And Yet So Far by LyricalKris
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8170355/1/And_Yet_So_Far
When he found out he was a father to baby daughter, Edward had to grow up too fast. With a baby involved, nothing is ever as simple as what he wants. But after he met Bella, it always seemed like happiness was so close, and yet so far. Written for FAGE4Twilight - Rated: M
Reviewed By: Kelly Clwn
As we start the fabulous story LyricalKris has written; Bella is intrigued and attracted to Edward immediately, as is every other girl in Forks High, but Edward and Bella happen to have almost every class together.
The new boy was in almost all of her classes. The one exception was Math. She was normal. He was advanced.
The summary for this story tells you everything you need to know, Edward who’s just eighteen already has a one year old daughter, since their recent move to Forks, everybody in town has assumed that the baby girl is his sister.
"It's so nice of you boys helping your parents out like this," Mrs. Cope gushed, grinning at them. "Not a lot of boys your age are interested in helping their parents out with little siblings."
Edward grimaced.
"It only makes sense. The high school lets out only half an hour after the elementary school, and we're going home anyway. Just a couple of good ol' boys, right?" Turning his face slightly to the side so only Edward could see, Jasper rolled his eyes.
Edward allows the lie, and tries to keep his distance from Bella, she unfortunately put forth her opinion on children early on and Edward quickly takes offense.
"Ah. No offense to your sister - I don't know her - but kids aren't my... thing." She shook her head. "I'm an only child, and sometimes I wish I had a big brother, but I'm glad my parents never had any other kids. They're so noisy and messy and needy." The look on her face spoke volumes. Babies could be so gross and annoying.
The light, sleepy look on his face changed instantly. Something fiery flashed through his eyes. Bella took an automatic step back because he felt somehow dangerous. He looked away quickly, his mouth set in a tight line.
Edward decides that they shouldn’t be friend’s, he feels a connection with Bella that he can’t explain and Bella feels the same way about him, so she is confused and hurt when he tells her that they shouldn’t be friends.
With Edward struggling with school, work, and raising a small child, Bella begins to worry about him, he is obviously smart but is struggling with homework and failing many classes.
She offers to tutor him and Edward reluctantly agrees, he is wary of spending time with Bella.
It is when she takes him his homework after he has been absent from school one day, that the truth comes out
Edward glanced at her warily as he settled on the couch, comforting the whimpering girl.
"You're not sick," Bella realized out loud.
"No. Elsie is, though," he said quietly.
"So you're stuck taking care of her?" Bella suddenly felt a flash of anger - red and hot - toward his parents. "That really sucks."
"Yeah," he said dryly. "What can you do? It's not her fault she's sick."
"It's not your fault either," she countered, folding her arms across her chest. "It's just irresponsible parenting! You're struggling in school as it is. Isn't it bad enough you can hardly sleep? Your parents shouldn't dump this on you."
His eyes flashed up to hers, anger making the green spark dangerously. "My parents didn't dump anything on me."
"How can you say that when you're here taking care of their kid instead of keeping up at school?"
"Because she's not their kid, she's mine. My responsibility," he snapped.
Bella felt like she'd been sucker punched. She knew she must look like an idiot, but she was staring at him, her mouth hanging open in a wide 'o' of surprise.
Bella is stunned, but determined to be a friend to Edward and they continue to get closer, Bella learns that Edward was seduced by a much older woman who is now in prison and that is how he came to have custody of his daughter.
Although it was a shock, Edward’s love for his child is evident throughout the story, and we all love a good daddyward.
Edward and Bella teeter on the verge of a relationship, however, Charlie is unsupportive, and when Bella gets her College acceptances and finds she has won a place at her first choice of college, he all but tells her she is going.
Edward and Bella have a conversation, they both have deep feelings for each other and Bella contemplates not going off to USC.
But Edward is selfless, he knows that the right thing to do is let Bella go, he has baggage and can’t afford to go to college or leave the little town of Forks and he doesn’t want to hold Bella back.
What if Bella could want him - them?
Quickly, Edward shook that thought away before it could take root, before he could do the selfish thing. He blew out a breath, tracing the scratches on the old desk where so many students before him had carved out initials or random drawings.
"You have to go to California," he said finally. "That's what you want. That's what you've always wanted."
She sighed, a slow, sad sound. "Yeah. I know."
