knocked me for a loop and left my unwavering belief that I KNOW Edward better than anyone—that I know every last inch of his beautiful heart, and every tiny facet of his shimmering soul—shaken to it's naive, idealistic foundation. It’s more than the fact that he's with her, and even more than the fact that he obviously had a big fucking change of heart somewhere around the time of his phone call, and decided that screwing—or whatever the hell they were doing in the dressing room of a Halloween store of all places—was a fine and fucking dandy idea…

"You lied to me."

"I know."

A devilish smirk lit up his features as he considered testing her... pushing her limits, doing something to see how she might react, knowing that her mood could, and probably would, flip in an instant. Just like it had before...

Maybe I can get her to tackle me again, he thought.

I opened the wine and poured, holding up my hand when Bella reached for her glass.

"It hasn’t had time to breathe yet."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I need something to settle my nerves, Edward. I don’t really care if it’s breathed yet or not." She took a drink, sighed, and put her glass down on the table.

I opened my mouth to explain to her the importance of aeration… and I shut it. I let it go.

I growled at myself in disbelief. Did it matter, really? Did I always have to be in control? Wasn’t it her choice if she drank a glass of fucking wine when she wanted to?

I dropped my bag just inside the door and collapsed to the floor beside it, burying my face in my hands. Now that I was safely ensconced in my home, I allowed the emotions of the day to finally take over. My whole body began to shake and the tears rolled down my cheeks unchecked. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to wallow for as long as I would have liked; a knock on the door immediately jolted me from the abyss of my own self-pity. I frowned in confusion; it was really fucking late. Who the hell would be knocking on my door at eleven-thirty at night?

I was still sitting on the floor, but the knock on the door caused my tears to cease. I wiped my hands across my cheeks as a second knock sounded, more insistent than the first. I turned to look at the door, eyeing it suspiciously. After a moment, I heard a muffled thump, as if something had come to rest against the door. Standing slowly, I looked out the peephole. I took an involuntary step back, my hand coming up to cover my mouth.

It was Edward.

I heard the frustrated irritation in his voice—even through the closed door—when he finally spoke. "I know you’re there, Bella. Open the door."

I stepped back to the door and placed my hand hesitantly on the paneled wood before sliding it down to the handle. My heart was racing within my chest as I unlocked the door and slowly cracked it open. He was leaning one hand against the doorjamb, looking straight at me. I raised my eyes to his, hoping that I had wiped away all evidence of my incriminating tears.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" I asked in resignation.

It was really a rhetorical fucking question. I knew exactly what he was doing here.

"I have given you the greatest gift in the world."

"What? An STD? Because whatever the fuck you gave me burned like nothing I’ve ever had before. Do I have to get tested? You said you were clean!" Holy shit, did she seriously think I had an STD? That would have been fucking insulting if it wasn’t so damn hilarious.

I chuckled, I couldn’t help it. And she huffed in reaction. It was really quite adorable, if I was being honest. She’d keep me on my toes for the next century or so. "Who would call an STD a great gift?"

"Someone psycho who bites people while having sex with them?" Oh, so she remembered that part as well. Good.

I leaned against the wall. "First of all, I bit you after making love to you. What we did wasn’t just sex. It was an emotional connection that I’ve never had with anyone before. And because of that, I decided to keep you."

"Keep me? What the fuck do you mean, keep me? I’m not some stray pet you picked up at the pound, Edward. I’m a person!" She raged around the room, flinging her arms, the t-shirt I’d dressed her in riding dangerously high on her supple white thighs. Venom welled in my mouth at the sight. I had to have her soon.

I ran a hand through my hair, unsure of exactly how to explain to her what had happened. Maybe it was just like a ripping off a band-aid. Do it quick and painlessly. Then again, where was the fun in that? A little pain begets a lot of pleasure, at least in my world.

"Well, you’re not exactly a person anymore."

Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to figure out how to respond to that. How I wished I could read her mind. I bet it was just fascinating, like she was. "What the hell does that mean? Of course I’m a person!" She glanced down and took in her barely covered body, gasping in surprise at her state of undress. She grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her waist.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before."

"Bella! My office, please," Sam barked.

Bella felt a lump in her throat as her mind went through everything she had worked on. Where did I fuck up? What did I forget? He knows. Edward told him. I am going to be fired for sexual harassment. I will have to move home, work at the Thriftway bagging groceries. Maybe it won’t be so bad, I mean, sure paper cuts are bad, but I could move up and become produce manager or something. I like apples.

Sam shut the door to his office as Bella took a seat. "Yes, Sam. Is everything okay?" She chewed on the end of her pen. Shit! Wrong end. Ballpoint isn’t poisonous, is it? Bella press her fingers to her lip and then took them away. They were covered in ink. She tried to nonchalantly rub out the ink around her lip.

I spent the rest of the day waiting on tables and cleaning up after people. Fortunately, the day passed quickly. Things between me and Edward, however, were tense. I tried to stay out of his way all day, and had been super responsive whenever he called out an order or needed something from the back. But it didn’t seem to make a difference, because he never acknowledged me. Man, I must have really hit a nerve. And just like that, I felt like I was back in Phoenix, walking on eggshells. Every day for the last six years had been like this and I started to feel sick. I’ve done it again… I’ve upset him and I know better. I knew that this was a different situation but I didn’t know what to do. I was completely lost in my memories when Edward shouted out my name, clearly annoyed.

"Bella! Are you planning to stand there all day? I just called up an order. Do you think you could come over here and get it?" His face was a mask, but his jaw was tense.

Peter puts down his glass and leans toward me a little bit. "That’s Jared Erickson. He’s captain of the lacrosse team. Want me to introduce you?" I can feel my eyes widen. "He’s headed out East somewhere, too, after tomorrow," he continues. "I think he’s from Philly. Or Pittsburgh, maybe."

"What?" I know I’m gaping at Peter but I can’t think of any other way to react. The times my brother has tried to set me up with anyone are so few and far between as to be basically zero. That he’s offering to do it right now is bizarre and unsettling.

Peter rolls his eyes a little and grins. "How many beers have you had, Bells? It’s a pretty simple concept. You. Jared. Meet?"

He leaned in and whispered, "I’ve always had a thing for Wendy," and winked.

Bella blinked slowly as his sweet breath fogged her mind and didn’t hear the car pulling up to the curb next to them.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I watched Edward get ready for his classes. "So what time d’you think you’ll be home y’think?"

He paused in front of the mirror on our dresser to check his appearance before turning to me, his hands smoothing the collar of his Oxford over the sweater he was wearing over it.

"Three, at the latest," he promised.

"Okay," I nodded, lying back.

"You approve?" he leaned over me, his hands on either side.

Pulling him down to meet me, I kissed his mouth.

He kissed me back and pulled away, brushing his hand over his zipper with a grin. "You’re always makin’ me late, enough of that shite."

I eyed his bulge in the front of his pants with satisfaction. "Okay then, run along. We can do it later…"

"Much later; we’ll be up ‘till all hours with Em and Rose, so we will." He adjusted his jeans, looking around the room. "Where’s my bag?"

"By the door, where ya always bleedin’ leave it," I sighed, hearing my mother in my tone. Instead of curling up beneath the blankets like I wanted to do, I forced myself to get up and follow Edward to the door, where he kissed me goodbye and left.

"Here," I said handing him the beer. "On the phone, it sounded like you could use this."

"Yeah, thanks," he smiled weakly, taking the bottle out of my hand and chugging the cold liquid.

I ran my hand up and down the side of his arm trying to ease his worry. "What is it, Edward? You seem stressed about something."

He wrapped his free arm around my lower back then pressed his lips softly to mine then placed the beer on the counter as we pulled apart.

"So, I did something that I think will make you angry," he mentioned running his left hand through his hair.

My brows furrowed as I looked at him confused and curious.

"I did it with the support of your dad and Sue," he continued.

I nodded my head for him to proceed, staying quiet.

Of course, I was doing as well as could be expected when the anniversary of her death rolled around. The blackest day of them all. The day that I spent, shrouded in a scotch haze in a motel room somewhere. Wherever my car had taken me that day until I’d nearly run out of fuel. I knew if I had stayed home, her ghost would have been everywhere. Or our family would. I couldn’t handle that look in their faces anymore. So I’d left work on the afternoon before and just drove, stopped in at the nearest liquor store, bought her favorite brand of scotch. Her special occasion drink, a sick joke even to myself. I’d locked myself away in a cheap motel room, held her sweater that was infused with patchouli and coffee and her to my nose, and drank until I passed out. Spending the next three days in a stupor of her smell, her taste, and the hole where heart had been torn from my flesh bled all the more.

Then it was, "You should date." I have this cousin. I know this girl. My mother's, Aunt's, son-in-law…. Like after losing the one bright spark in my life would mean I would suddenly want to bat for the other side?

Rose's hand came shooting out from the closet, holding up what I had thought was a pretty decent shirt. Sure it had a few holes and there was this strange grass stain on the back - but it was alright.

"Exhibit A and the prosecution rests."

"Rose." I sighed taking the shirt from her hands and caressing it lovingly. I loved this shirt. This shirt was memories and that's why I'd brought it with me. "This shirt is evidence of a good time, Rose! A few years back Edward and I snuck into Seattle to go to Bumbershoot. Edward was so freaking obsessed with The Shins." I chuckled, remembering his face when I got Lauren to get us the tickets, she was a bitch but she had a brother who attended UW and got us booze, she was only good for her connections.

"We'd lied to our parents about a field trip for Bio that both our years were taking just so we could go. We had thought we were so clever, right up until we missed our bus and Edward had to ring his Dad to come get us." I chuckled, fingering the dark green stain on the otherwise clean light grey surface.

I knew what that green was from. My lady parts tingled with the memory of stolen kisses and a quickie in the grassed area after grinding on each other in the crowd had lead to Edward having a large problem in the pants department. He'd made me come in a matter of minutes. I wasn't sure if it was the thrill of being in public or because it was him. He learnt quickly and committed everything to memory it seemed. Within the short space of time that we'd been dating and more, he'd figured out all the right buttons to push and pull and lick and suck and bring me to orgasm faster than I could myself.

Fuck I missed that.

"This is a drug house. Mostly squatters and drug addicts. Although I can’t be sure yet, I would say the fire probably started from someone smoking a crack pipe. There tends to be lots of paper in places like this that the squatters use to lay on or as blankets. This is also a much older building so be careful of the structure because chances are it was constructed all from wood, with little or no metal structure support."

We all quickly split up into groups. Some of the guys ran to the lift to start seeing if there was anyone on the upper floors. Mike and Eric ran to the hose and started setting that up to get to the flames that were coming out of the first floor window.

"Edward," Emmett called to me, "you come with me. We’ll go in through the front door and see if we can find anyone in the basement."

I nodded my head in his direction and followed him toward the building. As soon as we entered we saw how thick the smoke was already. We both made sure our oxygen masks were on securely as we proceeded into the building to locate the staircase to take us downstairs.

"I found it," I called to Emmett, and he nodded.

We both made our way into the staircase. We could see flames below and we started calling out as we carefully descended the steps to see if there were any people down there.

"You know, we’ve spent your whole break in here…no one’s seen me. They’re still going to think you’ve got an imaginary girlfriend," I joked, hopping off the desk to help him right his clothes.

"It’ll just give me an excuse to ask you for another lunch date," he said, giving me that delicious smirk.

How does he do it? How does he manage to work such voodoo magic on me all the time?

"Although, if introducing you to my coworkers will turn out like your reunion with Brady, I’d rather keep you to myself." His voice was low as he leaned in closer.

"Why do they think you’re making me up?" I asked, wondering why it would be such a surprise for Edward to be seeing someone.

"They think you’re just a smokescreen. Because I don’t want them trying to play matchmaker. I’m sort of ‘a catch,’ you see. A smart girl once told me so," he added in a whisper, his eyes bright with that look that made me so happy it was almost sickening.

At the same time, the girls were busy telling their Dark Passenger to buckle his fucking seatbelt, because they were going hunting for all the single women in the hospital.

"Well, this ‘imaginary girlfriend’ wouldn’t like any other peahens shitting on her lawn." This appeased the girls. Edward, however, was a different story.

"Did you just compare me to your lawn?" he asked, wide-eyed. "Are you still drunk?"

"No!" I laughed. "Well yes – I mean – I’m not drunk, but I did sort of compare you to my lawn."

"I’m going to tell myself to take that as a compliment," he said dryly.

Emmett showed up in our room about ten thirty.

"I didn't pay for a suite, you moochers. This is nicer than mine," he complained.

"Jasper traded sexual favors for an upgrade," I smirked.

Emmett raised his eyebrows.

"Just harmless flirting."

"Well, that's a relief. I just saw two gorgeous girls that would be devastated if they found out their boyfriends were ‘whoring’ for hotel upgrades."

"You saw Bella and Alice?" I asked eagerly.

"Yeah. Damn, Edward. She's grown up since I've saw her last spring - in all the right places. I can see why you're all emo about her."

"Please don't tell me you were checking her out."

"Nah, bro. Just the boobs. Verree nice."

I growled at my brother.

"Dude, Rose told me to. Don't get pissy. And Jasper, that little Alice is a hottie. I guess I don't need to buy you guys some hookers."

We both tackled him at that point. Well, we tried. He was in the NFL, after all.

"I was joking, you pansies. I'd never buy a hooker. You never pay for pussy. Well, unless you're marrying it." Emmett threw both of us aside with a flick of his wrist. "Fuck, you two are weak. We need to hit the gym."

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Thank you to the huge number of authors who participated this week, we ended up with a total of 64 teasers! Remember - we'll continue this as long as you guys keep sending in your teases!

caren & Kassiah

Friday, February 5, 2010

Fictionator Friday - The AU Edition - 2/5/10

Good evening ladies! We hope you're all having a wonderful week. We decided to dedicate this week to AU stories we're in love with. Our wonderful friend, sleepyvalentina joined us this week to recommend some wonderful AU fics for you all!

There are over 131,000 Twilight-inspired stories currently housed on FanFiction.net. Though our reasons for reading and writing Twific differ as vastly as the stories themselves, we all have one thing in common:

We were brought here by sparkly vampires.

Yet, Twific frequently has nothing to do with the undead. I'm not passing judgment; we all know I read (and write) AH. Still, my first fic love was AU vamp. That being said, I jumped on the opportunity to discuss a few of my favorite stories—AUs which may have their basis in books we already know well, but are anything but predictable.

With that being said, here is what we have for you all this week!

Weekly Recommendations for 2/5/10:

Absolución by gkkstitch
Laid Bare by Brits23
Redshift, Blueshift by Lts29
Sensitivity to Initial Conditions by giselle-lx
Stranger Than Fiction by MasenVixen
Ultio by 22blue and mac214

Thank you very much to our guest reviewers this week: Kyrene once Blood Roses, LolaShoes, sleepyvalentina, and stephk0525!

Hey! Did you hear us the first time we mentioned it?
If not, this is what's kicking our asses this week.

caren: I am cheating again and choosing something from our rec list, Redshift, Blueshift by Lts29 has me completely capitivated right now.

Kassiah: I recently found Empire State of Mind, which I find to be highly intriguing. I really can't wait to find out what the Hale is going on there.

Thank you to everyone who nominated us for a Bellie Award for Best Fansite!

We had an overwhelming response to last week's quote! Congrats to our newest Quote Queen: Lata525!

Voting for the Golden Lemon Awards is going on now until February 13th!

It's not too late if you have a blog or twific-related site, Kass needs your info by Tuesday at midnight CST: http://bit.ly/blgrll Seriously, she is doing it this week, so send in your info :)

Don't miss today's Friday Free-for-All, If You Could Read My Mind by Bella C'ella Luna

For the past couple of Thursdays, we've been bringing you a special Gift Exchange Edition of teasers. We hope you're enjoying them!

