The Beginning and the End by bmango

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5692241/1/The_Beginning_and_the_End
Word Count: 11,973

Official Description: A series of 25 drabbles and O/S of Victoria’s experiences before, with and after James that led to love and her ultimate demise. My entries for the Twi25 prompts. Victoria x James. Canon. Rated M just to be safe although most aren’t.

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ahizelm says: Let me start by saying this: I am always in awe of people who remain canon in their stories. I feel that it is the hardest thing to write for the fan fiction crowd, because everyone has their own interpretations of how things went down beyond the words that Steph gave us, so you’re bound to disappoint someone. And, because I am so very opinionated on various events/details of canon, it’s rare that I read anything labeled as such.

That said…

This is the review for the final chapter of bmango’s submissions for the second round of The Twilight 25:

OK, So, I am completely impressed with your ability to pull all of this information from canon, because let’s face it: SM left a hell of a lot to the imagination, and you managed to seamlessly put everything together. So much thought was required for this, bb, and it’s evident in every prompt, in every word used here.

I know. Impressive.

I’ll add to the “wow” factor when I tell you this next bit:

The whole story – all 25 chapters – is from Victoria’s point of view.

I’ll wait.

.

.

.

See, here’s the thing. We forget, in BPOV, the significance of Victoria’s losing James. We forget that the way Bella felt when Edward ran off to Volterra is likely how Vicki felt when James went to Phoenix. We forget that they were mated, down deep to their souls, and that when she lost him, she was as distraught and broken up as canon Bella would have been to lose Edward.

We forget that, but bmango manages to make Victoria more ‘human’ than she ever appeared in canon, because we’re in her head. We see things through her eyes.

The story encompasses the entirety of Twilight (and a bit before), New Moon, and Eclipse.

The baseball game? Check.

The near-miss when Bella went cliff diving? Check.

Meeting Riley and creating the newborn army? Check.

Her demise at Edward’s hands? Check.

And between all of that, we see a Victoria who moves from human to grieving vampire with palpable emotion and powerful imagery. Bmango has given a voice to a character that is vastly under-utilized and given a new edge to the story that we’re all extremely familiar with.

Why are you still here? Go read it!

Kassiah says: I was recently challenged to check out fics that have characters other than Edward and Bella, so I thought to myself, “who better to start with than my most hated-character?” That’s right–Skanktoria. The Twilight25 Challenge is near and dear to my heart, and I’m surprised to say that although bmango didn’t make me love Victoria, she certainly helped me understand her a bit more. AND she did it while staying within the confines of answering prompts. I’m impressed.

The Beginning and the End is very well-written and provides a depth to Victoria’s character that I didn’t think I’d experience. I never considered her heartbreak or frustration or even her relationship with James.

“Where were you?” I whisper, not wanting to intrude on his moment, but wanting to know where he’d wandered without me.

“Lost in the past, but I know I have you to bring me back.” He turns his wicked smile to me and I watch my hand trace the lines around his mouth.

He gathers my hand in his and kisses my palm while gazing intently into my eyes.

“I never thought I would have someone to pull me back, to rescue me from my demons.”

“I’m here for always, baby. I will never leave you.” I pull him toward me while standing, dragging him to his feet with me.

He looks at me with surprise before he playfully snaps his teeth at me. “That’s because you’re mine.”

“Yes,” I agree with all my heart and whatever, if any, part of a soul I have left. “I am yours.”

A quick read with amazing depth and it’s canon? Like ahizelm said, why aren’t you reading it yet?