We are now waiting to find out what happens when four years later, Bella is back in Washington and our favourite couple run into each other, things are far from simple, Edward’s ex is back on the scene, wanting to meet and have a relationship with their daughter and Edward has just started to study to better himself, so we are left hoping these two can work things out, perhaps against all odds.
Their feelings run deep, this is conveyed in every chapter, and you will find yourself rooting for them to get together.
The whole story had me feeling incredibly sorry for both Bella and Edward, with so many challenges to face, I wonder what is next, but I am so in love with this story, this Edward, this Bella and Elsie, Edward’s adorable daughter.
If you want a great fic to read, then please read this. I wouldn’t say it’s overly angsty, more drama, and there is a light on the horizon, because from the first chapter you know that these two are meant to be together.
And I am so excited for that to happen and to see how this complicated relationship develops.
Coming Home by Drotuno & JenRar
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8182137/1/Coming_Home
School teacher Bella sends a care package and letter to Army sergeant Edward, who is stationed in Afghanistan. They begin a relationship through letters, phone calls, and video chats. There's love, there's language, and there's adult situations, plus a strong, independent Bella and the Edward we all know and love. Twilight - Rated: M
For several months now, anyone who follows Deb (@Drotuno) or Jen (@JenRar) on twitter has been hearing about their collaboration they were working on. Well, it’s finally posting and let me just say that it was well worth the wait! Anyone who knows me knows that I had pretty much left the fandom, for various reasons…well…this story was what sucked me back in. This is the first fic I’ve read (besides Blind Spot by FicFreak95) in well over 3 months, and I’m SO glad that I came back for this.
Coming Home kicks off with a letter addressed to Edward:
Dear Eddie,
I thought I could do this, but I can't. It's too hard. You could've gone to Harvard, been with me, but instead, you chose to run off to play soldier. It's not fair. School is hard enough without an absent boyfriend to ruin my social life. I'm missing out on parties, dates, and events in Boston, and I feel silly without an escort. And believe me, I've had plenty of offers!
You did this to us. I begged you not to, but you didn't listen. We could have had it all. We could have married, had kids, and moved back to Chicago. You could've worked at the firm like my dad and your dad. It was what we were supposed to do, and you ruined it.
I need to be free to make plans. To live my life. I don't want to wait around for you to realize you left behind something special. By the time you do, it'll be too late, Edward. You'll be sorry now that I'm gone.
I have good news, though. A modeling agency has taken me on here in Boston, but I need that picture you have of me. It's the only one. You know, the night we attended the ballet together? I need it back, please. It's one of the best pictures of me, and I'd like to show them. So if you could just send it back, I'd really appreciate it.
This really is for the best. Maybe you'll see me in the magazines soon! Wish me luck!
Thanks,
Tanya
She has an outstanding personality, wouldn’t you agree? I really loved Edward’s reaction to this letter, but I won’t spoil it for anyone…you’ll have to go read the fic to find out what he does…consider it your homework.
This Edward and Bella are quickly taking their place among my favorites. Sarge is absolutely swoon-worthy and Bella is witty and sarcastic with a kickass sense of humor (my perfect woman js). Up until the last two updates our couple has only been communicating through letters and email. However, they just had their first Skype call in the last four updates. What happened during that call? Read and find out. The banter between these two is easy and natural; it doesn’t feel trite or forced. I dare you to read Coming Home and NOT fall in love with the characters that Deb and Jen have taken the time to create and share with us!
Coming Home updates twice daily, with an EPOV (written by Drotuno) and a BPOV (written by JenRar). Be sure to check this story out and leave them some love…tell them The Lemonade Stand sent you.
Cracks In the Pavement by VampsHaveLaws
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6765479/1/Cracks_in_the_Pavement
Life is never perfect, the cracks always appear. "My Polaroid would show the face of a girl who has forgotten how to truly smile." Even the strongest of dreams can fail to become enough.Twilight - Rated: M
Reviewed by: A White Blank Page
Cracks in the Pavement is the story of two people who have lost, but not forgotten, who they once were. A story about marrying young, so young that they don’t fully understand what marriage means. A story about love and finding out if it’s even possible to find their way back when the relationship is so far gone, so clouded in anguish, that it’s barely recognizable.
It is a story written with such beauty, such heart, that you will find yourself needing to pause just to remember to breathe.
