http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5440859/1/Expectations_and_Other_Moving_Pieces
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=8387

Official Description: Everything I had done in my life seemed to lead up to this moment. The moment when I found myself bound inextricably to a man I didn’t love, trapped in a life I didn’t want. And if I left him, I would be entirely alone.

–
aciepey says: “Expectations and Other Moving Pieces” by chrometurtle is my current obsession. It is not a fluff filled ride on the happy train, though, people. We gots angst. Lots and lots of angst. We are given a freshly widowed Esme, an Edward who has nothing but nastiness to say to his wife, Bella, and a mysterious past between the two. After the first couple of chapters, you are wondering, “Okay, chrometurtle, how in the hell are you going to pull a HEA outta this steaming pile of hurt?” And like the trusting soul I am, I place my hand in hers and keep reading.

Edward and Bella are peacelessly coexisting in New York when Edward gets the call that Carlisle has died. It is evident that their marriage is loveless, but for some reason, they feel compelled to keep up the charade. The rest of Edward’s family has had minimal contact with Bella, but believe that all is well with the couple. After enduring the funeral, Edward decides that the couple will relocate to Colorado to be near his family again. We are given flashbacks to when Edward and Bella first met, when Bella turns down his offer of a date because she has a boyfriend, Jacob. As fate would have it, their paths cross again, and a friendship forms between Bella, Jake, and Edward. It goes downhill from there, folks. But not in your typical fanfiction way. There are still secrets to be unveiled. The rest of the clan has played a limited role so far, with the exception of Esme, who makes an effort to befriend Bella. Edward is not pleased with this. At all.

What keeps me from throwing the laptop in frustration about this story is the fact that it is so well written, and I feel like a fly on the wall, watching as the story unfolds before me. My sympathies are with Edward at the beginning. He’s a shy, awkward guy who sees a pretty girl and takes a chance and asks her out. When she shoots him down, you feel bad for him, and when they reconnect, you can’t help feeling that love will win out. But something has happened in between that reconnection and present day that makes that happily ever after seem impossible. And we are also wondering why in the world they are even married to begin with. As the story progresses and she tries to thaw the glacier that is their marriage, my loyalties shift a bit. Sigh. Give me more, chrometurtle!!!

I often find myself listening to John Mayer’s song “Heartbreak Warfare,” thinking that it is the soundtrack for this fic. It just fits so well. You aren’t going to wrap yourself in fluffy goodness when you read this, but you will be wanting more. So I will keep reading. I must, because chrometurtle has crafted her words in such a way that they leave me wanting more, always. Thank goodness her updates are pretty snappy, or else I might just go crazy.

MF’er says: I’ve seen this mentioned so many times in the past few weeks and when it came up on our list of things to consider, I gave the first chapter a look—and I couldn’t stop. The summary is sure to scare off anyone who doesn’t (or won’t) read angsty stories because it tells you, right up front that this isn’t going to be full of fluffy E&B; goodness. But please don’t let that deter you from reading!

From the first chapter forward, the reading is easy and if you’re like me, that’s important. If I’m slaving away to get through the first chapter of a fic—I’m sorry, but I’m not moving to Chapter 2… This one was nothing like that at all, I ended up finishing all of the posted chapters in one sitting, which is a very very rare thing for me to do.

For the first ten chapters or so, you’ll mostly likely do as I did and sit there going:

“Edward, you’re a bastard.”

Or

“Bella, grow a fucking spine!!”

But trust me, by the time you get caught up? You’ll be changing your tune and singing something a little more like, “Edward, what did she do to you? Come to mama, I’ll make it better.”

I’m invested and cannot wait to find out what the conclusion will be in the coming chapters. I’m also praying that the author decides to do some outtakes and gives us some EPOV! (chrometurtle, are you listening? *bats eyelashes*)

mozzer0906 says:
Like MF, I had been hearing people tweet about this left and right and had it on my “to read” list for so long I decided to put it on the calendar. The first chapter is like a sucker punch, it is so unexpected. This fic is so wrought with tension you can feel it oozing out of every word of the chapter. After chapter one, I wanted to know more, after chapter 2, I couldn’t stop reading, and so on and so on. Chrometurtle really does an amazing job portraying the loveless marriage these two are in and the emotions that swirl around that. The thing I like most about this is how it shows these situations are not always as black and white as they seem on the surface. The author relays these emotions so well you will be completely entranced in the fic and realize you have read the fic in record time biding your time until the next update.

Kassiah says: So yeah, I read this too and can’t say much more than our lovely guest reviewer aciepey and my fellow Fictionators. It’s emo and makes me want to cry. a lot. Though I find myself constantly wanting to kick both of them in the face *gasp*, the story is extremely well-written, and I can’t wait to find out wtf is going on.