Official Description:
Dreams past, circumstance and sacrifice… young Edward and Bella bravely smile through the tears on life’s complicated path. A short journey of pure and true devotion… of choosing love above all else. EPOV M for Language & Lemons
Word Count: 10,763
Beneath the Undertow by jaime33 (jaimearkin to those of us who follow her on Twitter) and phoebes.promise, or otherwise known as aftrnoondlight, is without a doubt the most amazing 10,763 words you will find in all of the fandom. This little story, at just 4 chapters long, packs the biggest punch you can imagine and will leave you breathless by the time you get to the end. You will cry, you will laugh, you will swoon, and I PROMISE – you WILL fall in love with this Edward and Bella like you never have before.
Edward and Bella are a young married couple facing the same hardships that many face. The loss of a job, the devastating loss of a baby…the loss of a dream for a better future. Through it all though, these two have each other. They have the love they share, and they have the fierce belief that their love will see them through anything.
“I’m fine. Why are you out here, it’s dark. I don’t like you out here alone.”
“The power’s out.” She shrugged, looking away. “It’s actually cooler out here.”
“What are you talking about?” I pushed through the front door… darkness.
“Did you drop off the payment?” She followed with our only flashlight, her tone measured, weary. I slid down the wall near the open front window, burying my head in my hands. “Fucking tell me, what the hell is going on with you?” She stood, arms crossed, deserving answers.
“No.”
“No… you forgot? Or no… you couldn’t?”
I paused to compose, process. “We fell behind. Your registration was due, now tuition. I thought we’d get at least… like thirty days…”
“Edward!” She dropped the small red flashlight, as she palmed over her eyes.
“I didn’t want to disappoint you. You’ve been so fucking excited about school. We need you to go to school.” I shouted, then regretted as she kneeled in front of me.
“Look at me. Baby, you better fucking look at me,” she demanded, squaring my jaw. “I’ve never been disappointed in you. Ever. Don’t keep anything from me.” I leaned into her cradling hand. “We’re in this together. I love you.”
“I got fired yesterday.” It rolled easily. I breathed heavy watching her expression. She fell back on her ass, mouth parted in surprise. “I’m sorry, Bella.”
I have read this story so many times, I kid you not, I could probably repeat it almost verbatim. The first day I found it, I read it no less than 5 times and within minutes of finishing it the first time, told everyone I know that it was a must read. If you don’t believe in the adage of “less is more” I guarantee you will sing a different tune by the time you get through with this gem.
I sat down after I’d read this story and wrote an email to the authors, something I’ve never done before, because I just couldn’t let it go. The story resonated in such a profound way that I found myself unable to stop thinking about it. The words they used to weave the story evoked such powerful feelings in me that I just had to tell them how much the story touched me. My favorite line from the story encapsulates everything…
“You don’t know that. Hey…” Cradling my face, she searched and smiled. “They’ve already moved you up once.” My drive had waned, wanting made me weary. Bella and I already survived forever and a day on love. Our only true need was each other, the baby reminded us of that…
Beneath the Undertow is so beautifully written it will make your heart hurt and then it will make you smile. Go read it! I give you my word it will be the best thirty minutes you will ever spend reading!
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