Our very own Kassiah is now doing a weekly spot over at The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster, make sure you check over there every Friday for the Fandom News!

Thanks to everyone who gives us support, sends in their rec's and just generally makes our lives in the fandom more entertaining. We couldn't do this without all of you.

See you next week!!

caren and Kassiah

Absolución by gkkstitch

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5587296/1/Absolucion
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=9577

Official Description: Edward and Bella realize the consequence of the friend's sacrifice and ask for Carlisle's help to prevent it. Can the family's patron help when he is suffering his own crisis of faith? Soon, the Cullens find themselves embroiled in political intrigue that could unwittingly destroy the carefully concealed world of the vampires. Vampire, Canon, AU, OC

This story is the sequel to Anthesis.

--
LolaShoes says: I'm sure all of us, at one time or another, have wondered what it is about Edward and Bella that suck us so deeply into the Saga. How is it that we are still reading about them long after their Happily Ever After?

For some, it's that we didn't get enough Edward in Breaking Dawn. For others (cough*me*cough) it's that we wanted to see their relationship from a slightly more mature perspective. But for all of us, in one form or another, a large factor in why we keep coming back is that their love feels so fated, so eternal, so necessary.

The concept of eternal, fated love is explored so carefully, so lavishly in gkkstitch's stories Antithesis and its sequel Absolucion that you will probably find yourself surprised with the hidden truths she has pulled from between the lines of canon. These truths, laid bare for us in her writing, include everything that didn't happen to our protagonists, but are the constant soft underbelly of their happily ever after: love/loss, eternal life/death, completeness/splintering. In reality, every instance of happiness is held up and buoyed by the tragedy that never happened.

In the saga, we were given the gift of knowing that Edward and Bella find each other and get their forever. We assume at the end of BD that this forever is open and loving, wild and passionate, deep and constantly growing.

The love in Twilight feels otherworldly and for many of us, that is what drew us in. But the darker side of their story, the one we never had to see, is the one where Edward finds Bella and loses her. gkkstitch takes their devotional love and contrasts it sharply with its flip side: what would happen if you found that love and lost it? How would this affect a newly-changed vampire?

In Antithesis, we meet Rolle (pronouced "raw-lee", not "roll"), a friend of Edward's who was changed when he was in the acute throes of mourning the death of his love, Gillian. This loss has penetrated every corner of his shattered mind and, because of the unchanging nature of the vampire psyche, tortures him relentlessly. His devotion to Gillian and his deep connection to Edward drive much of the motivation of his actions in Antithesis (which I won't spoil for you here), and the consequences of these actions continue into Absolucion, which asks the question: what do you do with a shattered but powerfully dangerous being such as Rolle? And who, in the world of the eternal, is responsible for making these decisions? Tied into these questions are a whirlpool of undercurrents hindering easy resolution: In the middle of all of this, Carlisle is shattered by his own trauma. How does he come back to be the center of the family that they need? How can Edward and Bella, of all people, help Rolle find a way to come to terms with an eternity without Gillian? Toss in some political intrigue between the Romanians and the Volturi, and you have one of the most complex and carefully constructed plot lines that you will find in the fandom.

On several occasions, I've told gkkstitch that I read Absolucion the same way that I eat dark chocolate: in small pieces. I need to let it melt over me so I can process everything. What has taken her months to craft is not something I can read in five minutes and feel I've given adequate attention: it needs to dissolve on my tongue, needs to take hold and root in. Our chat window is open all day every day, and when we talk about Absolucion, we may start with a phrase or a question that she is toying over, but it will spiral into a philosophical discussion about how a person who has the love of her life by her side every minute is the best council for the love-shattered. Or, we will spend an hour discussing how Aro's view of humans has evolved over the centuries in ways different than Carlisle's or Marcus'. Then, I get overwhelmed if I read too much at a time because each word is selected to perfectly capture the scene, the mood, or the expression. Take, for example, this exerpt from Chapter 7:

Edward drank slowly, glancing at Carlisle as he fed. He watched his father and mentor, admiring his precision and care with his prey. Carlisle's approach to the kill was as different from the rest of them as it possibly could be. His humanity prevented him from toying with his prey as Emmett did. Unlike Jasper who leapt onto his prey alive and fed until the animal dropped, Carlisle found no joy in the kill, only the necessity of it. Even the women were more vicious in the manner of their hunts. Carlisle's approach was simple and quick, and because of his skill it was disconcerting, even to another vampire's eyes, how quickly the quarry fell when Carlisle was hunting, as if his presence alone caused the animal's death.

Then later:

As Carlisle looked over the coyote pack, he was struck with the irony that he, a vampire, cared more about human life than the humans gifted with it. His thoughts turned to Edward and how he struggled against taking Bella's life, even though he loved the idea of her life more than his own and couldn't survive without her. Even Rolle, who was never taught different, carried over that respect for life into what he became. The assassin valued life and thought himself damned for his sins in his mortal life. These vampires had more regret about killing than humans did.

That scene hits me so powerfully because one can imagine how Carlisle - a physian, a man of God - struggles to value human life more than they value it themselves. These kinds of 'truths' from canon are slipped in everywhere, rich and florid. Everything is visual, visceral, and deliberate. Every bit of dialogue and exposition is done under the careful gaze of canon. If you love intrigue, if you love the exploration of love and how it is the foundation of everything, and if you love the Cullens, read this story. And trust me, if you even get a glimpse of Rolle in Antithesis, you won't be able to stay away.

Laid Bare by Brits23

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5541886/1/Laid_Bare
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=9218

Official Description: Desperate to taste-unable to deny. A defective vampire-a deceptive human girl. Monster and man discovers primal urges he never knew existed. Can it ever be enough? To drink her is completion, to touch her is salvation.AU, ExB OOC,Canon pairs, very M rated

--
stephk0525 says: Admittedly, I haven’t read a lot of AU in the fanfic world. I discovered the fandom less than a year ago and have pretty much spent my time in the AH realm of things. In fact, what brought me to Laid Bare was my love for the awesomeness of Brits23 and her wonderful stories “Show and Don’t Tell”/”SaDT Uncle EPOV”. She is an incredible storyteller and creates well-rounded characters. She also writes some damn juicy lemons and has a fantastic sense of humor.

One of the most intriguing things Brit does with “Laid Bare” is take some of the canon qualities of the Twilight world and shake ‘em the hell up. The first glimpse of Bella shows us all what we’re used to out of the canon version: dutiful daughter and model student with dinner waiting on the table for Charlie. The scant dinner conversation and Bella heading upstairs on a Friday night to do homework will lull you into a false sense of security, but don’t get too comfortable in what you think you know. Brit drops the anvil on your head with the following right away in Chapter 1:

“I fought back an eye roll and skipped up the stairs.

Once my door was cracked, I smiled as the familiar weekend scents reached me.

I stepped in and closed the door lightly, turning the lock with a soft click. I pulled my long hair out of my bun and ran my fingers through it, letting it fall to my lower back. A devious grin spread across my face as I spun around quickly. I slid off my long skirt and cardigan sweater, leaving me in nothing but my jean mini skirt and a white tank top.

“Alright, you mother fuckers,” I smirked, turning up the radio. “Deal my ass in and give me that fucking bottle.”

That’s right folks, poker night with the Quileute boys complete with booze and wacky tabacky up in her room while Chief Daddy Dearest sits downstairs completely oblivious. What is abundantly clear is that we have a very feisty, very opinionated and very different Bella than what we are used to. Despite her involvement with the Indian boys *coughcoughEmbrycough*, she’s already encountered Edward in class and knows he’s exactly what she wants. Bella hasn’t figured out how to snag him quite yet, but she’s determined Edward belongs with her.

Now, dearies, let’s talk about Edward, shall we? Okay, he’s a vampire. Check. He’s emo and self-loathing. Check. He’s fuckhawt gorgeous and after Biology class, has decided that Bella has reawakened him. Check and check. Again with a masterful twist, in Brit’s version of our favorite vamp, his venom is sterile and he lacks bloodlust. Say what? You heard me; his venom isn’t poisonous and human blood doesn’t do anything for him. Well, until he gets a whiff of Bella, and harkening back to canon Edward, he realizes he can’t stay away from her.

And let me just say that when these two get together, and yes, do they ever get together, I suggest you have a change of drawers, a towel or perhaps a wet/dry vac as these lemons are dripping with juice. *snorts* (I just said dripping…cue Beavis laugh here.) The chemistry between these two crazy kids is as raw and primal as I’ve ever read. Don’t be surprised to find your pulse racing and your breath getting heavier. These are entirely appropriate reactions to the smexin, trust me. Here’s a little taste from Chapter 8:

She smiled sweetly, running her fingers along my jaw. “This is heaven.”

I crashed my lips to hers, entwining our tongues and tasting the girl who knew exactly how I fucking felt. Who proved it to me further and further each day. I was rock hard inside of her once more, starting a steady rhythm as I grabbed her thighs and spread her wide for me. “I want to take you so deep, beloved. I want you to cum so hard,” I murmured against her wet lips. “It’s so difficult to control it, Bella. I want to take my time…fucking savor you like you deserve. But I can’t…stop this primal need to just take you. I’m so fucking sorry…”

She grabbed my face tightly in her hands and stared at me intensely. “Our first time together…you told me you were a man who wanted to worship me and a monster that wanted to spill my blood. I want you, Edward. The monster, the man, I want them both. Fuck, I want all of you,” she cried, crashing her forehead against mine as I deepened my strokes.

She whimpered into my open mouth as I slid my hand between us, pressing against her swollen clit and squeezing it between my fingers. She cried out against me, her nails dragging along my back as she pressed her hips fervently into mine. “I wish you could mark me, Bella. I wish your nails could dig into my back and your teeth could break my skin. I want you to hurt me, too.” My breaths were becoming labored again and I knew she was close, the air leaving her in gasping shudders as her muscles clenched tightly around my cock.

“That’s it, baby. Cum on me. That’s my girl,” I whispered huskily in her ear, my mouth dripping with venom and my fingers working her clit furiously as she exploded around me, squeezing my dick tight enough to send me over the edge with her.

Our bodies clenched together as I pumped her furiously with each spurt I gave her. She was full to the brim with our fluids and my throbbing cock. She was so wet I could barely stay inside of her properly, the sound of us giving and taking prominent in the room.

Feel free to join me in a collective “guh”, you know you want to.

Of course, the vast array of different fics result in the various “insertwhateverisficappropriatehere”-wards. We all know ‘em and love ‘em. But the Edward of “Laid Bare” has been christened with the moniker of “Bitey”, because, quite frankly, Bella is his favorite teething ring. And trust me, Bella has no complaints. In fact, she can’t get enough. Edward’s need to bite and drink from Bella is every bit as strong as her need for him to do so. So, while Bella is not in danger of Edward changing her (which is bound to become an issue later on I suspect), her safety is at risk of him being unable to stop drinking her blood. Yet another delicious twist on canon from Brits23’s brilliant mind.

Like I said, these two together are as explosive and carnal as anything I’ve read. In the reviews I’ve left Brits23, I’ve listed the many places where Bitey pwns me: in a chair, against a tree, against a wall…you get the idea. But truthfully, Bitey just fucking pwns me, hardcore.

So, for the love of all that is oral *snickers* (I just said oral…I’m usually much more mature than this, really) get your incisors and bicuspids over there right now and read this delectable morsel. You’ll be insatiable, always wanting more, the only thing sating your hunger is an update alert in your box. I personally can’t wait to see what other surprises and twists on canon the lovely and uber talented Brits23 has in store for all of us. I’m sure it’ll be positively scrumptious.

Kassiah says: So, I don't know even know what to say. Everyone who knows me knows that I love Brits23's SaDT Uncle E. I love him. He's smart and cute and sexy. This Edward, though, my god. Hot doesn't come close to describing him. Like stephk0525 said, Bitey is fuckhot. And Bella can't get enough. Here's a little snippet:

My trembling hand lifted from my side and covered his hand on my stomach, our fingers interlacing as he groaned softly behind me. “What do you see?” he murmured gently. My fingers tightened around his as I struggled to breathe, struggled to stay upright at the sheer intensity of this moment. Before I could answer, he walked us forward urgently, our joined hands slamming against the mirror as his arm wrapped around my waist. “Tell me,” he pleaded, his lips against my ear as our eyes enveloped each other in the mirror. “Tell me what you see.”

I swallowed thickly as the erratic breaths poured from my lips. The longer I stared at his ravenous expression, the more difficult it was for me to contain myself. I was losing control. “I see fucking everything. I see sex, and blood, and pain and life…I see the fucking meaning. Fuck, Edward, I can’t explain--” I drifted off in the middle of my desperate rambling, unable to describe something that surpassed all words and definition.

He shushed me softly, his chest heaving as his eyes continued to smolder into mine. Slowly his hand began to drift lower as he spoke. “Do you want to know what I see?” he hissed in a haunting tone. I whimpered in response as his hand drifted to the waistband of my underwear, and he continued. “I see a monster who wants to tear your flesh, crossed with a man who wants to worship the ground you walk and the air you breathe.” His cool fingers slid underneath lace and spread my wet pussy, diving in to feel the affect he had on me.

“Please, please, please, please,” I mumbled incoherently, my eyes fluttering closed as I lay my head against his neck. His fingers curled inside of me and I cried out sharply as he continued. “I see the meaning as well, beloved. In those fucking endless brown eyes of yours.” He leaned us closer to the mirror as his tongue dragged along my jaw line.

Yeah, there's more to it than that. More to the scene and way more to the story than just the animalistic way they both need each other. Edward and Bella complete each other in a way that nothing and no one else ever has. Laid Bare is an awesome story--check it out!

Redshift, Blueshift by lts29

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5426169/1/Redshift_Blueshift

Official Description: Bella Cullen, struggling with an immortality she never asked for, meets the newly orphaned Edward Masen in Forks. AU, BxE

--
sleepyvalentina says: Lts29's Redshift, Blueshift is a fascinating AU chronicling the story of vampire Bella who meets a human Edward Masen after moving in with the Cullens and attending high school in Forks. In many ways, this story has the best of all worlds—the vamps we love and a living, breathing, blushing Edward usually found only in AH fic. But we have more than a role reversal. For reasons that are still a mystery, Bella's none too happy with the idea of Edward spending time with the Cullens. The result is a fun read of romantic suspense that, much like human Edward, is endearing in its honesty.

MF'er says: When we asked the wonderful sleepyvalentina to join us this week, I was excited when she mentioned this fic, I've heard about it but I'm slow to start just about everything these days. I spent the entire day reading and I just loved it.

The difference to canon was what hooked me first, from the very first chapter. I wanted to know what was going on, to discover how the roles are reversed—as in, Edward is human and Bella is a vampire, and has been for several years at the time. After being estranged from the Cullens (who, surprisingly, she is not very fond of) for seven years, she's finally returning 'home' to attend high school, because the one Cullen who she is close with (Alice) has asked her to.

On her first day back in Forks? She finds her mate. Any guesses who that might be?

“The name of the book is Wicked. Have you heard of it?” He shook his head. “So, it’s a book based on the world of L. Frank Baum. It’s set in Oz, and it’s main character is the Wicked Witch of the West. You know, the green one?” He nodded. I noted with delight that he looked mildly interested.

“What do you like about it?”

“Well, she’s green, so she’s different from every one else, even in this world where a lot of things are strange. The story is essentially about how she learns to cope with being an outsider in her own world. I can relate, in some ways.”