The first chapter opens at a Christmas party, at a time in Bella and Edward’s marriage when they have nearly reached their breaking point. The setting of that first scene sits in stark contrast to Bella’s perception of herself.
My eyes eventually drift, finding the favoured colours of Christmas; greens, golds and more red. There is a precisely decorated tree in the corner of the room... again, its size is dominating. It speaks of cheerfulness. It speaks of admiring gazes. It speaks of a false sense of comfort.
Every bauble and glittering star that hangs from the evergreen catches the light, irritating my pupils like the flash of a camera.
My Polaroid would show the face of a girl who has forgotten how to truly smile.
Through Bella’s eyes, Edward appears aloof, cold even, but it soon becomes clear that the two of them are the same. They are both silent when they need to speak, they are both stubborn when they need to compromise and volatile when they need patience and calm.
So much of this story is told through Bella’s thoughts that when the two of them do interact, I find myself mesmerized by their words, whether they be biting, honest, loving or heartbreakingly sad.
"I can't remember the last time you told me you loved me... just outright," I breathe, words tight and strangled, his jaw tensing at my words, eyes watering as my fingers dig into his neck. "I've forgotten what it sounds like, what it feels like," I push out, my admission holding a desperation that pinches. "Tell me... Tell me," I whisper.
My breath hits his lips, his eyes my light in the dark as I will him to say it.
But he won't... I know he won't. Not like this. Not now.
His movements get faster, a punishment that is only hurting himself.
"I told you every day," he pants, lips parting in a groan as he slides further inside me again.
And I know, I know he did.
Their connection is so tortured, yet so strong. Their history, their patterns of relating to each other, are forever haunting them. There is no big reveal as to what went wrong in their marriage. Essentially everything went wrong, and nothing at all. They have been spiraling from the start, torturing each other both intentionally and by accident.
Each chapter contains a flashback to a simpler time in their lives when the possibility of losing what they have seems intangible.
"My favourite part of the day is waking up with you right next to me," he tells me, brushing the hair from my face as my heart beats, beats, beats inside my chest.
He swallows hard, eyes finding mine once again, holding me captive as light pours in from the window, highlighting the very tips of his hair. He's golden, and mine and I feel weightless.
"I know we're young, and people will no doubt think we're moving too fast... that I'm moving too fast," he breathes, "but when you find that one person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you don't let them get away from you—you take hold of them and run, because loving someone like that is the best feeling in the world."
I can't say anything... so overwhelmed in this moment I can do nothing but stare. Not that I need to.
"I want to wake up every day and know you'll be there when I open my eyes," he professes, using his free hand to trace the area above my left eye, gaze soft as every inch of my face is given his attention. "And I want to come home from work or school and pull you into my arms, because that's where you belong."
These small glimpses into their past make the present that much more painful. Their young love was so tender, so innocent, so pure. As their story unfolds, we start to see pieces of the current state of their relationship, with early jealousy issues and a lack of communication. They were then what they are now, which also gives the reader hope that they could get back to that place of the sweetest love.
This is not a plot driven story. It reads like poetry, with gorgeous metaphors woven throughout, giving the emotions tremendous depth and feeling.
Weariness settles over my bones, thick and heavy like an unwanted blanket. I grip my mug between my palms as the morning chill kisses my cheeks with frozen lips, shivers that travel up my spine and disperse like an electric current.
…
I never thought I'd become scared of Edward. He was my bright spot, my soft comfort, all butterscotch candy on the tongue. He was my safety, the one person I knew would take care of me, no questions asked, safety nets lined with velvet pillows.
But dreams are there to be broken, and mine have been dispelled, swept away like a hand through a cloud of smoke.
Reality is so much harsher: the rope of net burns, angry marks that get worse the more you struggle. And it's impossible not to flounder, the desperation clawing at your throat like that of an angry lion out for the slaughter.
…
Mornings bring doubt and despair; aching bones and a tiredness that seeps through my pores. I can feel it, cloying and unforgiving, all sticky toffee that adheres to my skin. And I want to shake it off, twists and turns and movements that scream of a gracefulness I don't possess; a complete contradiction to the heaviness I feel inside, lingering like ominous rain clouds ready to weep.
The amount of time these two spend walking away from each other can be painful to read, and yet the prospect of them finding their way is so addictive. You will long for their love, their future, and their life together.
