http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5241793/1/Elemental

Official Description: AU/AH: When the Swans return to their birthplace, Bella learns she is no ordinary teenager, and Forks is no ordinary town. Can she fulfill her destiny with the powerful Edward Cullen, or will the dark forces that threaten their families destroy them all?

Don’t miss Elemental: Of Air and Water, Scenes in EPOV for the winners of FGB.

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nicnicd says: Ever resisted a rec so completely, only to find that you want to smack yourself in the head once you do read it? That’s my story with Elemental by TallulahBelle.

I’d heard only great things about it from one of my trusted pals, but kept putting it off. Every time she asked me if I had read it yet, I came up with some excuse: “I meant to, but I got busy” or “I will as soon as I’m done with this one thing…”

Let me tell you guys—I am a jackass, and am kicking myself for not starting this sooner than I did. So, when I got asked to rec this, after professing my love about it to Kassiah, I jumped at the chance.

Sucked in before the prologue had even wrapped up, I blazed through the (at the time) sixteen posted chapters like nothing, so absorbed in this compelling story line that I literally ignored anyone and everything that I was supposed to pay attention to. My beta work fell to the wayside, my own chapter forgotten, my dinner left cold while I immersed myself in Forks in a way I have never seen in fic-land.

As the story begins, Bella is on her way back to Forks with both of her parents, who are still happily married, by the way. She’s lived a happy, normal life with them in Phoenix, and doesn’t understand why they have suddenly rushed to move back to the sleepy little town. She’s quiet and shy, in that way canon Bella was, but not so melodramatic, which I appreciate. They end up in a small cluster of homes, much nicer and decidedly…different than what the reader assumes Bella is used to.

Finally, we came to a stop in the circular driveway in front of a home that looked older than the rest. It was a large two story house; strike that, mansion, with columns that supported a second story wrap-around porch. The first story also had a porch with large French doors and dark green shutters adorning them. I could see that a good amount of the house was brick, but was painted white.

Holy shit, it’s Tara from Gone with the Wind.

Settling in, Bella comes to meet her relatives that she never knew about, as well as a few characters we all know and love—or loathe, in a few cases. A well placed (and, can I just commend TallulahBelle here for the portrayal of a SMART, yet still FUN character?) Emmett as her cousin smoothes the way, introducing Bella and helping her settle into this odd, strange world that she never knew existed.

There are a number of things I appreciate in a fic, but one of the ones I most adore is a slow build to the romance we all expect. Edward and Bella do not get along at first, and the readers are left to find out along with Bella why that is. Which leads me to another facet of this story that I applaud—there isn’t an EPOV, save for a separate outtake to a few key chapters. The mystery that surrounds his character is nice, a breath of fresh air for someone like me who likes a bit of intrigue in their reading.

Along the way, Bella learns that her parents are, in fact, witches. I know, right? My “The Craft” loving tail is squeeing in excitement, too. There is an entire coven of them who live in Forks, and something happened years before that forced Charlie and Renee to leave. I won’t give that away, because it’s central to the story line later and I’m determined to make you find out for yourself.

The relationship between Bella and Edward, when it does happen, is not something cliché or that’s been done a million times. It’s interesting and different, with little hints along the way of how right it could be… once they figure out all the rest of their troubles. One passage sticks out to me, and I’ve thought about it ever since I read it.

It was then that I noticed a strange heat coming from Edward. It felt like a languid wave of honey that started in my lower belly and moved its way through my limbs. It was subtle, but something I couldn’t ignore. I turned my head to the side and faced Edward, unsure of what I was feeling exactly.

Sigh—so pretty. And once you know WHY she feels things from him, you will appreciate that little nugget all the much more.

Seriously people, read this. This is an entirely compelling story, with a great hint of drama lurking in the wings. And one that, if you are not reading, you are missing out on. I know I was. But I have learned the error of my ways, and I’m happier for that.