“Hmm, I think I could get behind a story whose moral is that ‘it ain’t easy bein’ green’.”

For a second, all I could do was stare. And then I just laughed, because that was hilarious. I laughed harder than I had in a long time. Living alone, I never laughed much, especially not out loud.

It's a lovely story when these two start becoming closer, and seriously there were a few chapters in there that were like dry humpin' heaven (what?). ;)

He immediately reached for me, pulling himself to lay on top of me and I felt the evidence of exactly what he’d been dreaming about between my legs.

He kissed me with intense passion, moving his hips over mine in a steady rhythm. Apparently, we were skipping the niceties and getting straight down to business. Not that I was complaining. I moaned loudly, not sure if he was really awake or still dreaming. I decided it didn’t matter and tentatively moved my own hips to match his rhythm. He groaned appreciatively, and moved one hand into my hair while he moved his lips to my neck and he placed the other hand on my hip, clutching and releasing in time with his thrusts.

“Is this…is this okay?” His speech was slightly slurred, and he definitely sounded like he was half-asleep.

I actually laughed a little. “Yes, of course, it’s okay. It’s more than welcome.”

He didn’t respond, and I slid one of my hands down his side, snaking it around to his front. He immediately knew what I wanted and moved his hips to let my hand down his boxers. Vague memories of various sexual escapades from my human life flitted into my mind. I had done this before, but I could hardly remember it. He jumped a little when my hand came in contact with him. I pulled back immediately, frustrated with myself for being so cold and, frankly, so unnatural.

“I’m sorry. My hands are cold. I’m sorry.” I balled my hands into fists, pulling them above my head. I looked away from him, feeling horrible for not even being able to please my mate.

“No, Bella, please. Please, don’t stop.” He put his hand on my face, turning it until our eyes met, before kissing me deeply.

I'm looking forward to the future with these characters, the current chapter leaves us at a point where a big decision needs to be made and I can't wait to see what it is.

So go on, read with me, gush with me, leave her some love and then come and discuss with me on Twitter. ;)

Sensitivity to Initial Conditions by giselle-lx

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5689066/1/Sensitivity_to_Initial_Conditions
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=10180

Official Description: Sensitivity to Initial Conditions--chaos theory : “An arbitrarily small perturbation of the current trajectory may lead to significantly different future behavior.” Pre-Twilight AU. NO canon pairings. One-shot.

--
sleepyvalentina says: Giselle-lx attempts to answer the question about what's left in her oneshot, Sensitivity to Initial Conditions. In eight poignant scenes, she shows us what could have happened if Carlisle's split-second decision to change Edward went the other way, thereby altering the paths of the living, the dead and the undead. The narration is direct and almost cold as it guides us through a true alternate universe, yet the prose itself is laden with emotion:

The groundskeeper turns back to his shears, and allows himself to wonder if after ninety-one years the body of MASEN, EDWARD ANTHONY II has at last turned to earth. Humming a little, he begins to trim the onion grass away from the weathered marble.

By the end of the story, it's difficult not to feel a bit philosophical about the significance of a single action—both in fiction and in life. After all, had Carlisle not changed Edward, there would have been no Twilight series.

And none of us would be here.

Stranger Than Fiction by MasenVixen

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5634545/1/Stranger_Than_Fiction
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=10023

Official Description: Six years ago, Edward left Bella for her own good and entered his own personal hell. Returning to her was never an option, and thinking of her was an indulgence he didn't deserve. Now, with her bestselling novel "Dusk," about a human girl who falls hopelessly in love with a vampire, Bella Swan is a household name. Her story, her image, assaults Edward at every turn, until he can no longer ignore the obsession he has never been able to forget. He searches her out, determined to prove that his love, his lust, his regret, is so powerful that he will never push her away again. Can Edward convince Bella that he deserves a second chance, or will Bella remain tied to the fame, fortune, and men of her new life?

--
sleepyvalentina says: Another fabulous vamp fic is Stranger than Fiction by MasenVixen. I freely admit I resisted this story at first. There are so many New Moon AUs based on the premise that Edward never returned, and though I have a soft spot for them, I had zero interest in beginning another one. Stranger than Fiction is different. Yes, Bella is heart broken and never loves again the way she loved Edward, but she goes on with her life. She attends college, where she writes a novel based on her relationship with Edward and a professor encourages her to submit it to a literary agent. After her novel is published, Edward finds he can no longer stay away from her. The writing is flawless, and the characters superbly crafted. Even Bella's boyfriend is likable, and someone with whom I would want her to find happiness in Edward's absence.

But does happiness exist without Edward? When we remove him from the equation, what are we left with?

Ultio by 22blue and mac214

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5407229/1/Ultio
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5406360/1/Ultio
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=8071

Official Description: When is enough truly enough to avenge the women you love? The beast that is retribution consumes Edward's mind, body, and soul. Everyone will pay - Edward Cullen has no limits. Will Bella? Could she be his salvation, his angel - the one who stops him from spiraling to the darkest depths of hell?

--

Kyrene once Blood Roses says: Oh Ultio, very excited to be writing a review for Ultio. I clicked on this fic on a whim one day when I was on Twilighted. Their signature intrigued me, so I figured, “why not?” While I’m used to disappointment when I act on a whim like that, this story reminded me why that is sometimes a good plan of action.

In my mind, a vampire Edward has a lot of potential to be something dark and borderline evil. We all know the intensity of our Edward, who has killed in the name of justice, would kill himself after the death of his love, and kill other’s of his kind to protect her.

What if she’s killed by something else? By something killable, something weaker than vampire? And what if Bella isn’t the wife? What if Edward had found his mate years before Bella ever existed? And if she dies? Well, take a note from Eclipse: what would Victoria do? And then add the creativity and genius of Edward.

As the summary says, this Edward has no limits to his revenge. The threats he makes are absolutely cringe worthy at moments, and his actions leave you sitting with your mouth wide open. Is this OUR Edward? Written in third person, we see both sides of the story, something Edward is completely incapable of comprehending. Because of this, we see innocence. The characters caught in his web of revenge, begin has nothing but children. We watch as their lives turn from something hopeful to something akin to personal Hell, for accidents, a slip of the tongue, or just guilt by association.

Like a villain from a movie, Edward shuns his family, and lives every day for the pleasure of torturing the “guilty”. Is there an end to this? Well, vampires live forever for a reason. My favorite part of this Edward? There are no red eyes he needs to hide from his family or the people around him. Darkward doesn’t need to feed on human blood to be what he is.

So what part does Bella play in this? Absolutely nothing special it would seem at first. He can read her mind, albeit it’s a little harder than most. Her scent doesn’t seem to have any special hold on him. She’s still the usual self-conscious girl we know, ; in fact, her self-esteem is probably the lowest I’ve ever seen it. What a great time for White Knight Edward to swoop in and raise it for her, right?

No. You want dark? How about straight-up, mentally abusive dark? Bella is a tool for his revenge, and no matter what feelings he may form, Edward is in this for the win. Is there hope? Of course, there’s always hope. But do you really want it? I’ll be frank; this is the first story I’ve ever read where I have to sit in wonder if I even WANT an HEA for Edward.

As you take this journey of revenge with Edward and his unfortunate victims, you watch as he commits unforgiveable acts against two families and, most importantly, Bella. As you read, ask yourself – can you find peace through single-minded, malicious vengeance and corruption?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Teaser Thursday: Gift Exchange Edition - 2/4/10

Welcome to the Teaser Thursday: Gift Exchange Edition!

We are so excited to bring you more from the Twilight Gift Exchange. We'll be posting this Special Edition of Teasers every Thursday for a couple of weeks and hope you'll check out all of the stories. Read the fics and come back before the big reveal to play a "Name that Fic Author Game" for your chance to win a prize!

Here's a note from GinnyW:

The Twilight Gift Exchange has over 70 new and completed stories that range from 1500 word one-shots and up to over 40,000 word novellas will be posting at a rate of 2-3 per day for the next month. Although the gifts will be posting anonymously, authors include: SleepyValentina, Feisty Y. Beden, Ninapolitan, Ciaobella27, Lillybellis, Lolashoes, GinnyW, Hmonster4, Starfish422, Giselle-lx, & Oxymoronic, just to name a few.

The gift exchange can be found: http://community.livejournal.com/twi_exchange/

You don't have a to belong to LiveJournal or be a member of the community to read and review. Just to give you a taste of what to come, below are teasers for stories that will be posting during the first week.

And now without further ado, you ready to get teased?

A Rose in Winter

Rated: T

Summary: A sudden snowstorm. A missing father returned. A bushel of red roses on the doorstep. Bella Swan's holidays brought unexpected events. One year later she begins to learn what it all means.

*~*~*

She scrambled to her feet and went to the window, staring out into the darkness and listening as the wind howled. A peek out the door was met by a flurry of white that swirled around her feet. The storm had set in. She shut the door and returned to the television, a news alert breaking in to show pictures of the reunion of the Boy Scouts and their parents.

Good. Her father should be home soon. She turned up the volume just in time to hear the announcer intone her father's name.

“Chief Charles Swan was separated from the search party as the storm intensified and remains missing.”

She dropped the remote and raced to the kitchen, misdialed the number twice with shaky fingers before she managed to connect.

“Janine? Where's my dad?”

A deeper voice responded. Her dad's senior deputy. “Bella, honey, we don't know, and this storm's way worse than they were calling for, caught us all off guard. It's so heavy, the boys can't get back out there. No visibility up in the Park right now. But we'll be out again as soon as we can come daylight, alright? Don't you worry, your dad's a smart one and he's been roaming those woods for years. He knows how to find cover, keep himself safe until we can get to him. Do you want me to try to get someone over to you?”

She declined and hung up the phone, sliding into a small lump on the floor to wait.

Flutters and Flurries

Rated: K

Summary: A study date and an unexpected snowstorm bring about some new discoveries.

*~*~*

“What the hell was I thinking?” she asked herself softly as her truck rumbled to a stop in front of the massive house. She had to be certifiably insane to agree to this. Bella Swan at the Cullen Mansion? She’d probably end up breaking something. Honestly couldn’t they have done this project someplace safe … like the library?

She shifted the truck into park but left the motor running and cranked the fan a little higher, holding her mitten-clad hands in front of the vent for a moment. The air was frigid, and even the long drive here hadn’t made the temperature in the truck any more comfortable than when she’d started it thirty minutes ago. She looked at the sky and silently cursed the clouds.

Hot Stuff in That Hot Place

Rated: M

Summary: Touring the new hothouse with her crush, Bella may get to learn about more than she thought... : AH

*~*~*

“Bella, stop looking like you want to lick Edward's face,” laughed Alice quietly from behind me. Bitch knew that was exactly what I wanted to do.

“I'm tempted. So tempted,” I muttered, knowing full well he was incredibly close by. “What do you think he tastes like?”

“You are so gross,” she giggled, shrugging. “I bet he tastes sweet. He's a sweet guy, and you're a bitch. Why do you want to corrupt him so bad?”

I slapped her shoulder hard.

“Shut up. It's more than that.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. He's also got a sexy accent.”

In Pieces

Rated: T

Summary: Alice is alone in Biloxi on Christmas Eve, learning about her human past and trying to avoid visions of her family. While absorbed in the photos and her thoughts, she instead finds that "family" might have a slightly different definition. One-shot, canon. Canon pairings.

*~*~*

Today, she was looking for clues to her past. She had been taking pictures for weeks now, determined to spark some memory of her life in Biloxi. There were pictures of the asylum where her family had sent her, the cemetery where her human existence had ended with a date etched into stone, and the property where her family had once lived. The house was gone, as were most of the people. Photographs of various headstones testified to this fact.

It wasn’t as if she needed the pictures to remember what she had seen, really. She took them to have something tangible - something solid - that would prove that she had been human at some point.

Layers

Rated: M

Summary: Bella’s car breaks down during a blizzard and she’s forced to wander the woods on foot, looking for help. Rescued by a stranger, she has to decide whether she can trust the man in whose house she is stranded.

*~*~*

The snow blew bitterly through the trees, slapping my face like tiny pinpoints of ice. I winced and ducked my head further into my scarf, tears burning my eyes from the wind and frustration.

My stupid, worthless car.

It was parked three miles back on the road, completely dead. I had been on my way home from work at the ski resort when my crappy Buick decided to stop trying. Fine time for that decision to be made. My cell was out of service and I was already ten miles from work. Figuring that no one else would be stupid enough to drive on the freeway during a snowstorm, I bundled up with all the extra sweaters from my trunk, grabbed my keys, kicked the car door, and set off through the woods to look for help.

Marlboro Red

Rated: T

Summary: The Christmas after Sam’s imprint, Leah Clearwater is looking for any way out of the life she’s now stuck in. But a part-time job and an unexpected holiday carpool give her new reason to stay.

*~*~*

She thinks Forks looks ridiculous at Christmastime. This town is really just people who are too stodgy to move to Port Angeles, or god forbid Olympia or Seattle, and the holiday retail hubbub seems awkward and misplaced. She likes it better during the year when the shops close early and the only thing that remains open is the greasy-spoon diner that calls itself the Forks Coffee Shop. The coffee shop has been her haunt recently; and most nights Leah rumbles her way down La Push Road in her ’88 Celica to partake of the quiet and a two-dollar cup of coffee. The woman who works there at night is one of those stupid-looking white women, the ones who spend too much time trying to make their straight hair curly and wear lipstick the color of blood even though their skin is too translucent to pull off that color. She gave Leah the evil eye at first, probably because sometimes the residents of Forks mistake the Natives for the Mexican migrant workers who come north to steal good logging jobs, or so the common complaint goes. Or maybe the woman does recognize Leah for Native, and it’s just straight-up racism; Leah doesn’t know. But it’s been months now and the woman has learned to be more tolerant, even though Leah sits there for hours getting her one cup of coffee refilled over and over, staring at the stuffed elk that serves as a room divider, and thinking about nothing at all. So racist or no, Leah is grateful for the woman’s tolerance. She doesn’t have much money—never has—but she always tips more than the cost of the coffee as a thank you.

Snow

Rated: T

Summary: Emmett reflects on the power of a winter snowfall, and its immediate and not-so-immediate impact on the Cullens’ lives.

*~*~*

Snow holds magic. It’s a simple magic, I reckon, but a magic nonetheless. Even after ninety-odd years of snowfalls: from blizzard to dusting, powder to packing, I await the first with bated, albeit superfluous, breath. Snow has always brought us together. It pulled Jasper from his study, and Alice from the future; yanked Edward from his brooding and made Rosie’s eyes shine with childish delight. I felt most at home with my siblings-in-blood after the magic of snow. Snow is home. Although I love my life now, there are times when my body yearns for the frosted tops of blunt mountains and the crush of family wrestling in the snow.

Someone to Watch Over Me

Rated: M

Summary: In 1930, food was scarce for humans, bountiful for vampires. One girl's blood calls to him above all others. He could take her life, or he could protect it.

*~*~*

In the beginning, it was the scent of the blood. Light and floral, it was hard to miss in the overcast December air. It tempted me beyond reason and caused my throat to burn. Though as a vampire I drank human blood to perpetuate my own existence, I limited myself to the lowest forms of life—rapists and murderers, those who deserved to die. One could argue I was doing the world a service. The monster deep within me was sated through the act of draining the life from an equally vile creature. This scent—that of human blood far too appealing to ignore—overpowered me. As I set out to find its source, I could only hope that if it belonged to someone worthy of life I would have the strength to resist it.

I moved through the streets of New York City propelled by instinct, not permitting myself to be distracted by the thoughts of the many individuals around me. They were always the same. As I turned a corner and passed a breadline of broken men looking anywhere but at each other, their thoughts flashed in my mind as they did their own, far more distracting to them than they would ever be to me.

