The Peter Anthology by Acciobourbon

Official Description:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5362476/1/The_Twilight_25_Jumping_into_the_Deep_End

Word Count: 16,042

Note: This is a little different since most of the story came from Twilight25 prompts. You can read the story in its entirety on ADF without the other chapters. On FFn, The Peter Anthology is chapters 7-10, 12, 14, 15, 17, and 21. Sorry for the confusion, Fictionees, we wouldn’t make you do so much work if it wasn’t worth it!

Don’t miss the outtakes: Chelsea Morning, The Past, Discounted, and Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful!

There are some writers that can paint a vivid picture with just a few well-placed words. AccioBourbon does that in spades with the beginning vignette for The Peter Anthology, a story within her collection of Twilight 25 prompts, and those words cut deep. It’s revealed very quickly that Bella Swan is suffering from a broken heart. We find out soon after that Edward Cullen is the one who’s done the breaking, and was a pretty spectacular dick about it. Her pain is so visceral and familiar that I couldn’t help but connect with her immediately while I read that first handful of paragraphs. Heartbreak is universal, and AccioBourbon writes Bella’s with a sense of humor and such a sense of empathy that it’s impossible not to root for her to find happiness.

Cue Peter Bennett. Peter barely registered for me in the series, but that all went out the window when I read this:

“He’s about six feet, with dark hair, arresting blue eyes and a strong, dimpled chin that practically demands to be grabbed. He’s dressed in a black button-down shirt and faded, well-worn jeans. My eyes go to an area on the right leg, over his thigh, where the fabric is so worn that a small rip has formed.”

Um, Edward who?

Peter is sexy and sweet, cocksure but 100% genuine, and it’s this first glimpse that sets the foundation for Bella’s physical attraction. That attraction is insanely hot – there is a palpable electricity between them, even from the start. But as they get to know one another in this chapter and in the subsequent chapters that follow (7-10, 12, 14, 15, 17, and 21), that initial attraction turns into something deep and poignant. Bella is understandably gun-shy and Peter’s patience coupled with the way he cares right from the start and helps her gain confidence not only in him, but in herself, is so beautiful. It’s perfectly showcased here:

“But in the days that followed that night in the Crowleys’ guest bedroom, I came to realize that real didn’t mean that Peter Bennett was any less beautiful. As I got to know him, I also realized that real beauty comes with imperfections; he had flaws and he had his own baggage, just like I did.”

There’s something freeing about showing someone who you are, warts and all, and trusting that they’ll love you not despite it, but because of it. Peter shows Bella what that looks and feels like and you’ll find yourself swooning (and falling in love) right along with her. In fact, I’m pretty sure I asked AccioBourbon for a Peter of my own more than once. After reading this beautifully written story, you will, too. And if you want more Peter after reading this (which you will), I have it on good authority that there’s more to come, commissioned by generous readers for Fandom Gives Back.

Drabbles should always leave you wanting more. Well I hit the jackpot reading The Peter Anthology by AccioBourbon. The story is a sweet love story between Bella and Peter after she has been unceremoniously dumped by a college-bound Edward.

The story starts off with an innocent, love-struck Bella whose boyfriend has gone off to school, only to be dumped via email.

Suddenly, I’m not the star of every parent’s dream anymore. I’m not the teenage girl in love who’s “saving her gift” for Mr. Right Boyfriend and waiting for that magical first-time because it will be sooo perfect when we are both ready. (Abstinence Speech, copyright 2009 by Mom.)

Now I’m Bella Swan, 18-year-old virginal high school senior. Without the hot, horny boyfriend to make my virtue admirable, I’m no longer a role model. I’m just a freak.

Bella attempts to be social, still feeling the pain of her loss, but when she encounters Peter at a party, that slowly begins to change. Their connection is instant yet believable, one that reminded me of being young, of excitement, of new beginnings, of the first kiss you’ve had since your heart was broken.

However, the familiar feelings of devastation and loss, albeit not as severe as they are for our canon heroine, follow her into the bedroom:

I feel bolder and I slide one hand down to touch him there. He inhales sharply, and then groans softly, his head dropping onto my shoulder. Without warning, the searchlight illuminates another thought: I remember that Edward and I were never, not even once, completely naked with each other, and the hole in my stomach gets a little bit bigger when I realize that we never will be now.

He left me. I wasn’t enough.

It’s Peter’s tenderness for Bella that really stands out in this story, making a well-rounded character out of one I’d never put much thought into before.

Can I do that? Take the virginity of an eighteen-year-old girl I met a few hours ago downstairs at a party?