I watch him walk out of the room, hands in his hair. The ringing stops and his voice drifts back to me in a muffled murmur, too quiet for me to pick up what he's saying. The sound of the office door clicking shut lets me know our time is over for today. He's not coming back.I stand in front of all that glass, watching the world going about life beyond, remembering I was not so long ago in its place, looking in.
My fingers and lips still feel tingly, a warmth of excitement left over from his touch. And I'd forgotten just how much I missed it—forgotten what it felt like.
Just like I've forgotten the taste of his kisses. And the feel of his breath hitting my lips as he moves above me.
The look in his eyes when he does.
Kind of like trying to look through water.
But there are a lot of things I'm also remembering: shaking hands and flushed cheeks, fear and messy hair. Happiness.
And hope... I'm remembering that, too. That it exists. That it can be mine. That it's okay to let it bloom into a garden of delight: bright colours and sweet pollen and sun kissed cheeks.
That it's okay to be scared.
Because love wouldn't be real if it didn't hurt.
And that's something I don't ever want to forget.
This is a story that will make you feel, so much so that it is physically painful at times. It will make you ache and cry and hope for things that once were. It will also make you smile so big that your face hurts.
Cracks in the Pavement is a brilliantly told, visually stunning story of a crumbling marriage. It is Bella and Edward at their very worst and their absolute best. It’s about finding common ground when it seems impossible. It’s about choosing happiness, even when it is the more difficult path.
It’s about a yellow post-it left on a bedroom mirror, filled with words that change everything.
I can’t wait for this story to complete so that I can read it in its entirety from start to finish. I will carry pieces of it around with me forever, because it’s a forever kind of story, the kind that doesn’t come around often. It deserves all of the praise and adoration it receives. If you have yet to read it, this is the time to start, to be all-consumed by the lives of these two people who are so real that you’ll feel like you know them, or that you are them.
This is the kind of story that makes you believe that the author must have lived it to be able to tell it so completely. And because I know she hasn’t, I’m in awe that VampsHaveLaws has found the words and the emotions to make it real. To make me so invested in this marriage, that it seems like my own. That is the sign of brilliant writing.
<3
Hydraulic Level 5 by Gondolier
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4931075/1/Hydraulic_Level_5
Critics hailed Edward Cullen's novels as "masterful" and "brimstone beauty"-a genius of his generation. To Bella Swan, he was simply the complex man who broke her heart for his career in New York. How does one forget her first love and the new woman on his arm? With whitewater rafting. Skydiving. Surfing. A bit of mischief and sweet, sweet revenge.Twilight - Rated: M
Reviewed by: Angie Love
Hydraulic Level 5 is one of the very first stories I read and it captivated me from the very first chapter. And who can forget Tony and Isabel or the Spoons Creek Vampires?
In Hydraulic Level 5 we meet one Edward Cullen who becomes famous for his series of books titled Spoons Creek Vampires. In his series, the heroin of the story looks extremely similar to the likes of Edward’s ex-wife, Bella Swan. Despite Edward’s denial of this coincidence, Bella knows in her heart that the story is based on her.
Bad news for Tanya Denali if rumors are true…author Edward Cullen and his ex, Isabella Cullen, are back on. Does this mean that Hollywood's hot writer/actor couple is officially splitsville? Both Cullen and Denali have yet to issue statements about the photograph, taken in Cullen's hometown of Forks, Washington. Rumors have long persisted that the former Mrs. Cullen is the inspiration behind beloved Spoons Creek Vampires heroine, Violet Vampire, though Cullen has denied it on multiple occasions. Denali scored the coveted movie role last year. Spoons Creek Vampires is set to hit theaters in November.
I’m pretty sure all of you are holding on to the part that Edward is dating Tanya. Indeed, he is, but don’t let that small detail dissuade you from this long, beautiful ride.
Why are Bella and Edward divorced?
Averting his gaze, Edward dug around in my glove compartment and handed me a couple of paper napkins.
"So you left," I sniffed, angrily rubbing at my eyes with the scratchy napkin. "You chose it over me."
The frost left Edward's eyes, pleading with me. "I didn't see it that way—my head was all screwed up. Right before I left, I tried to stop. Several times. And each time I tried, I failed. You have to understand how my mind was working. I believed I was protecting you. The very thought of dragging you into my hell was repulsive."