Tammi Tallulah Takes Edward and Bella

Rated: M

Summary: Edward and Bella’s paths will cross when they must get their hands on the hottest doll of the season. Their last chance comes from a contest giving away five dolls around New York City. Can they put the clues together to not only get the doll, but get each other?

*~*~*

It was the hot ticket item of the season. If I didn’t get this, my niece would hold it over my head and she barely comes to my mid thighs.

A small, slightly lispy voice spoke to me from below. “Uncle Eddie, can I have the Tammi Tallulah doll for Christmas?” Shoshanna’s big, brown eyes looked up at me, her tiny fist pulling on my pant leg.

Smiling wide down at her, patting her blonde hair, I promised her, “Of course.” I had no idea what a Tammi Tallulah doll was.

Her mouth stretched into a charming smile, her two front teeth missing. As she ran passed me out of the kitchen, she sing-songed ‘Tammi Tallulah!’ over and over.

“You think you can just walk into a store and buy that doll?” Rosalie practically laughed at me and my naivety about toy buying.

“It’s a doll.” I grabbed a carrot from the vegetables she was chopping. “Toys R Us, Kay Bee Toys, Wal-Mart. They’ll have it.” With finality, I chomped off the pointy end off. It’s a piece of plastic with fake hair and some girly dress on it, what else is there to do but walk into an establishment and purchase the thing?

The Clanking of Crystal

Rated: M

Summary: A New Year’s encounter can bring all kinds of new possibilities….that is if you know their name.

*~*~*

I walked through the doors of the large ballroom, and I did have to admit that it was really beautiful. The entire room had been transformed into a winter wonderland of sorts, and not in the cheesy high school dance kind of way. There were large swaths of fabric hung floor to ceiling in beautiful shades of silver, and small glass prisms hung from the ceiling as well. The tables had large willow branches that were painted white, and shimmered as if they had just been brought in from the snow.

I took a seat at the still empty table and longed to be sitting on my couch watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for the millionth time, rather than the inevitable making of small talk with a bunch of people I didn’t know.

The Women’s Valentine

Rated: T

Summary: How do the women in Twilight spend Valentine’s Day? That’s the story I’m telling in fourteen ficlets set in an undetermined future.

*~*~*

Rosalie

I had ceased to believe in romantic love, at least for me, until I met Emmett. As soon as I saw him battling that bear—and losing—I knew he was the One. You see, Emmett is a simple man. What he thinks is written all over his face, unlike some other scums whose name I will not utter. He has simple desires and expectations and isn’t shy about sharing them with me. Honestly, I was never one for the brooding type.

Except that this year, I’m the one brooding.

Then Came You

Rated: T

Summary: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride ... more like always the "friend," never a girlfriend. The eternally unlucky Bella Swan is an unwitting matchmaker and a magnet for soul mates, and has decided that's all she'll ever be. AH, E/B

*~*~*

Even in the throng of people, Bella Swan had never felt so alone.

The ballroom at the Water’s Edge Hotel was filled to capacity, the pulsing beat of the music all but drowning out the chatter of the crowd. Technically, the event was a fundraiser for Olympic Children’s Hospital, and before the night was through, four hundred of Seattle’s most rich and powerful would fork over more than a million dollars. But before the checks were written, they would ring in the New Year with dinner, dancing, and laughter.

Bella lingered on the periphery, an untouched glass of champagne held in one hand, the other tugging ineffectually at the neckline of her gown. She’d told Alice it was too low, but had she listened? Of course not. It didn’t help that she could never refuse Alice anything. One look was all it took, and Bella would fold. It was a good thing, then, that her friend rarely asked anything of her.

Her new high-heeled shoes, purchased just for this evening, were pinching her toes, and she fidgeted, then sighed. She’d been here less than half an hour, and already her feet hurt and her friends had abandoned her. They were so caught up in each other, they probably hadn’t even noticed she was missing.

“Figures,” she muttered under her breath. A passer-by gave her a strange look, and Bella blushed. Great. Now she was talking to herself and people thought she was insane.

Treetops and Scuffles

Rated: M

Summary: Edward and his nemesis ruthlessly vie for the affections of a “new socialite” (aka Bella) at a Christmas charity ball/fundraiser/auction.

*~*~*

When news spread that Bella Swan was coming to visit her best friend turned socialite Rosalie Hale in Forks, the town began to buzz.

“I heard she had to hire a separate plane to carry her luggage,” Jessica Stanley announced to no one in particular as she walked into the lunch room at Forks High School.

“Well I heard that she’s coming for rehab in Port Angeles. You know- outside of the public eye. Less damaging for her image,” Lauren Mallory whispered conspiratorially.

“Thank you for not being caught up in this madness,” my boyfriend Jasper affirmed as we made our way through the lunch line.

Yuletide Canticle

Rated: M

Summary: Bella's heart is so severely damaged from a lingering childhood illness, she has been told she will die, short of a heart transplant or a miracle. Edward is a vampire who struggles with abstaining from human blood, but encounters in Bella his Yuletide Canticle while Christmas shopping. What happens when hopelessness and hunger collide? How do you give life to the very one whose blood sings to you like no other?

*~*~*

"I'd like to try something," he murmured, as if asking her permission with his golden eyes.

"Okay," she acquiesced.

Once he seemed satisfied that she was willing, he leaned toward her slowly and then halted. "Please, be very still," he coaxed. Bella struggled to stay calm and not make any sudden moves. Her weak heart began racing in her chest. She didn't want to ruin the moment for him, although if he were going to kiss her, did he not want her to respond?

After several excruciating seconds, their lips touched; his were smooth and firm to her soft and pliant ones. Edwards’s lips were sweet, as was his breath. He explored her lips with his before daring to seek any further pleasures, and then his tongue darted out and touched hers briefly, almost hesitantly.

He emitted a low groan and deepened the kiss just a bit. Bella moaned in response as her body began to heat up from the gentle yet erotic way his tongue massaged her own. She leaned in as much as her fastened seatbelt would allow. As she did, she heard a low guttural moan that sounded almost like a growl and he quickly pulled away, breaking the kiss before she could relax into it.

She thought she saw a fleeting look of fear just briefly in his eyes, before he sighed deeply and smiled the little crooked smile that made her already damaged heart skip beats.

"You taste exactly the way I imagined," he said huskily.

"And how is that?" she asked through shallow breaths, trying not to pant.

"Like the epitome of an epicurean delicacy that is only to be tasted… and not consumed," he said cryptically.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Teaser Monday - 2/1/10

Are you ready to get teased, baby?

If you'd like to be included in next week's post, please e-mail your Teaser, Chapter # and Link to teaser@fictionators.com or via our new web form no later than Sunday evening by Midnight... There are no restrictions, if you have something you want to tease, we're happy to share it with our readers (we ask that you keep it under 500 words, though). Teasers will be listed in alphabetical order according to the name of the fic.

There seems to be some confusion on teasers, please remember that if it is already posted, we will not post a teaser. These are for unpublished chapters/one-shots or stories only. If your teaser is missing from the list that's posted, this is the reason.

Just a reminder that if you find something new on Teaser Monday, please review and let the author know where you found their story!

So are you ready? Here they are...

Chapter 21 of 3, 2, 1 by heather dawn
Chapter 15 of A Labor of Love by lizconno
Chapter 27 of A Litany At Dusk by duskwatcher2153
Chapter 3 of A Scattered Menagerie by letmesign
Chapter 8 of Absolucion by gkkstitch
Chapter 14 of Abyss by IWantaWerewolfForMyself
Chapter 3 of Accused by bqotfu
Chapter 5 of Amorous Conundrums for Dichotomous Creatures by rameau
Chapter 12 of Cat O' Nine Tails by booboo.kitty2.0
Chapter 14 of Dark Games & Twisted Minds by katinki
Chapter 5 of Decadence by EscapingGreatly
Chapter 21 of Devil's Angel by ObsessingOverEdward
Chapter 20 of Devil's Pitchfork by 1Blue25
Chapter 16 of Edible Delectables by chrystelle belle
Chapter 67 of Emancipation Proclamation by Kharizzmatik
Chapter 22 of Embodiment by Cullen312
Chapter 11 of Evading Edward by VampiresHaveLaws
Chapter 5 of Friendly Discontentment by Manderbetis
Chapter 4 of Grasping Darkness by KiyaRaven
Chapter 12 of Heart of the Matter by SereneCaffeine
Chapter 20 of I Don't Exist by Rachael1042
Chapter 12 of Inconceivable by AccioBourbon
Chapter 15 of It's Just Lunch by Tampagirl81
Chapter 9 of Lean on Me by marybetherrrrs
Chapter 32 of Library Rendezvous by antiaol
Chapter 10 of Life Is Okay by bnjwl
Chapter 26 of Like Night and Day by EllaB
Chapter 23 of Love on the Seine by wandb
Chapter 10 of Not Just A Girl by emg78
Chapter 8 of Pisces Reverie by venis-envy
Chapter 24 of Reality Minus Expectations by mjinaspen
Chapter 32 of Sacrificial Lamb by Nolebucgrl
Chapter 10 of Satellite Castle by swill122
Chapter 16 of Seeing Their Future by kikikinz
Chapter 10 of Stolen Singer by nerac
Chapter 5 of Take a Little Trip by KristenLynn
Chapter 2 of The Diner by Jessypt
Chapter 11 of The First Breath by LaViePastiche & ElleCC
Chapter 15 of The Long Walk Home by bsmog
Chapter 21 of Tides by lambcullen
Chapter 4 of Tie Me Here in Time by jadedandboring
Chapter 11 of Tilt by lambcullen
Chapter 20 of Time is Running Out by Sophz456
Chapter 13 of Ultio by mac214 & 22blue
Chapter 6 of Unpleasant Acquaintances by juliebutterfly
Chapter 16 of Visitation by radiofreeamy
Chapter 22 of Waiting for Dr. Right by vickitori303
Chapter 7 of Where the Light Is by distant.dream118
Chapter 5 of Yes, Mr President by CourtRose
Chapter 2 of Youth without Age and Life without Death by goldenmeadow

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Chapter 21 of 3, 2, 1 by heather dawn

When I asked her to marry me just a couple of months ago, I had known it would change my life forever, but she'd already done that. I quickly ran our bags up to my room and was standing in the doorway when she came up behind me.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked as she wrapped her arm around my waist and leaned into my side. I wrapped my arm around her before answering.

"Thinking."

"About?"

"Our first weekend here. At the time, I thought that was the best weekend of my life. I didn't realize that I'd have so many of them, but this one...will probably top them all for a long time."

"I know," she sighed. "I get to marry you," she beamed at me.

I listened to the sucking sounds she made as her mouth wrapped around another piece of fruit. All I could think about was thrusting my dick into that mouth of hers and letting her tongue run along the shaft. Again? I needed to get control of this situation, but I didn’t know how to…other than throwing her down on the bed and having my way with her.

Get a hold of yourself, Cullen! Without any other choice, I tossed onto my stomach to conceal my cock.

"I told you I was in crime prevention." He looked at me and I nodded with recognition. "Those men that attacked you? Remember that I told you that you didn’t have to worry about them again?"

I remembered something like that. My mind worked on that for a moment. I didn’t need to worry about them because… Oh, Sweet Jesus. I knew it. I knew it back then, but I had shut my eyes because I hadn’t wanted to know. "You killed them," I whispered looking down at my feet. I could feel the blood leave my face.

"Yes." His voice seemed to come from a long tunnel.

My eyes seemed glued to my feet. I couldn’t look at him. "You drank their blood."

"Yes." He said this even softer.

My stomach lurched−once, then again. I grabbed the dashboard with one hand. "Pull the car over," I said through clenched teeth, willing myself not to puke on his leather upholstery.

"Bella, I−"

"Do it," I gasped, my hand on the door handle.

Quickly, he pulled the car over to the road’s shoulder, and I had the door open before it had come to a complete stop. I jumped out of the car and took a few steps towards the tree line, then bent over with my hands on my knees and my head down.

I was better outside the confines of the car. I concentrated on breathing slowly and deeply through my nose. I heard the door on his side of the car open and shut and soon saw his boots come into my line of sight as I stayed bent over.

"So you’re not a ‘vegetarian’ like them?" I asked, not raising my head, nearly panting.

"There’s been times in the past when I was, and I want to be like that again," he said.

I took a few more slow breaths and stood up. I looked him in the eyes. "What’s stopping you??"

"It’s not that easy," he said, frowning.

"Your family does it." It came out accusingly, but that's not how I meant it. He couldn't read my mind, though.

I wasn’t prepared for his reaction. Instantly, he was in front of me, his hands on my shoulders, and the scowl on his face as threatening as a thundercloud. "Do you think I choose to live this way?" he hissed. "That I like it?"

"So, this is how it's going to be, then?" Agent 20 asked. In my peripheral vision, I saw him pull out his phone and play with it like a bored teenager.

I didn't answer him, opting to turn on the stereo instead. It was the first time I'd ever had music on in my car. Music reminded me too much of my old life. Fortunately, the shitty sounds coming from whatever station I'd landed on couldn't be construed as melodic.

"Got a thing for death metal?"

My lips pursed, a shiver of anger biting along my spine. I didn't want to talk to him. Pompous idiot probably didn't even want me on this mission with him any more than I wanted to have him with me. Besides, it'd been years since I had made small talk.

"You okay to drive?" he asked, and it was the last straw.

Without looking away from the road, I reached over and backhanded him across the face. He didn't even flinch, but I felt better anyway. He snatched my wrist out of the air in a lightning-quick move, flipping my hand over to look at it more closely. My entire body tensed when he ran his fingertips lightly over the scars that ran along my wrist and forearm; I couldn't remember the last time someone had touched me without intending to hurt me. Even with the angry voices screaming through the speakers, the car was eerily silent.

Finally, his blue eyes raised to mine. I blinked and looked back out the windshield. "How many times did you try to kill yourself?" he asked.

I bit my tongue to hold in a quick retort, then flashed my gaze back to his. "Seven."

"What is it?" Vladimir asked quietly.

Stefan set the phone down slowly staring at it, his brow drawing down with concern. He did not look at his brother.

"What has happened?" Vladimir asked.

Stefan raised his eyes slowly: blood-hungry dark red stared into blood-full red. He answered with a single word that held a thousand words and worries. "Eleazar."

"Eleazar?" Vladimir repeated. "He's had news of the boy?"

Stefan nodded slowly. "He's been with Carlisle this past month."

Stefan reached out and put his hand on Vladimir's arm. "He attacked him. Marcus was present during the attack. We were right. It was Marcus who turned the boy. The Cullens turned Rolle over to him at his betrayal." Stefan looked meaningfully into the face of his companion. "Marcus took the boy back to Italy with him."

Vladimir staggered back a step and fell heavily into a thick wooden chair. "We are lost," he whispered. "Call Eleazar," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Ask him to make the arrangements for our introduction. We must speak to Carlisle ourselves. We must discover the circumstances of this attack." Vladimir strode urgently to the desk in the other room. "I'll make arrangements for our flight. We leave immediately."

"What if we were wrong about Carlisle? What if he refuses to see us?" Stefan asked.

Vladimir's tone was sharp and intractable. "We're going anyway."

The tires were sunk into the knee-high mud. The car was stuck. It didn't move forth, nor back, and we were stranded in the middle of nowhere, and it was slowly getting dark. I shivered from anxiety.

We should have known better than to drive a dirt track with an Italian sports car.