Of course I can. But should I?

Downstairs, we had spent time talking, learning about each other’s lives … what our dreams are, which tooth pastes we prefer.

And five minutes ago, she shared the worst pain of her life with me, coming apart as she finally let go of the anger that had been eating at her from the inside. She opened up to me and confided her shame at being dumped by an asshole who had made her promises but spent ten months denying her the real intimacy she wanted.

I won’t spoil for you what happens next – I’ll wait for you to read it yourself! I will say, though, that my favorite little bit was the email Peter sends to Edward:

“No doubt you’re wondering why the hell I’m writing to you, but it’s pretty simple, really. I just wanted to say thanks.

Last weekend, I met Bella.

…And because you threw her away like a toy you’d outgrown and tired of, she was available.

Until now. And I’m going to see to it that she’s never available again.”

Who wouldn’t want an adorable, sexy guy writing that to the boy who broke your heart? That entire chapter made me melt.

The chapters that follow show little snippets into their burgeoning relationship, something that is as beautiful and sweet as it is full of desire. I really liked the idea of a world where Bella moves on and finds someone new, someone real who truly adores her and treats her right. The story culminates with a beautiful little lemon, showing a Bella who is much more confident than the broken girl we started with, and a man who is madly in love with her.

“God, Bella … I … you. You.” I can’t even form a coherent sentence anymore. All I can do is speak the one word that makes any sense to me right now: “you.” You, Bella. You are the very best thing in my world. You are what I need to help me figure out my life. You’re it … you are all … you are everything.

Go read it. That is all.

It’s not a little known fact that I usually only like Edward loves Bella-centric fics and that I’d rather jump into a volcano than read a story that has Bella with someone else while Edward pines away for her. Or exists at all.

That’s why I was totally shocked when I read AccioBourbon’s Peterella and swooned. Edward exists. He broke Bella’s heart. And Peter is the one who wants to pick up the pieces. I’m kind of in love with Peter Bennett, and I don’t really know what to think about it.

But Peter is no boy. He gently takes my jaw line into his mouth and nips along the bone, traveling down to my ear, where he sucks on the cool skin just below it. A bolt of sensation shoots to the area between my legs and to my embarrassment, I moan. Out loud.

My God, I have missed this.

My hands move to either side of his head and I pull his mouth toward mine. He tastes like the amber liquid in my glass and I suppose I must taste the same to him. Our hands stay where they are and we do nothing but kiss. Just kiss. He pays devoted attention to both my top and bottom lips, sucking and gently biting, and then I take my turn with his. I move down to his chin and he tilts his head up just a bit. I push the tip of my tongue into that dimple I’ve been obsessed with all evening, just before I put my mouth around his chin and gnaw gently.

I guess he likes that because his other hand flies to my head to hold it in place and then his mouth is back on mine and his tongue is in my mouth and this time we both groan into each other.

Our hands are no longer still, and one of his runs firmly up and down my thigh. The pressure of that contact translates into the pressure I feel between my legs. With an easy movement, he pulls me into his lap. My arms go around his neck and both of my hands slip into the hair on the back of his head. I press my fingertips into his scalp and slide them up and back down, massaging, the silky, black hair sliding between my fingers. He breaks the kiss, his eyes close, and his head drops forward. I smile, pleased with myself; I think there isn’t a man in the world who doesn’t love having his head rubbed.

While I massage his head, Peter’s hands continue to roam, his thumbs moving over my rib cage to just brush the undersides of my breasts and then – oh god – I actually squirm on his lap because it feels so good.

I guess he likes that too. His eyes flash open and he goes back to kissing me, harder.

I shiver and he must assume I’m cold because he stops kissing me and reaches for his glass of bourbon, offering it to me first. I take a sip and then he drains the rest. He exchanges it for my glass and following the impromptu ritual, I offer him a sip before taking back the glass and draining it, just like he did. My smile must be silly and triumphant because he laughs at me and plants another kiss on my mouth. It’s a fun kiss but only for about two seconds, and then his tongue is back in my mouth and I just can’t sit still.

He breaks the kiss off and we’re both panting a little. He sighs, resting his forehead against mine, and when he speaks, his voice is uneven.
“God, Bella. …”

I’m not gonna lie and say that I don’t feel bad for Edward in all of this and that I don’t wish that Bella would give him another chance. But the fact that I am rooting for Peter should tell you something. He’s a grown-up, with boyish charm. He’s sensible, yet romantic and soooo hot. He helps Bella be the best person that she can be. And frankly, I can’t get enough of him.

[dcs_p][/dcs_p]