"But you just left. You didn't even give me a choice—you took that away from me."
After being divorced for 7 years, they are reunited for Rosalie’s wedding and the events that are unleashed during their reunion are not only fascinating but will touch your heart ways that you can’t imagine.
"There's more," Leah continued. "I found a change of address for Peter Togsani in January of 2003. After that, I couldn't dig up anything romantically linking Charlotte and Togsy. My guess is they split around the same time you and your man-meat divorced."
So Edward and Charlotte both became single in January, 2003. How long had Edward known Charlotte? If he'd been invited to live in her brownstone, he would have met her when we were in Seattle, especially if she'd ever visited Togsy there. Red hair…blonde hair. It had been dark, only candlelight. Was it possible that the woman I'd seen beneath Edward had been Charlotte? Horrible scenarios played themselves out in my mind, despite Esme's assurances that Edward and Charlotte weren't together then. Blonde hair could have easily appeared red…What if they'd orchestrated their respective break-ups so they could be free to date each other? The possibility made me sick.
I heard Charlotte's laughter ring across the beach and the cord of jealousy wound tightly in my gut suddenly snapped.
"Gotta go, Leah." I hung up on her protests and stormed back to where I'd left Edward, only to find he had once again settled into Jake's lawn chair. Seated next to him, in my chair, was none other than the blonde-haired, brownstone-owning Afghan Hound, her sleek legs curled beneath her.
Oh hell no.
She may have stolen Edward, the book tour gig, and very possibly my middle name, but I'd be damned if she was going to take my purple lawn chair.
"You're in my seat," I growled, narrowing my eyes.
"Do you mind if I sit here a bit? Just until I finish my conversation?"
Argh! Floozy was dead. "Get the hell out of my chair!"
"Bella," Edward cut in, "what's the big deal? It's only a chair."
"There's no need for rudeness," the hound added.
That was it. Screeching, I wound back, ready to do some serious damage to the Manhattan yuppie—even though I'd never thrown a punch before in my life. Edward leapt up and grabbed my elbows to keep me from tackling her, but not before Charlotte rolled out of my chair and into the sand, pure panic on her face.
"Bella, what's gotten into you?" he hissed.
I yanked my arms back and rounded on him. "Was the woman Charlotte?"
"What do you mean?"
"The woman you were a coke line and two pairs of underwear away from screwing in New York. Was it her?"
Charlotte's mouth dropped open and she spilled a small, disbelieving laugh. Several people on the edge of the bonfire turned their heads at my loud words.
"Bella, for godssake! Keep your voice down, my family is here." Edward placed a hand firmly in the small of my back and steered me away from the party. I stumbled along next to him, toes digging into the sand to keep up. He led me up to his Volvo and dropped his arm, staring down at me with flaring nostrils.
"Talk," he demanded.
Oh, flaming monkey rump, I'd nearly attacked somebody. I had never been in a real fight before. What was I thinking? "Charlotte lived there in the brownstone," I sputtered. "Togsy—the guy from UW—answered the door. Oh shit, I'll just ask it. Were you sleeping with her?"
"No!" Edward threw his hands in the air. "Yes, she was with Togsy. No, I wasn't sleeping with her. Bella, please be rational!"
How was I not being rational? My temper flared. "Rational like you? Leaving our marriage because it was the logical thing to do? Rational, like blowing me off in New York, asking your father put me on a plane home without so much as a goodbye from you? You couldn't even be kind in your note—just cold."
"What note?" Confusion suffused his features, which only fueled seven years' worth of hurt.
This is a fabulous story about great love, second chances, healing and forgiveness. Dive into a nice adventure and discover how two people find their way back together after so much time apart and so many obstacles along the way.
This story will show you how powerful true love can be. Did I mention that it's now complete? I guarantee you that if you give this story your time today, you won’t regret it.
Indecent Proposal by Pattyrose
Edward's heart was broken by the girl he's loved for almost a decade.
Drifter Bella wanders into Forks aimlessly one hot summer day. When
their paths cross, he proposes a scheme to get them both their deepest
desires. But things aren't always as they seem & Fate can have other
plans. What starts out as a game spirals - turns into so much more. Can
they survive their own lies? M.Twilight - Rated: M
Reviewed by: Mary Kitty Masen
I have always been a huge fan of PattyRose and her amazing stories, so when I saw that she had a new story starting, I couldn’t wait to jump right in. Indecent Proposal is 6 chapters in so far, and I am eating up every word of it.