"I'll try to push the car out of the mud," suggested Alice after a moment. I took her place on the driver's seat and watched how she stomped through the mud, her face pulled into a grimace. Her beautiful high-heels and the expensive designer jeans were covered in mud and probably ruined. She moved behind the car and started to push while I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal. The car lurched forward into the next – even deeper - mud hole. I heard Alice's frustrated shriek a moment before she appeared at my side, completely covered in mud. "My hands have left dents!" she exclaimed desperately. I gave her a reassuring smile, though I was fighting a losing battle with laughter.

"I guess we need to walk the rest of the way," I said eventually.

Alice nodded with a resigned sigh and grabbed the bag from behind the driver's seat. We walked on the dirt track while darkness was slowly descending on us.

I kept throwing nervous glances at the impenetrable forest surrounding us.

I couldn't shake off the feel that we were being watched, but Alice didn't seem bothered at all. I'd almost convinced myself that I was imagining it, when something startled Alice. She tensed and looked around. I couldn't make out much, since it was too dark for my eyes, but as a vampire, Alice's sight was much better.

"Someone is following us," she whispered after a moment.

I drew in a shaky breath, taking a step closer to her. "What if the Volturi have found us?" My voice shook from fear.

Alice gave me a wide-eyed look. "I will try to protect you, but I don't have any combat experience."

I shook my head. Enough people had lost their lives because of me. I wouldn't let Alice risk her life for me. Before I could voice my thoughts, a rustling to our right startled us. I pressed myself even closer to Alice and she grabbed my hand when a tall vampire stepped out of the bushes, the moonlight reflecting on his pale face.

"I swear to you, I'm going to find a way to get him out," he mumbled, furiously blinking back tears.

She couldn't speak and just nodded against him.

Carlisle and Esme's presence had not been noticed by their two children. They watched as Emmett held Alice, his body hunched and attempting to shield her from reality. New waves of emotions passed through the man and woman who had considerably aged in a short about of time. The pits of their stomach's knotted and before the agonizing and excruating torment could go any further the baby cried out, starling Esme and bringing her from her thoughts. Taking his wife's hand into his own, he squeezed it gently, reassuring her that he would attend to the baby. Esme turned and sprinted into the kitchen, not wanting to weep openly.

Alice and Emmett broke apart and with the backs of her hands, wiped away the tears.

"I'll get her," Carlisle said, coming over to his daughter and hugging her. Alice hugged him fiercely and whispering that she loved him.

Elizabeth yawned and stretched her tiny limbs. Carlisle picked up the baby and bounced her up and down, "Who is grandpa's favorite baby girl?" he said making funny faces. Carlisle entertained her until Esme came from the kitchen with a warm bottle in her hand and handed it to Carlisle.

Walking with the baby in one arm and the bottle in his hand, he stepped into his office. Sitting down in front of his computer, he opened a picture folder, and placed the Elizabeth on his lap. With one hand he held the bottle for her with the other he clicked play.

"Let's look at pictures of your daddy," Carlisle whispered sadly.

The slide-show began, and Elizabeth sat back, drinking her bottle and viewing the screen.

The first picture was dark, almost black, with fuzzy lines, it was Esme's first sonogram of Edward.

"That's your daddy's first picture."

Carlisle took a deep breath, there were hundreds of pictures in this album and he hoped he would be able to get through it without breaking down.

The next few pictures were of Edward's birth, then a picture of he and Esme's in scrubs with a baby in their hands, a chubby Emmett holding his brother on the sofa and so on. The pictures changed every eight seconds, and each picture was another stab in Carlisle heart. Every eight seconds, he would have to swallow down the knot in his throat. Then came Edward's second grade picture, and his father had to smile. Edward had lost four front teeth. The photographs continued. His sixth grade picture, middle school, moving to high-school homecoming dances and eventually prom. His high-school graduation.

Elizabeth stirred on his lap and she was done with her bottle. He placed it on the corner of his desk and she sat with her grandfather looking at the pretty images.

Coming upon more recent pictures.

"Da-da!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, that's your father," he swallowed loudly, knowing that Edward had yet to hear these words himself. He was thankful that she recognized him.

"Maybe you should sit down while you can. It'll be another half an hour before the lesson is over." Emmett gestured towards the uncomfortable looking chairs and Rose wasn't in any position to argue as he dragged her to the seats. Normally that wouldn't have stopped her, but this was turning out to be an abnormal week for her. She didn't even protest when he grabbed her feet and started skilfully rubbing them. Bella had trained him well.

"That feels like heaven."

"How is life in the new house?" She heard him choose a safe subject for conversation before the dam broke and tears fell from her eyes.

Bella watched Edward skulk around all day. He refused to outwardly look in her direction, or acknowledge her in anyway. But she did catch him looking when he thought no one was paying attention.

At first this infantile behavior of his was amusing, but it had gone on all day and Bella had had about enough of it. As they puttered around her cabin, she sat on the bed and quietly removed her boot. She threw it against the wall next to him, trying to gain his attention. While the noise made him jump, he refused to turn around.

Bella narrowed her eyes as she pulled off the second boot and lobbed it straight at his head.

Unfortunately for her, he was quick to know what his hot tempered wife would do next and ducked out of the way when he heard the heavy footwear leave her hand, which only served to irritate her farther.

Convinced she knew just what would garner his attention, Bella yanked her shirt over her head, balled it up and threw with all her might. It landed with a soft thud against the cabin wall, but Edward remained where he was across the room, tinkering with God-knows-what.

He cast his eyes to the discarded garment and grinned silently to himself. He carefully and innocently moved two steps to the left. He heard the rustling of fabric and had to stifle a laugh as her pants went sailing through the open porthole window.

"Are you quite finished throwing things at my head?" Edward asked without turning around.

"Yes," Bella answered. "Are you quite finished acting like a stubborn, selfish, spoiled rotten child?"

Edward spun around on his heel and stared at Bella, naked as the day she was born.

"Stubborn I’ll admit to, for I am about as stubborn as they come," Edward said as he started walking slowly for the bed.

"Indeed," Bella nodded.

"And spoiled rotten, that is but a matter of opinion, isn’t it?" he asked with a delicious smirk.

"Possibly," she responded as she deftly crossed and uncrossed her legs.

He gripped the end of his belt and pulled the buckle open with one, good, hearty tug. His sword fell to the floor with a clang as he continued toward the bed, stripping off his shirt and tossing it over his shoulder. He sat on the foot of the bed, between her feet. Reaching up, he gripped her just past her knees and dragged her body closer. Edward looked deeply into her eyes as he lowered his head and placed an open-mouthed kiss to the inside of her thigh.

"Selfish," he murmured, his hands sliding up around her hips, his thumbs skimming over the bone. "I take offense to that," he said before he put his lips to her heated flesh.

"Do you now?" Bella breathed as his mouth worked its way across her body. "We should do something about that."

It took all of Edward’s control to not turn and gawk at his question. He had had no warning from Carlisle’s previous thoughts, and he wasn’t prepared.

Edward sucked in a ragged breath and resolved to answer truthfully. Glancing nonchalantly down the hall, he tipped his chin down, as he always did for an affirmative answer. To any onlooker, there were no signs of communication; they were simply father and son, standing silently outside a patient’s room.

Carlisle’s eyes widened imperceptibly as he recognized Edward’s response.

Very well. Do you know why the boy was attacked?

"Shit." Edward cursed, "What the hell are we gonna do?" Emmett just frowned, glaring at the ground.

"We can’t just up and leave now, they’ll notice us. We’ll have to fucking stay."

I scooted closer to Edward, as the four of us watched what was happening. We were too far away to hear the words that were being said, but we could hear the shouts and noises. All of a sudden, I saw one of James’ men take a swing at one of the boys, despite the fact he was shorter and soon a fight had broken out.

"We should leave. They won’t notice." Edward spoke, his voice urgent. "Start packing. Quick." Edward and I started shoving the remains of the food into the plastic, carrier bags we’d brought with us, Rosalie folded the blankets we were sitting on, whilst Emmett packed away the paper plates and cups. I picked up the container of grapes we’d brought, searching for the lid, when I glanced over at the fight.

Shit

The container fell out of my hands, the grapes tumbling onto the grass, as I stared at the boy amongst the group. I noticed his hair, his beautiful black hair, was cut short, no longer tied up in its ponytail that I had loved so much.

Shit

Somehow, more of James’ men had appeared from god only knows where and two men were laying into the boy - man. My boy. My man. I gasped as I saw their fists fly into his face, their kicks aimed perfectly at his body. His head turned to the side in an effort to protect his face and I knew then that he had seen me. The shock showed clearly on his face, overruling the face twisted in pain for short moment. A hand grabbed at me and I turned to see Edward staring at me.

"Come on, Bella. What are you doing?"

She disappeared into the office and I sighed. I wanted to feel my hands on her, and if I was being honest, show Jake that she was mine. I sat at the bar while Jake filled orders at the other end, completely ignoring me. Contemplating flagging him over to get me a drink, I thought better of it and got up from my stool. I walked around the bar and grabbed a glass, filling it up with Fuller’s. When the glass was about halfway full, I felt Jake’s menacing presence behind me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jake growled.

"Getting a beer. What’s it look like, Asshole?"

"You can’t just come back here and help yourself."

"Who’s going to stop me?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder. Jake’s eyes were filled with rage, but I didn’t really care. This fucker had his paws on my Beauty and that shit didn’t fly with me. I was itching for a fight, but there was no way I was going to land the first strike and piss Bella off.

She was trying to be quiet for Edward’s sake. They’d both had an extremely emotional day and he needed as much sleep as he could get. Especially with double guard duty shifts looming ahead.

This was why as she grasped the handle of the refrigerator and saw movement to her left that she felt bad about screaming her head off. Any other time, she wouldn’t have thought twice about vocally protesting a stranger in her home, but she was trying to be as considerate of Edward’s needs as possible. Within reason, of course. However, the scream never made it past her lips. The sound was muffled by a large, male hand that was placed quickly across her mouth.

"I’d like to keep in touch." He couldn’t look her in the eyes. Bella was thankful for this, as he had essentially given her the ‘let’s be friends’ spiel. She closed her eyes and simply nodded her head.

Acquiescing, she finally looked at him, "You know where to find me." It was all she could take. Bella launched herself up from the couch and headed for the front door.

"Bella, wait," Edward called after her, but she was determined to leave before she groveled at his feet and begged him not to leave her, to give them a chance.

As she grabbed for the door handle Edward came up behind her, planting his palm firmly against the door, keeping it closed.

"Please don’t go," he begged. Bella continued to hold onto the door knob, not looking back at him.

"I think that’s my line," she whispered, leaning her head onto the door, feeling the fight drain from her body.

She shut the car door and started toward the house, anxiety creeping up inside of me. I stood there for a moment before I started for the foyer, the sound of the doorbell ringing out loudly stopping me dead in my tracks. Something about the sound of it sent a chill of fright down my spine, that feeling of dread I'd felt earlier returning with so much force I thought I was going to be sick. I grabbed a hold of the piano to stabilize myself, caught off guard by my intense reaction. I stood there and tried to get control of myself, the sound of the doorbell ringing again causing my hands to shake. Something was definitely off.

I left Alice standing with a rather shocked look on her face and ran to catch up to Rosalie as she left the boat. I should have felt bad for what I had just said to Alice, but I didn’t. I felt nothing right now, and I was beginning to realize it was for the best.

Okay, I take that back, I felt angry and hurt and a million other emotions that I couldn’t even comprehend, but the most prominent of all of them was lost.

I was lost without her. I understood now why she had done what she did, but I still didn’t agree with it. I still didn’t believe that there was no way for me to save her, to protect her. Because if there wasn’t, there was no reason for me to exist.

I pushed my face into the warmth, rubbing my nose delicately against the soft fabric of my pillow. Except this was too solid to be a pillow. Was I sleeping on a rock? Had I gone sleep-walking and ended up now living with mountain folk? Or perhaps those creepy ass birds in all the Disney movies – you know the ones that can understand you, and dress you, and wash dishes and shit – had kidnapped me and now I was living with seven dwarfs. I really shouldn't eat sugary foods before bed. Did I even eat anything sugary before bed last night? Oh my god I need to shut up. I hesitantly cracked an eye open and was met with blinding white. Gah, what the heck? Ugh, painful head is not good. I lazily pulled my head back with one eye still half open and noted that it was indeed not a pillow, but in fact a human chest. So... no dwarfs here then. My body finally froze after understanding dawned on me. Oh crap. The body next to me started moving again, and I had a pretty good idea at who it was, but really... really didn't want to believe it.

"Are my boys ready for breakfast?" My stomach flip flopped again. I loved that she put me and Charlie in the same group: hers. We both nodded and followed behind her, walking out to Charlie’s cruiser. I knew we would take it, but my car was less than ten feet away and I didn’t want to be seen in the cop car. Charlie could see me thinking about taking my own car and wasn’t having that.

"Cullen, you can take the backseat; not like you haven’t been there before." Both he and Bella laughed; he was still in this unheard of happy mood.

"One time Chief, one time." I was shaking my head in fake embarrassment.

"Edward you’re lucky I still let you hang around my daughter after that stunt." He was just messing around with me but I knew Bella would want this little chat over with asap.

"OK, let’s go" Bella said quickly.

"No, no Bells." I used Charlie’s nickname for her and she hated it, but when in Rome... "If I recall this memory correctly, I got arrested for destruction of property. Right, Chief?" I looked over to Charlie for confirmed, and he nodded. I turned my head back to Bella’s face which had Shut The Fuck Up now written all over it.

"Right, so Chief I didn’t toilet paper old Lady Ross’s house. Crazy right?"

"If you didn’t than who did?" Charlie was looking over the top of the cruiser at me. Bella was to the my right and she was not happy.

"Bella." I said with a huge grin across my face.

"Tell me you want me, Isabella."

I reached out and grazed my fingertips down her thigh, swallowing a mouthful of venom as her legs parted for me. Willingly. Wantonly.

"Hmmm...yes...I want you..."

I walked to the foot of the bed, trailing my fingers down to her ankle, touching her as if she were delicate tissue paper, restraining my strength to caress her with the gentlest of touches.

"Tell me that I'm the only one who can make you feel this way," I said softly, licking my lips as I looked down on her lithe form.

Just me, Isabella, not Jacob. Not anyone else. Only me.

"Only you...please...touch me..."

That's why I'm here.

I reached down and hooked my hands beneath her knees, dragging her down to the end of the bed, her bottom resting on the edge and her feet on the floor. I moved quickly, even for me, ridding her of her pajamas efficiently before kneeling between her open legs, looking down on her nakedness with glory and wonder.

Her breathing became shallow and fast, and I knew what she wanted. What we both wanted.

I put my hands on her, pausing briefly as I closed my eyes against the fresh onslaught of fire in my throat and venom in my mouth.

Her skin was like paradise to me. Painful, torturous paradise where horror images of ripping skin and sparkling blood coalesced with images of pulsing, desperate pleasure.

Her muscles trembled and twitched under my touch, and when the blood-lust had waned, I opened my eyes so I could witness what my touch did to her, so I could behold her magnificent unraveling.

On the way home I thought about how I didn’t get the answers I needed, but that everything felt different now.

The butterflies began to flutter together.

****

Just like every other time I’d ridden in the car with him, he rounded to my side, opened the door and helped me out. And just like times before, he walked me to my apartment. But one big startling difference occurred; on the walk to my door, he held my hand… and I held his.

The butterflies were rattling their cage.

Together we stopped at my door, and I let go of his hand to unlock it. I didn’t open the door, but turned to him to thank him. "Thank you for agreeing to dinner."

"You act as if having dinner with you was some form of torture. It was the complete and total opposite. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times; I enjoy spending time with you, Bella. I enjoy being with you."

Under the somewhat dim light over my front door, I saw something different his eyes. When he stared down into my eyes, I felt everything shift; like it all clicked into place. Well, I guess there’s no denying it any longer. "Edward?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

His bright green eyes never left mine, "Yes, Bella?"

"Will you please kiss me now?"

The butterflies were free.

The next morning I woke up late. Again. I had gone to bed soon after Renesmee and despite that I was still exhausted. Reaching a sluggish hand to the night stand, I retrieved my cell phone and tapped Mike a quick text. I hadn’t even heard him leave that morning.

I’m awake. Where’s Renesmee?

A few seconds later, he responded. Morning, wifey. Angela picked her up, she’ll drop her back off in the afternoon. I made you eggs and toast. They’re in the microwave.

I couldn’t even think about food without feeling nauseous. I was also a little irritated that I wouldn’t be able to spend Sunday with my daughter. He hadn’t even asked.

As I stared at the reply, I remembered something that Edward had told me the previous day. I scrolled through the messages, down, down, down, and there it was, sent text: I miss you. So, I had sent him a message. My face went flush and I rolled out of bed, wondering how it might have happened. I was certain that I hadn’t done it and the only two people who had access to my phone were Renesmee and Mike. If Renesmee had been fiddling with my cell, well then it couldn’t be blamed, but if it wasn’t her…. I shuddered to think.

"Mr. McCarty?" Our cycle coordinator and nurse, Colleen, poked her head through the door of the waiting room and looked around, rather like a little prairie dog. She sighted Emmett and smiled, then opened the door wide

I wondered if her smile was of the "it’s nice to see you" variety, or if it actually translated to "ready to spank the monkey?"

My husband, absorbed in a game on his phone, startled and was immediately tense, as if he remembered why he was here in the first place.

I slugged him on his shoulder. "Good luck, soldier. Hope everything comes -- uhh, never mind." I bit down on my lower lip. "Bad choice of words, I guess."

I knew that one of three things would happen with Bella. The first would be that he would realize what an amazing woman she was (if he hadn’t already) and hang on to her. The second thing that could happen would be that despite his obvious feelings for Bella, he would go back to LA and slip into his old habits and try to bring her along for the ride.

The third would be he would realize how much Bella cared for him in return and would turn tail and run. At the age of 27, the man had yet to allow himself to connect with anyone that could turn into a real future. My fear was that he would miss the lifestyle he had first become accustomed to and revert to his asshole tendencies; leaving an already emotionally scared Bella in his wake of selfishness. Despite the fact that I was his best friend and I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt, the third scenario seemed to be the most likely.

Edward Masen

I wasn’t offended in the slightest when Bella told me that she didn’t want me to go with her. If anything, it was for slightly selfish reasons. I really didn’t feel like dealing with her egg donor of a mother and I wasn’t too sure how much more crying I could take. I had no problem being there for her. I liked being her shoulder to cry on but it was starting weigh on me. I wanted to do something nice for the girls and Jasper agreed but I didn’t have the balls to admit that my motives were somewhat selfish.

The only thing that coherently made its way from my mouth was a quiet "Hi," before I dropped my gaze to the floor, fidgeted my hands and finally attempted to look into his eyes.

He stood shyly at the door, almost as if he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to let me in. He stared at me silently for a long time before he replied.

"Hi," he whispered. He did a quick once-over of my outfit before he realized that I was in his clothes. A look of surprise crossed his face and he cleared his throat loudly.

"I’m sorry. And not just for waking you," I quickly slurred out. "I’m sorry I ran away last night. I’m sorry for not giving you what you need, and hiding from you. I’m sorry for not noticing how much I need you, and want you."

I looked at the ground again, and slowly lifted my eyes back to his. His eyes were starting to darken, and as I opened my mouth to speak again, he stopped the words from coming out by putting his lips on mine.

He bent his knees, which made him more level with my height, and also deepened the kiss. As quickly as he placed the kiss, though, he stopped it even quicker.

"Are you planning on staying with your heart, or are you going to dash off again, Elliot?" he asked with conviction. His eyes searched mine for the answers he was looking for.

I made my way into the bedroom and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until I was sitting against it with my legs tucked up to my chest. Wrapping my arms around them, I rested my chin on my knees as I took in all that surrounded me.

"Baby?" Edward called as he came in from the front door.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," I said. My voice was tight as I called out to him; I wasn't crying, but my emotions were clearly on edge.

Edward poked his head in the room while bracing his hands against the door frame and glanced down at me. "Hey," he said softly as he walked in and dropped down to sit next to me. He slid his arm around my back and I curled into his side, allowing my head to rest against his shoulder as he rubbed my arm up and down.

"You okay?" he asked after a couple of minutes.

I nodded and breathed deeply as I snuggled closer to him. "I'm going to miss it."

I left Bella standing by the swing. I needed to leave before I told her that I loved her. I wouldn’t be able to leave her if I looked into her eyes as I said the words that I hoped she wanted to hear from me. I pulled her close and kissed her, a kiss to remind myself why I was leaving, and a promise to come back better. Bella returned the emotion in the kiss and my heart swelled. Maybe she felt the same for me. I prayed that she did. I knew she was intimate with me in her bed, and she returned my kisses and touches, but that didn’t mean she loved me. It meant she likes my body, so I couldn’t assume anything. I needed to know how she felt, and to tell her how I felt. If I could be sure that she knew how much I cared for her, it would spur me on to do what I had to do, to get back here as soon as I could. I ran up the back steps and into the house. I went straight to my room and grabbed a piece of paper from my desk. I wanted to leave her a note to tell her what I feel and how sorry I am for not telling her face to face. I poured my heart into her note and wrote out the words to one of my favorite songs, Wherever You Will Go. The song best conveyed my feelings to her.

I‘ve never meant any of those words more than I did then. I wanted a better life with Bella. I knew the verse from the bible that proclaims ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.’ And I didn’t know anyone that embodied that more than Bella, not once while I was telling her the whole story did I see her flinch or run away. She had always been a loyal friend to me, and I had only repaid her by pulling her into this. Well, I’ll fix this and be a better man for her. I was suddenly joyous, and I wanted to start this process and return to my life.

I ran in and laid the note on Bella’s night table and ran back to my room. I grabbed some clothes out of my dresser and a few things from the bathroom. I shoved it all into a bag and ran back down the stairs.

We settled into our regular position — on our sides, facing one another, my hands threaded in his shaggy hair and his hands burning trails on the skin of my hips and waist. I could feel the warmth radiating from his bare chest. He regarded me with a more careful expression than on other nights.

"Your eyes are sad," he observed.

"I’m fine," I said, running a finger across his soft lips and avoiding direct eye contact.

"Bella," he said gently, "You think that after memorizing your face every night for hours on end, that I wouldn’t notice something so obvious?" I tried to look away for a moment, but he captured my face between his hands. "None of that," he said softly. "Now, tell me what’s wrong."

I couldn’t stop the immediate flow of tears to my eyes. "Alice and I had a fight," I muttered, fighting the sobs that wanted to wrack my chest. "She wants me to go out with her and a few of the girls from school. Prom dress shopping," I added. "I couldn’t get out of it, so I have to go this Friday night."

Jacob showed no sign of distress at my revelation.

"Did you hear me, Jake?" I asked, a note of irritation creeping into my voice. "They’re taking me to Port Angeles for hours on Friday night. I…won’t see you for hours."

He was silent for a long time.

"Damn it, Jacob…say something."

"I think it’s a good idea," his voice was so quiet, I had to strain to hear it.

We cleaned up and got dressed again, leaving her studio silently, hand in hand. Things felt different between us than when we came in. We were closer, more in tune with each other. It felt right.

We climbed into my car and Bella gave my hand a squeeze.

"So, I guess you liked the painting, huh?" she said, as she chuckled lightly.

"You could say that."

We’re interrupted by the front door flying open. Alice smiles a huge grin and jumps up running from the kitchen. I stand slower and move to put our mugs in the sink. Then I grab the plate of cookies to put away.

As I move across the kitchen a long arm reaches around me grabbing a cookie as the smell of Edward’s aftershave hits me. I feel a light kiss on my cheek and a hand on my waist. My whole body tingles with the closeness of the boy behind me. A warm feeling floods my cheeks as my breath catches in my throat.

"Hi, Bella." His smooth voice is right against my ear. I almost melt into the floor.

His confession surprised me. It was rare for a vampire to be involved with any type charitable organizations. They had no reason to get involved with human problems like poverty or cancer. It was kind and selfless of him, and he certainly gained a great level of respect from me for it.

"Wow. What sort of charities?" I asked.

He laughed. "You really want to know?"

"Absolutely. Give it to me," I said.

He shook his head, smiling. "Children's organizations, and... homeless pets," he admitted finally, suppressing a laugh.

I thought it was such a sweet cause for him to be involved with, until it hit me; Edward's diet wasn't exactly animal-friendly.

My eyes grew wide and I clasped a hand over my mouth to hold back my laughter.

Not trusting myself enough to remove my hand, I asked in a muffled voice, "seriously?"

I didn't want to make him feel bad about telling me that, but I couldn't help it. I snorted with laughter as I visualized a group of activists picketing on a street corner with signs that read "save the pork chops".

I realized a moment to late that I had failed to block that thought and Edward had seen it.

He narrowed his eyes as he tossed a small sponge he had been holding at me, which only caused me to laugh harder.

Thankfully, he was laughing along with me.

It’s Gay Ski Week, and we’re stroking and swizzling to Donna Summer at the outdoor ice rink in front of the Hyatt. I love ice-skating. It’s both exhilarating and elegant.

Bella and Edward are disgustingly adorable. Edward is strong and graceful and Bella’s tiny, lithe figure tucks easily into his side. They flow across the ice, doing nothing extraordinarily complicated, but looking like a couple’s routine nonetheless. They’re even wearing matching colors. Gag.

"Billy would have a hard time traveling."

"Yes, so my guess is he’ll send Jake with Charlie. It would make sense, what with your past relationship with him." Edward’s voice hardened as he spoke of my history with Jake. I stroked his cheek, wishing I could take back the hurt that moment in the woods that I knew still snuck up on him from time to time.

Was I going to get to see Jake again too? The two men I thought I’d never see again would both be here tomorrow. It was surreal. It was sad and yet it kind of made me happy. I’d gotten used to the idea that I would see Charlie but Jake? It was like a dream and a nightmare all wrapped up together. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been so hurt. Had time healed anything between us? I somehow doubted that, seeing as I’d done the one thing he’d hated above anything else. I’d given my life for an eternity with Edward. He said it was the one thing he couldn’t ever forgive.

"How I wish I could read your mind." He watched me carefully, his golden gaze trying to penetrate whatever kept him from getting at my thoughts. No, he really didn’t want to know what I’d been thinking about.

"I’m just thinking it’s very strange that I’m going to get see both of them again. I didn’t think I’d ever get to and now to see them both at the same time?"

"How do you feel about that?"

"Scared, nervous, guilty and strangely happy." He nodded and turned away to look at the water. I took his face between my hands and pulled his gaze back to me. "I just want to see that he’s okay. I hurt him pretty badly."

If it weren’t for the stinging scratches on my palm left behind when I threw the stone, I might have wondered who could have committed such a destructive act.

It took all of thirty seconds for the elation to fade. For several moments, I was on cloud nine—I’d wanted to make something of them to suffer, and I’d done it. And then I looked at the beautiful, haunting manse that I’d loved like I loved them, and the full weight of what was happening in my mind fell. It was only a small hole—one pane of glass—that was destroyed, but somehow it felt like so much more. It had been perfect, untarnished, and now it was blighted, destroyed by one small change.

Like the memories roiling in my brain, one small change had completely altered the makeup of what I saw before me. My anger had transformed all those treasured memories, twisted them into less than what they had once been. I flipped through my notebook again, and there wasn’t a single memory untouched. Everything I saw, everything I read, I suddenly felt different about them all.

I remembered I’d once thought him sleeping by my side was romantic, but now I felt it was all just a slow torture since he refused me anything more than chaste pecks.

Flip.

Once, I’d felt like Alice wanted me to look my best, but now I felt like she'd simply thought me woefully inadequate.

Flip.

Sitting at my side at the hospital in Phoenix had seemed chivalrous, now I felt he’d just been trying to pacify me.

All of them. Every single one, precious and irreplaceable, had been infected. And it was all her fault!

"Are you still in pain?" I was almost frantic with worry and regret. At his nod, I began rubbing a hand along his back, trying desperately to soothe him. "Is there anything I can do?" Once again he nodded, his face still scrunched in pain. "What is it? What do you need?" I was about to run to the kitchen for some ice when he responded.

"You can kiss it and make it better," he shot me a devilishly hopeful grin, which quickly turned into a yelp when I shoved him hard, wincing when he landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"You jerk!" I sputtered, "I thought you were really hurt! I felt so bad." I folded my arms and shot him my tried and true, never failed me yet pout.

In less than five seconds he was kneeling on the floor between my legs, trying to uncross my arms and erase the look from my face. I held on for a moment or two, just to make sure he felt bad before I gave in and allowed his embrace. When he pressed his face against my naked chest, I indulged in a satisfied smile before returning the embrace and laying my cheek against the top of his head.

"I’m sorry darlin’. I didn’t mean to upset you." I shivered when his breath blew across my breast, beading the nipple and sending tingles down my spine. Unconsciously my hands began sliding through his hair, pulling a little at the nape just the way he liked it. His breathing became more labored, and he moaned when I began tugging.

"You can make it up to me," I whispered into his ear before licking the shell and nipping at the lobe. His fingers dropped to my waist, gripping hard and pushing away slightly.

"Ali," he growled, "I have to go to work. I can’t…." he trailed off when I licked his neck. I pulled back to look in his eyes, once again a deep, dark blue, heavy-lidded and hot with desire.

"Go to work then Jasper. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon." I smiled seductively at him before pulling away and moving to the bathroom. Once there, I quickly brushed my teeth and ran a brush through my hair.

I went back out to the bedroom, and Jasper was nowhere in sight. My heart plummeted a bit, I didn’t even get to say goodbye. Sighing in defeat, I went to gather my clothes and dress so I could go to my place and get ready for work. There was no way I could go back to sleep now. As I was starting to put my underwear on, they were ripped out of my hands.

"We can try a different approach," he turned, stretching his long legs out in front of him, leaning back to rest on his hands. His head tipped toward the ceiling before he spoke again. "If we're correct about this, that you're absorbing powers—that means you should have the ability, somewhere... in one of your 'rooms'," he smiled, eyes moving to hers. "to read my thoughts. So try. Find the right room."

One side of her mouth lifted, a confused look settling on her face before she closed her eyes again and tried to do as he'd suggested.

"Alright," she slapped her hands against her thighs. "Let's do this. Tell me how."

He chuckled. "It's natural for me, Bella. I don't know how I do it, it just... happens."

"What was the last thing you heard," I prodded.

"Well, Bella... When he gave you a key to his house, I figured that I’d heard enough."

By now, I was starting to get really fucking pissed. I threw my hands on my hips, adopting a belligerent stance in front of him. "Really, Edward? I’m just curious what the fuck you were ‘figuring’ at that moment?"

His eyes widened.

"What the hell was I supposed to think?" he asked in agitation, running a hand through his hair. He speared me with an angry stare. "He gave you the key to his house!"

"Yes he did. And if you had stayed and eavesdropped on the rest of the fucking conversation, you’d know why I am going over there this weekend!" I glared at him, but my voice softened in resignation with my next words. "I thought we were friends, Edward. Friends talk, they don’t make assumptions. I thought you knew me better than that..."