Each chapter starts with a passage from what we are told is a letter that Bella is writing, but that is all we know right now. The messages are a bit cryptic and lead us to believe that there will be drama and heartache ahead, but like the title states, this isn’t your normal love story.
Bella is a drifter, moving from town to town, with just a backpack full of clothes, and a mind full of passionate dreams. She is carefree and doesn’t seem to have a worry in the world. Edward, well…he’s the complete opposite. He has just returned from Italy and is beginning his residency at Forks Hospital, and to top it off, he has to work with his ex-girlfriend Bree who left him for his best friend Mike, also a doctor at Forks Hospital. To say he isn’t thrilled would be an understatement. If his night couldn’t get any worse, his first patient is in the exam room moaning so loudly he thinks she may need life saving surgery, not a few stitches for a minor laceration. What he finds when he walks into that exam room will change his life forever.
The patient was moaning – pretty loudly, I might say - when I walked into the room. She laid spread eagle over the exam table; her arm covered her face while her long hair cascaded all over the place, splayed like dark wildfire across her shoulders. Her other hand tightly covered an area on her arm. I frowned and took a quick look back at my chart. According to this, she had a small laceration that might require stitches. From the look and sound of her though, I'd thought she needed life-saving surgery.
Confirming that it was indeed, just a laceration, I took a step towards her and then stopped when her moans turned into humming – seriously out-of-tune by the way - before morphing back to moaning and then to tuneless humming again.
"Um, excuse me," I said.
She quickly removed her arm from her face and lifted her head and looked at me through the deepest, darkest eyes I'd ever seen in my life.
"Doctor, thank God," she breathed, eyes growing wide. "Are you here to sew me up?"
"My name is Doctor Cullen. I'm a resident here and-"
She sucked her teeth; her Bambi eyes impatient. "Can we do the intros later? You need to sew me up stat!" She stuck her covered arm out in my direction and then slowly, lifted her hand, revealing a cut that seemed about two, two and a half inches in length.
But it might as well have been the end of the world, because she took one look at it and started dry heaving over the table.
"Cullen, was it, doctor?" she asked, looking up at me through dark eyes. I nodded. "Well then Doctor Cullen," she moaned, closing her eyes tightly, "if you don't sew me up right now I'm going to barf all over this pretty little examining room of yours and then pass out and then your clearly defined order will be covered in a mess of clearly defined vomit!"
Now curled into a fetal position over the exam table, the patient covered her face once more, and again returned to her strange vocal exercises – moaning and humming; humming and moaning. And then she added something new to her strange repertoire:
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger…"
What was she…was she…singing now?
Of course, our two favorite characters have met and things couldn’t go from bad to worse quick enough. Through their instant bickering and arguments, they find themselves in a somewhat compromising position…and who should walk in but Dr. Bree Tanner herself. Edward doesn’t know what to do and before anyone can say anything Edward blurts out that Bella is his new girlfriend.
"Why don't you introduce us?" Bree suddenly asked.
Every muscle in my body tensed. Alright, so maybe I'd taken this a little too far.
Isabella moved forward and stuck her hand out. "Hi, I'm Isabella Swan," she smiled pleasantly.
Bree studied her up and down, her forehead wrinkled as she slowly took Isabella's hand. That expression crossed her face again, the one I'd never seen before…
"Doctor Tanner, was it?" Isabella asked, her grin still in place. Bree nodded, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It's so nice to meet you, Doctor Tanner!" The shit was, she sounded so sincere.
And there it was again. Bree glared at Isabella and her face literally turned…green.
"Bree, I'd like you to meet Isabella." I cleared my throat. "My…girlfriend."
I guess I should've warned her, given her some sort of indication of what I was about to say, but really, I'd had no idea I was going to say that until the words were already out there.
Isabella choked, coughing violently. I moved forward quickly and patted her back.
Things only start to get crazier as these two try and stay away from each other due to their complete opposite personalities, but by some force, Edward is completely captivated by Bella and her ability to charm just about anyone around her. When Edward learns that Bella is on her way out of town to continue on with her journey, he realizes that just cant happen…so he comes up with a “proposal”.