I froze. Oh God… I knew I wasn’t welcome here. What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I panicked and had no idea what to say. I looked over at my dad; the silence in the room was deafening. I’m sure he could see the anxiety building and I felt myself beginning to withdraw, my shoulders sink down. "Not that I have a problem with you here," he quickly added on. "I love having you here. I just… I guess I was wondering why you’re here, you know, what brought you here from Phoenix, and where James…," he trailed off as my head jerked up and I looked at him.

"Come on. He looks so cute. I think he brought you something." She’s whispering for real now and kind of pleading.

I pull the sheet back up to my chest so that it isn’t glaringly obvious that I’m still dressed in last night’s clothes. "Fine, fine. Just make sure you stay put until he’s gone, okay?"

"Oh, no. You’re on your own." She backs off the bed and picks up her bag, but pauses before opening the door. Her expression has transformed from one of amusement to one of concern. "Hey, are you okay, Bella? Last night.... It wasn't your usual style."

I try not to think too hard about her question and just nod. "I'm fine. Just glad exams are almost over. I got a little carried away, I guess." I shrug and run my fingers through my hair, trying to get out the knots.

"Okay.... Just don't forget you can talk to me if you need to, okay?"

"I know, Kate. Thanks."

He’d been quiet that first day after Edward and Emmett left. They were, as I understood it, his family, even if not by blood. That bond was one I understood well every time I saw Bella. She was my sister, even if we weren’t bound by blood, and I loved her as I loved Alice. That there were others who cared for one another as deeply as we three gave me hope in the face of all indications to the contrary in the climate in which we all lived. The land was torn apart, brothers fought brothers, friends killed friends. And yet these three had banded together in another place to create their own family, much the same way Alice, Bella and I had.

I could deny my sentimentality all I wished, but I was moved by their devotion; the stories of men and women just like us living south of the Mason-Dixon line were the real reason to pray this war would come to an end one day.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?" she voiced absently while looking at the trees.

"Does Edward see his family much?"

She turned to me, her lips pursed, and fidgeted with the strap of her top. She looked uncomfortable, and it only intrigued me further as to why.

"Granddad wrote in his letter that Edward needed me; that he wasn't as strong and as sure as he seemed. Why? Does that have something to do with his family and him being left here?"

"Have you asked Edward? I don't really think you should be asking me, hun."

"You know he wouldn't tell me. He thinks I'm the only one who has issues to deal with, but I can see that's wrong. Please Alice," I begged. "I know some things, but he was vague and clearly that was on purpose. I need to know."

Alice groaned and lowered herself onto a tree stump, smoothing down her flyaway hair.

"Rosalie, are you . . . jealous?"

"No," she said petulantly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I cannot believe you! You're the one who said we were over! I tried for months to fix our relationship and you would not help me. You fought me every step of the way and now you're jealous that I might be interested in someone else? Unbelievable."

"Whatever, Edward." She stalked out of the room and I heard the door to her bedroom slam shut.

I slid the tip of my nose along hers, enjoying the closeness of her; she surrounded me.

"Bella," I said softly against her lips. "What’s happening with us?"

Her gip on my shirt tightened a little, and she gulped audibly.

"Talk to me...I..."

"I’m jealous," she muttered, never opening her eyes.

"If I’m not back, will you call me?" I asked tearfully. "About Strasbourg?"

"Case…"

"And when you’ve finished Vanity Fair, tell me how it goes, okay? And tell Nikki I say hi when you see her next week, and Kellan too, if he show-"

Rob pressed his lips hard onto mine, cutting me off mid-sentence. I groaned softly, then wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, becoming more passionate as the reality of the situation began to sink in. This was goodbye. For now.

"I’m going to miss you so fucking much," I breathed between kisses as he slipped his arms round my waist, bringing our hips flush together.

"I’ll miss you, too," he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine. "But it’s not permanent, okay? We’ve survived being apart for longer than this will be."

"I know," I mumbled. "But back then, things weren’t like this."

"Like this how?" he wondered, leaning back a bit to look me in the eyes.

"We weren’t so… Things were…" I struggled to find the words. "My feelings for you have grown since then. I wasn’t so in love."

For a small town with very little in the way of crime, Forks had a much higher than average law enforcement fatality rate.

"I really am sorry about this. It's just... I thought I was ready for it, and I'm not."

"Ready for what, Edward?" I yelled. "You keep coming up with these weird excuses and I just don't get it. Just leave me alone! Stop talking to me and especially stop being nice to me for a few minutes and then go back to being a complete ass! I don't know what it is you're not ready for and I really don't care. Just leave me alone!" I tried to get away from him, wrestling my arm free of his grasp, but instead he tightened his grip and pulled me in closer to him. He spun me around so we were standing face to face and pulled me in even closer so my face was only inches away from his.

We had been talking about Emmett’s apparent crush on Rosalie Hale. Emmett and Rosalie had become reacquainted with one another when everyone came to visit me over Thanksgiving.

"Chief, can you believe he’s got a thing for a high school girl? Isn’t he like 25 or something? Can’t you arrest him for that?" I snickered as I wiped hot sauce from my mouth.

"Only if he takes their relationship to a more, ahem, intimate level. Once she’s eighteen, they are free to do whatever they want. Rosalie is a pretty girl. I can see why he’s interested in her. I’ll remind him to behave like a gentleman with her."

"No! Don’t tell him anything. He will kill me if he knows I’ve told you. I just think it’s funny. He keeps asking me to ask Bella things about Rose. I find it humorous that he’s an officer of the law, using an inmate to gather info on the girl he likes. It’s like a bad sitcom."

"Well, I’m sure Rose will be at the Cullen’s Christmas party and if I see them together, I’ll talk to Emmett then. I’m not too worried about it. That Rosalie can hold her own. She sent Tyler Crowley to the hospital a few years ago when he grabbed her inappropriately."

I stopped chewing for a moment.

"The hospital? What did she do, break his nose or something?"

Charlie shook his head.

"He needed testicular retrieval surgery. He was out of school for a few weeks."

I dropped my burrito on the table, my hands protectively going towards my groin.

"Oh God! That hurts just thinking about it. Remind me to never piss of Rosalie!"

Charlie chuckled a bit.

"Just remember that when you are spending time with Bella. Bad things happen when young men don’t keep their hands to themselves. Maybe I taught Rose the move she used to subdue Mr. Crowley."

I gasped.

"And I’m sure I could do more damage."

"Oh my gosh, Bells," Rose and Leah gasped.

"You look beautiful, Momma," Alexis complimented.

"That dress fits you like a glove, Bella," Sue added wiping away a tear.

Sue was right, the dress fit my body perfectly; it had a strapless bodice that fit tightly over my hips and the dress started to flare out about mid thigh into a trumpet style chapel train. The back scooped down about halfway and the sash was long enough to trail to the bottom of the dress; the jacket had cap sleeves and covered my exposed skin. It was simple and elegant; it was the dress I'd been looking for all day. Now, came the money question.

"How much is it, Renata?" I cringed.

"This is about three-thousand dollars," she answered, staring up at me as she fiddled around with the length.

My hand came up to my chest and I nearly had a heart attack.

That is way out of my price range. Is this dress really worth that much to wear one day? My face fell as I contemplated the different arguments swimming through my head. No, it's not worth it, not in the grand scheme of things.

"We'll have to keep looking. I'm going to go change," I said sullenly stepping down.

He flipped open his phone out of habit to check his messages, and heard a booming voice.

"Cullen. Listen, I need you to go back to the store."

"What? I just went a week ago, and I bought the fucking jumbo pack."

"I’m confused. What part of I need you to go back to the fucking store, aren’t you understanding?"

"How could you possibly have used all of those condoms?"

"Listen, Cullen. We aren’t girlfriends, and I’m not gabbing to you about my fucking sex life. I just need you to buy me some goddamn condoms!"

"Why can’t you just go to that little store at the gas station?"

"You are giving me a headache, Cullen. You know they don’t have the ultra thin, ribbed, extra large condoms there."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, and silently prayed that Rosalie’s father would lose his job as manager of the only fucking grocery store in Forks. He really didn’t need to know what kind of condoms his best friend used.

"Listen, Em. I’ve had a hell of a day, and I’m just going to go home."

"Parents at it again?"

"When aren’t they? I just can’t handle it when they fight in front them like that."

As soon as they had started up, Edward gathered up his siblings, and walked them to the neighbors’ house. Mrs. Cope was a sweet older woman, who was always willing to watch Charlotte, Lauren, and Peter. Edward simply told her that something had come up, and he needed her to watch them for a few hours. When it got to be dark, his father would walk over, kindly thank her, and walk them back next door. In that aspect, his parents weren’t completely useless human beings.

"The little ones will be alright, Bud," he said, sighing loudly into the receiver. "Scratch the condoms. Where are you?"

"In that little clearing we found."

"I’m on my way. I’m bringing beer. Stay put."

Isabella Swan’s reactions to the events of the previous night were quite unlike that of the partying Democrats and overwhelmed Edward Cullen. While he had had his fingers crossed for his own name to be read out, Bella was praying for James Hunter. Not that she liked James Hunter; not by any stretch of the imagination. It was just that she disliked Edward Cullen a little more.

Maybe dislike was the wrong word, she mused. It was more like an intense, burning desire to see his mutilated corpse thrown into the pits of Hades; the way she felt towards the new President. Yes, that was putting it nicely, she thought to herself.

As she turned on her side and threw her duvet over her head, she wondered why she had even agreed to another term when she knew full well there was a chance he would be working alongside her. Why, why, why? she thought as she thumped her pillow. Why was she so stupid?

Deciding that sleep had well and truly evaded her out the slowly brightening window, Bella swung her feet onto the floor. Combing through her sleep induced fuzz; she walked to her bathroom mirror and peered blearily at her reflection. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders determinedly. Edward Cullen be damned, she thought, she was Bella Swan, she could do anything. Pulling on some running shorts and a singlet top, Bella left her bad mood behind her and jogged out of her Georgetown house.

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~*~
Chapter 2 of Youth without Age and Life without Death by goldenmeadow
Loping softly down the stony stairs, I prayed not to God or Mary or Jesus. And perhaps that was the trespass that staked my heart with dragon’s teeth. No, I called upon the deities of my Hellenic studies, that tutelage I hid from Father…of Zeus and Hera, their pure daughter Hebe whose evergreen scent I captured in my nose against this grievous griffon’s lair. To Athena, my warrior queen, and Aphrodite for love. Apollo to fly me out of this cave even while my feet led me further down to the sunken mine of treasures.
Before I reached the bottom step, they were upon me. A gang of five with richness on their bodies, stealing the warmth of my own. In anguish, under the huge gashes and ghastly gnashes they tore from my body, understanding the cruel gore of teeth sinking to and through, so easily puncturing, my throat, my torso, and exactly into my inner thighs, I shouted for the god of fire, Hephaestus, to end this affliction and give me new torches to burn away the evil savages supping heathenishly from me!
The pain of my skin ripping apart in shreds like frail cloth was but a drop compared to the blazing skewers of pestilence pounding through me, dripping toxin in its slow meandering way, maliciously swallowing my punctured organs but only after nibbling with a blunt razor at every surface inside my body.
For three days. Turned on the spit of the most indescribable misery one could ever imagine! The flames did not roast my skin; they sat themselves, in bold brutal flicks, inside my nerves. Running like curses inflamed with hatred and hotter than blue fire, snapping each synapse like a tendon tenderly, ruthlessly, torn apart, one measly thread at a time. And each strand was impossibly endless, so the agony went on for ceaselessly.
Not just one ligature disbanded languorously. But all of them, everywhere, inside me, at once.
If I thought this was the end of my punishment, I was wrong. Because my heart, kidneys, stomach, liver, lungs…everything but my brain, were licked with tongues like cat-o-nine tails. For hours on end. Days, even, I think. Sharp mace-like punctures chopped into me and I felt I could hear the squelch of each artery succumbing to incineration.
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Thank you to the huge number of authors who participated this week, we ended up with a total of 50 teasers! Remember - we'll continue this as long as you guys keep sending in your teases!

caren & Kassiah

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Labels: teaser

Friday, January 29, 2010

Fictionator Friday - 1/29/10

Good afternoon ladies! We hope you're all having a wonderful week. We're very sad to announce that due to time constraints and the call of real life, our lovely mozzer0906 has decided to take a break from Fictionators. Shannon, we both love you and no matter what you'll always be one of us. Thank you from both of us for joining us in this endeavor.

For the past couple of Thursdays, we've been bringing you a special Gift Exchange Edition of teasers. We hope you're enjoying them! We also hope you didn't miss our One-Shot Wednesday for this week, selected by Kassiah: Mile Highward by TwiSherry!

If you haven't sent in your receipts to get your copy of the TwiFans for Haiti compilation, the deadline to do so is Monday. Trust, you don't want to miss out on this:

TwiFans for Haiti is a collaboration of TwiFicAuthors organized by MsKathy. For just a $5 donation for a charity of your choice to help Haiti, you will receive a compilation of works from many of your favorite authors. For a list of participating authors, go HERE.

Weekly Recommendations for 1/29/10:

Duty and Desire by AspenLeaf
Hide and Drink by Savage
Incubus Anomaly by ElusiveTwilight
This Hungry World by LolaShoes

Thank you very much to our guest reviewers this week: AmeryMarie, JAustenLover, jjuliebee, and vickitori303!

Hey! Did you hear us the first time we mentioned it?
If not, this is what's kicking our asses this week.

caren: I have to go with Hide and Drink by Savage. Even though it's on our list of rec's list, it's definitely kicking my ass right now like no other.
Kassiah: I've been mostly trying to read the fics from the Haiti Compilation and they are so good. I am also really liking Beautiful Stranger by NJNYTwigals.

We were nominated for a Bellie Award for Best Fansite! Thanks to everyone who nom'd us and Congratulations to all the Nominees for the Eddies and the Bellies!

We are looking high and low for a few people who want to join us! Do you want to be a Fictionator-For-a-Month? Let us know by filling out this form.

We had an overwhelming response to last week's quote! Congrats to our newest Quote Queen: Kim1524!

Guess who will be making an appearance on Smut Monday in just a few days? That's right, Caren will be the guest author, with Valentine's Day Romeo! You don't want to miss it!

Your favorite Nominations for the Golden Lemon Awards close February 2nd and you can send them in by gdoc or email now too!

It's not too late if you have a blog or twific-related site, Kass needs your info by Tuesday at midnight CST: http://bit.ly/blgrll

Don't miss today's Friday Free-for-All, Taking Chances by MuggleinLove

Our very own Kassiah is now doing a weekly spot over at The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster, make sure you check over there every Friday for the Fandom News!

Thanks to everyone who gives us support, sends in their rec's and just generally makes our lives in the fandom more entertaining. We couldn't do this without all of you.

See you next week!!

caren and Kassiah

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Labels: weekly recs

Duty and Desire by Aspenleaf

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5111035/1/

Official Description: Edward Masen was brought up in a world where responsibility to your family and class was everything. Tired of the endless pursuits of women he becomes more and more jaded. That is until; he meets his match…..

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JAustenLover says: Once upon a time, I went on a quest to satisfy my craving for more information about the characters in the four books I had just finished reading in one intense, sleep deprived week. Characters that were in part based on one of my all time favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen in 1813.

That said, it seems awfully appropriate that I am here to review and recommend a story written by the lovely Aspenleaf that takes us on an incredible journey back to the world of early nineteenth century England with an adaptation of Austen’s novel featuring Twi canon characters. This is not a simple re-telling of Pride and Prejudice. Aspen has added two additional themes to the story, as represented by the title, Duty and Desire and presented it from EPOV. The, er, ‘Desire’ is what earns this story an ‘M’ rating. In my opinion, Aspen has succeeded in creating magic. Her dialogue, imagery, and characterizations do an incredible job of blending the stories in such a way you are left thinking there is no one better to play Mr. Darcy than Edward. Bella, in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, is quite a sight to behold. For anyone who ever wanted to see Bella give Edward a piece of her mind, here is your opportunity.