"You really have no idea where you're going to end up tonight."
"Nope. That's part of the magic of backpacking."
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You said…you said someday you'll stop and get a real job, something that'll get you that trip to Tuscany."
"Yeah…"
I ran one hand through my hair while squeezing her arm with the other. "What if…I had an offer for you? A way you could earn more than enough money to get you to Tuscany, in only a couple of months. Would you stay then?"
"It would depend on what the offer was. Is it at least marginally legal?"
I cannot tell you enough that you must go and read this story. It has it all…Laughs, drama, sexy doctors, and a romance that is just ready to be explored more. And once you’ve read Indecent Proposal, make sure you check out PattyRoses’ other stories too. Trust me…they are all amazing.
Teacher of the Year by DiamondHeart78
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7197996/1/Teacher_of_the_Year
When Bella has a chance encounter with a sexy stranger, she never believes she'll see him again. Fate however, has a sense of humor. AH/ExB Twilight - Rated: M
So… I’m a reader. Like, I read. A lot. Maybe a little too much. Haha
And in between the crying and the cursing at the screen, one of my favorite things is to find a funny completed story that I can fall into from the get go. One that will keep me connected, smiling, and wanting more.
Fun reads that still have great characters that I can laugh with and care about. Put in situations that really could happen… only better than anything that reallydoes happen.
Boy, was in for a treat when I opened up DiamondHeart78’s story “Teacher of the Year.”
It opens with getting-back-out-there jitters.
Bella’s drug out by her high school friends for a Welcome Back night on the town. Or in the old converted warehouse that serves as the Fork’s area nightclub. Back in town and newly divorced and with a five year old son who is tucked in for the night at her parents’ house, Bella is ready to start living a little.
New little black dress. Nice enough to dress up or down. It's been too long.
Heels. Tastefully high, but not too high. It's just a small town club. Music will probably suck, and be about five years old. But it's a night out. And as much as I protest, I need it. Can I still do this? I'm twenty-four. I should be able to do this.
The night is predictably enjoyable. Shots, friends made through mutual dislike of the ex, some dancing, and more drinks. You know, the usual… until Bella spots Pretty at the bar and then gets him on the dance floor.
His eyes are liquid seduction. They draw me in until I'm about to hump his fine self like I'm fifteen.
Funny, it's been a long, long time since I do anything like this, and yet, I can't get enough. I don't even recognize this Bella anymore. I was something else, something not-me for so fucking long. And... Oh, what's that? Seems this guy's little friend is desperate to say hello. Not so little. Hmmm.
Oh yeah, there’s grinding on the dance floor followed by a mind melting make out session at the table. But before either of them can think clearly enough to exchange numbers, Bella is whisked away by her friends.
As fate and the gods of small towns would have it, Bella doesn’t have to wait long to see Edward again. Bright and early on her son’s first day of school, there he is. Edward Cullen, Garrett’s kindergarten teacher. Who wears glasses!
Their teacher-parent introduction is adorably awkward. Of course, the single moms and aunts with way too much cleavage for kinder are half of the problem. What they lack in subtlety, they make up for in laughs… at their expense.
Yeah, Edward’s got all the fake tanned and big chested women volunteering to help him in his room. But really, who can blame them. He’s tall, handsome, sexy, AND good with kids. And the wannabe milf's don’t even know about the kissing skills this man possesses!
But with him being sane and all, and being a single father and a role model in the community, he’s typically cautious.
What he can't control is the pull between him and Bella is. And the memory of that night. Between morning carpool, room mother duties, and both of them having the cutest kids around the same age; you know what that means…
Not only are you getting your recommended daily allowance of giggles, you’re getting crazy-fun amounts of UST!!!
He smiles softly. "No. I'm the one who should've explained myself better. If I wasn't so paranoid I wouldn't have invited you for a formal parent-teacher meeting just so I could see you."
Holy shit. Time to be brave, Bella.
"Maybe I wanted to see you too," I say under my breath.
He looks up at me through his lashes- his impossibly long lashes- as one side of his mouth lifts into the grin that makes me want to climb over the table and solder my lips to his.
"So... you don't regret anything from that night?" he asks carefully, waiting for my response.
"Are you kidding?" I laugh, shaking my head. "The only thing I regret is not giving you my number..."