Rather than lay out the plot and spoil the fun for those of you who have not read Pride and Prejudice, I want to share a couple of my favorite passages from this work in process story. Consider them ‘teasers’:

The ‘Prejudice’:

“And then suddenly the horrible truth hit me like a boulder; she was Isabella Swan, and her family was unsuitable. I could not entertain any designs with her, much to my utter and complete disappointment. I bowed in greeting and then turned in a vain attempt to gain control over my scattered thoughts.”

The ‘Desire’:

“Edward…Edward…”

I opened my eyes to a bright light. Looking around I found I was lying in my meadow at Pemberley, the soft grass at my back. I sat up to see where the voice was coming from when I heard musical laughter behind me. I turned to look behind me, but again there was nothing.

“Edward…” The voice was clearer and familiar.

I turned back, and looking straight ahead, I saw Isabella walking toward me. She looked like a wood nymph, with flowers crowning her hair. Her beautiful brown locks cascaded around her shoulders and onto her back and chest. She was wearing a simple white gown.

“Exquisite,” I murmured.

She laughed again and stepped closer, within my reach.

I stood and stepped forward enveloping her in my arms.

“Say you will be mine, Isabella. I need you more than you will ever know.”

“Yes, Edward. I am yours.” She smiled as she looked into my face.

I bent my head down to kiss her lips.”

The ‘Pride’:

“I will confess, I was surprised by your proposal. I expected an offer of a very different nature. I expected by your continued behavior that you wanted nothing more from me than to be your distraction, or worse, your mistress.”

Oh my Lord, she thinks I want her as a mistress? I could not have her thinking such things.

“I am a gentleman, Madam; I would never do you the dishonor.

“Yes, dishonor, while we are on that subject. Honor bound? I could have demanded your honor the first day we met. However, I have always sworn I would only marry for love. Why would I marry a man who can barely justify his reasons for wanting me in the first place? If that was not reason enough to refuse you, I can scarcely think of one better.”

I should note that this story can definitely be enjoyed without having read Pride and Prejudice. If you have read it, this is a MUST read. Hearing it told from Edward’s point of view (Mr. Darcy) makes it all the more sublime. Come join me on the journey. You won’t regret it!

Kassiah says: JAustenlover did a fantastic job teasing you with this story. I am not usually into historical-fics, but I am a Pride-and-Prejudice-Mr-Darcy-loving-h00r. Aspenleaf's Duty and Desire is insanely good. The dialogue and depth of emotion are staggering. I find myself holding my breath in anticipation, thought I think I know what's going to happen. I can't say enough about it; definitely check this story out!

1 comments

Labels: adult, bella, drama, edward, guest review, human, m-rated

Hide and Drink by Savage

http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=9649

Official Description: Bella’s blood was just too tempting to be ignored. In this version of Twilight, Edward takes Bella on a sadistic journey with his monstrous side. While Edward drags her around the world, barely keeping a step ahead of his frantic family, Bella battles the monster for possession of the gentler vampire inside her captor. EPOV.

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AmeryMarie says: MF’er rec’d Hide & Drink to me last weekend and I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. All she really said about it was that it was dark and she wasn’t sure how she felt about liking it…or something to that effect. I really don’t remember exactly and am too lazy to pull it up. I didn’t see a summary beforehand, I just took her word for it—my wifey has never steered me wrong before—and clicked on the link she sent. Once I started it…I honestly couldn’t stop until I had read every morsel. It’s just that brilliant.

I love a good Darkward, but am almost always disappointed by fics that claim to be Darkward when in actuality they are another Asshole/Dickhead-ward fic (not that there is anything wrong with that, my E is a total douchebag). Hide & Drink did not disappoint at all. Savage’s Drinkward may have just upped-the-ante because he is dark. Really. Really. Dark. He is so dark that MF’er and I have spent quite a bit of time debating whether he is redeemable or not.

What I find most shocking about this fic is that the concept behind it—the little twist that makes it dark—is hardly a big leap from canon. In fact, it seems like such an obvious, natural leap to make that I can’t believe it hasn’t been done a million times already…or maybe it has, just not this well, because this fic is seriously well written. So far it’s all in EPOV (and I hope she keeps it that way), but it works so well that I have never once missed Bella’s voice.

I love Drinkward. It may be highly unpopular to say that, but I do. He is so lost and broken, and this draw to Bella, his need for her blood, breaks him even more. He knows how wrong it is to want her the desperate way he does, to feed off from her repeatedly with no plans to stop in the foreseeable future, if ever, but despite it all, he can’t stop. He is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her at his side—defy his family, cast aside his own morals, kill, even accept disownment, so long as he doesn’t lose her.

I even like Bella in this fic. She is no wilting flower or deluded, dazzled and starry-eyed girl who needs Edward like oxygen. She eventually warms to him, but she doesn’t really care much for Drinkward in the beginning, and can you blame her? Within a few hours of seeing him, he attacks, nearly kills and then kidnaps her, followed by him killing a man in front of her and repeatedly drinking from her. In spite of all that, Bella handles everything stoically and even willing chooses to stay with him, condemning herself to life as a juice box, in order to save innocent lives.

I love the depth of the scene below. I think it illustrates how lost Drinkward is, and that Bella’s going into this with her eyes wide open. Additionally, I think it gives a little glimpse of the shifts that are occurring in their relationship in regards to how they feel about each other, that there is something more between them than what appears on the surface, but you will have to judge for yourself…

"Edward," Bella called to me. I looked to her as she fruitlessly fought against my sister to get closer to me. "Just listen! I will go with you, just please, let the little boy go, please."

“No,” Carlisle’s voice was firm. He held his hand out as if to stop her from thinking such things. “You will not. Edward can’t continue like this.”

Edward, I can’t let you do this. I don’t even know who you are right now.

“I don’t know who I am,” I concurred. “I just know what I have to have. Nothing else matters. Not you, not him.” I motioned down to the child with my chin.

I can’t trade the life of one innocent for that of another.

“I’ll keep her,” I promised. “The boy will die if I don’t get what I want. Once I’m done with him, I won’t stop there.”

“Edward!” Bella continued to struggle in Alice’s arms. “Please don’t do it! Let me go! I want to go with him!”

“Let her go!” I snarled at Alice.

Carlisle’s thoughts were in tumult, trying to weigh the death of one with the slavery of the other, and unable to rectify either in his mind. I saw myself in his mind – newborn, young, feral – and still not as savage as the creature he saw in front of him now.

Jasper came up behind Carlisle’s left shoulder.

“Our options are limited,” he surmised. “Either we let Bella go with him, or we destroy him.”

“All other decisions lead us back to this same position in the future,” Alice agreed. “Some other place with some other victim, but the scene is the same.”

Kill my son?

Carlisle shuddered at the thought.

“If we try to…attack Edward, he will kill the boy,” Alice confirmed. Her normally singsong voice was full of dread. “I don’t see any way we can stop that from happening.”

“That boy can’t die because of me,” Bella cried out. “Please, let me go to him. Edward will be all right with me, I know he will.” Bella looked over to me, and I met her eyes, drowning in them.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Carlisle’s voice sounded strong and confident, but the tenor of his mind was anything but.

“You aren’t asking,” Bella said. “I’m making a demand here. Let me go with Edward. I can calm him down.”

“I think he’s beyond calming,” Carlisle looked to her. “He might kill you now.”

“No, he won’t.” Bella shook her head. Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “I know what he needs.” Carlisle appraised her for a moment.

“Are you sure, Bella?” Carlisle asked. “If you choose this, we will no longer follow. I can’t continuously put more innocents in jeopardy from my son. I won’t. If you do this now, we will not make another attempt to bring you back to your family. You are resigning yourself to…to this,” he said, waving a hand towards me.

“I understand what I’m doing,” Bella assured him, and then turned to me. “You will let the boy go and not hurt him?”

"Anything," I whispered back to her. Daring to hope, I reached out my hand for her. "Anything you ask."

Carlisle’s eyes closed for a moment, then he nodded sharply. Alice dropped her arms to her sides and Bella took a stumbling step forwards before Carlisle caught her by the arm and steadied her, glaring at me.

Edward, if you do this – if you take her in this way, I don’t think I will be able to forgive you. You will be lost to us.

“I know.”

When her hand touched mine, every part of my body seemed to let out a long held sigh all at once. Her fiery fingers closed around mine, and she came to stand at my side.

Let the boy go.

"Not yet." I turned to Bella. "You will really come with me?"

"Yes," she answered. "But you can't hurt him. Please Edward, please let him go now."
Maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome or Drinkward dazzling her, maybe it’s neither, but by the end of the last update, I was of the opinion that Bella is really feeling something for him. Even Drinkward must acknowledge to himself that he no longer only wants her for her blood. While he doesn’t admit that he is falling in love with her—if he isn’t already—he does confess to her that he wants her body. Badly. And when he kisses her, Bella kisses him back.

“I want to bury myself in your body, Bella,” I said. The cool air across her ear caused her to shiver again. “I want to feel the heat of you surround me. I want to use your body to satisfy my lust while I use your blood to satisfy my thirst. I'm not sure why I don't.”

The monster smiled and used my hand to reach for the back of her neck. I exhaled over her mouth and nose while my fingers threaded through her hair. I pulled her lips to mine, placing the smallest amount of pressure against her, and feeling her mouth yield to me. My other hand moved to her waist, holding her closer.

Bella’s body relaxed against my grip, and her back leaned against the arm of the couch. I opened my mouth against hers, letting my tongue caress her lips. Her mouth opened to me, and I knew my influence over her was total. My tongue reached into her mouth, and I discovered a completely new taste – different from her skin and her blood. She was magnificent – every part of her. How many more flavors could she have? I needed to taste them all. The hand at her waist moved up and my thumb came into contact with the bottom curve of her breast.

My body started reacting to her taste in ways I wasn’t completely prepared to acknowledge. I was suddenly, acutely aware of my arousal pressed firmly against Bella’s thigh. The monster grinned and growled in appreciation and anticipation, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop what I had started.

Not like this.

I hadn’t planned this. I wasn’t going to influence her like this. I wasn’t going to do this to her. I wasn’t going to tell her these things. I wasn’t going to scare her even more into thinking I would take advantage of her in this way. I didn’t want her to know how much I desired her body. Well, she knows now.

So much for subtlety.
Fuck! There is something so disturbingly, but deliciously hot about that…I don’t even know why.

Savage is only eight chapters into Hide & Drink at this time, so do yourself a favor and get in on it now. This story is going to be huge.

MF'er says: I feel like a broken record saying this again, but… I. Love. Darkward. A lot. A few weeks ago, I was e-mailed the link for this story by one of my girls (you know who you are ;)) – and I have to admit, I was a little nervous going in. I gave it a shot anyway, and seriously, I rarely re-read stories anymore, RARELY. But this one? I re-read it twice in one day.

Completely pwned me.

What I love about Hide and Drink is that it’s different; we’re so used to seeing Edward characterized as the sweet, romantic, loveable man we can’t resist (which is why we love him.) – but I find myself intrigued by those authors who are brave enough to go outside of that particular box and make him into something we don’t expect.

Especially when they still manage to make me love him, no matter what his faults may be.

Twilight, and a lot of the fic-based vamp stories out there seem to glaze over the fact that Edward is a vampire. Vampires are driven by their need for blood, it’s their true nature. If you’ve read Midnight Sun, you know that Canon Edward had that ‘monster’ inside of him that contemplated several ways to lure Bella away so he could kill her. In this story, we get a glimpse into what may have happened if he hadn’t been able to overcome the power of Bella’s blood. If he’d given into his craving and just… taken her.

After one taste, he is wholly consumed by her blood. Uncontrollable. He convinces himself that he can’t live without the taste, so he cooks up a plan to continue feeding from her – while keeping her healthy. Which means a quick escape to a faraway place where it can just be the two of them.

He’s so desperate that he will go to any lengths to keep her with him, as AmeryMarie pointed out above he was ready to do anything to make sure nobody would take her from him.

Over time, we begin to see changes in him – they are subtle, but they are there. It’s becoming less about her blood and more about her. He begins to need the ritual of holding her when he’s finished, feeling the warmth of her body and gah, it’s just. Yeah.

I closed my eyes and pictured myself taking her to the bedroom – she didn’t struggle anymore, not after the first time. I would tell her it was time, and she’d look at me with her wide, chocolate eyes and follow behind me. I had been alternating wrists, so she could heal more properly, but I thought tonight I would drink from her neck. It would not last as long though – the artery was larger and closer to her heart – but I wanted it anyway. I wanted my lips on her neck. I wanted to hold her head while I drank.

Afterwards, I would hold all of her.

She would be warm against my cool skin, and she would wrap her fingers around my shirt and bury her head in my arm and chastise me in her sleep.
Every time an update comes into my box for this, I drop everything to read it, and then read it again, because I really just can’t get enough.

Kassiah says: So. I was all ready to tell you how much I love this fic and go on and on about how it pwns me. Then I read AmeryMarie's and caren's reviews and knew that you know everything you need to to run-not walk- to this fic. It's that good.

There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of fics that deal with the scenario of what would happen if Edward gave in to his bloodlust and drank from Bella. I love that Hide and Drink deals with an imperfect Edward who is drawn to Bella because he is dependent on the call her blood has to him. He wishes he could stop, but he knows he won't. It's compelling. And amazingly well-written.

It doesn't escape my attention that if this were anyone other than Edward, we would be screaming at our screens, begging for him to come save her. It's not for the faint-of-heart or those seeking to benefit humanity through the reading of fics. I can't justify the reason I like this story-I just do. I honestly don't see how Savage is gonna pull this off. What I do know is that I am buckled in, ready for the ride. Whereever she takes me.

2 comments

Labels: alternate universe, angst, bella, edward, guest review, m-rated, suspense, vamp

Incubus Anomaly by ElusiveTwilight

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5544988/1/Incubus_Anomaly

Official Description: Incubus: a sex demon that visits women in the deep dark of the night. Edward relies on his special gifts to consume his prey. What happens when he meets the one woman immune to his unique abilities? M for dark lemons and dark themes

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jjuliebee says: Who isn't a sucker for dark, mysterious, hot-as-fuck Edwards? The key for me is that they be well-written, original, and non-cliche. Well, elusivetwilight has certainly met all of the above requirements and then some with Incubus Anomaly.

I was pretty much sucked in (no pun intended) from the first scene. Her Edward is darkly seductive. Case in point - here's a little taste from the very first chapter:

With each grinding motion into her I growled as I gripped her hips, “You. Fucking. Love. It. Say it.”

Erm, yeah. You get the picture.

Edward is a vampire - a sex demon - that simultaneously fucks and feeds off the living. He taps into each meal's unconscious, eliciting from within their sleeping minds their deepest fantasies, fucking his victims and then sating his blood lust with a quick slice of his knife blade. He takes what he needs and then leaves them alive and unaware of his existence.

Until he meets Bella, who is interesting, brooding, and has a mysterious past ... much like the vamp himself. She's a chain-smoking, motorcycle riding production manager at a local theater. She's been hurt - badly - at this point, we only know she's been run through an emotional meat-grinder by her ex-husband Jacob Black. He's out of her life, but not off of her mind. There's a lot of pain and despair inside of her - so much so that she doesn't seem to have much will to live.

Edward sees her, smells her, can't resist her. He learns from

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