His baritone laugh fills our space, making me look up and smile. His head tips back and I can see the scruff that shadows his exquisite jawline and his Adam's apple...
And Yeah, I kinda wanna suck on it.
And other things.
But one step at a time, please.
Hooray for sexual tension! And with short, but never lacking chapters, you’re going to be clicking next and racing to the end.
I can’t say it enough, this was such a fun ride filled with recognizable situations, but bigger laughs and an Edward you can’t help but swoon over and then want to climb. Take some time to enjoy the excitement and rush of getting back out there and finding it all; the laughs, the lust, and all the little things that add up to love. And please, please, please take a minute or two between the smiles to leave DiamondHeart78 some love.
The Agreement by GemGirl65
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7945391/1/The_Agreement
A virgin. An escort. A contract signed. But falling in love wasn't part of the agreement... AH, E&BTwilight - Rated: M
Reviewed by Jedigirl SC
In The Agreement, Bella wants to lose her virginity to a high price escort. She looks over her choices and chooses Edward.
A night with Edward is about having a fantasy, in addition to having sex with an expert.
After reading her application, he had put her on what he called the Enhanced Romance Plan. All women wanted some degree of romance, but a few of them required the whole nine yards: the very best flowers, gourmet food and wine, soft music, flattery and seduction. Many times, the fairytale was all they wanted, and sex never even entered into it.
He cherished the nights when he was actually attracted to his client. They were becoming fewer and further between. Either the women in this city were losing their charm, or he was losing his. But jaded wasn't such a bad way to be. Life had become a lot easier to deal with when he had stopped letting it surprise him so much.
Bella has felt shy and insecure most of her life. She thinks that losing her virginity to a professional is a good idea and will give her the confidence she needs.
Edward has been in the business for awhile. He needs the money, but he actually enjoys his work. When he meets Bella, he at first feels his confident, swaggering self, but while Bella studies him, she sees:
But her studies were revealing more about him, slowly but surely. Once her eyes adjusted to the glare of his beauty, she began to look for cracks in its veneer. He was human, after all. There was a flesh and blood man under that pretty face and impeccable Italian suit of armor.
His eyes were the first to betray his aura of confidence. They weren't as cool and collected as the rest of his demeanor. Their gaze was uncertain; tentative around the edges. Then his hands began following suit, agitating his hair with habitual regularity, making its disarray more and more prominent. His mane defied gravity; his eyes defied circumstance.
She realized with a start that he didn't like his circumstances. He didn't want to be here.
He didn't want to be an escort.
She frowned at her plate and wondered if she should call him on his bluff. Call this whole "date" off, and reject everything the exchange of money for services implied. Whatever his reasons for pursuing this line of work, she was now certain they were of necessity rather than choice.
They spend one night together and dread having to leave each other. Bella cringes that he will be meeting more clients as soon as she leaves. Edward wants to see her again, but he is not supposed to contact clients. At the last minute, Edward puts his day planner in her purse so that she will have to contact his agency to return it. Along the same line, Bella leaves one of her keepsake earrings in his room for him to have to return it to her.
We don’t know why Edward needs the money, but we are getting clues in each chapter. Edward seems like he is good deep down, and he doesn’t want to be an “escort” anymore.
The story flows like poetry. Even though they’ve already spent a night together, their relationship is just getting started and they have to overcome what Edward does for a living.
The buildup is great, and each update makes you want to drop what you are doing to see what is going to happen next.
Unrequited by Perry Maxwell-rec'd by Nic
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7446868/1/Unrequited
Edward left Bella almost a year ago, upending her whole world. What happens when Bella receives a phone call that just might shatter it? "Wait, Alice…Edward is dying?" I choked out.Twilight - Rated: M
Reviewed by: Purely Amused
I’ve been staring at a blank document for days because Perry's important to me, and I’m terrified of screwing this up. But then I realized one of the many reasons I love Perry is that she’s one of the most understanding people in this fandom, and she’d never hold it against me if I rambled my way through this review, which is bound to happen. But it’s okay, because she doesn’t judge or rant or rave. She listens and reasons and brings people together. She does so by being an amazing beta (thank you!) and by sharing her own words with us through her story, Unrequited.
I know I’m here to pimp her story, and I will. But first you must know about the beta, Perry. She does it all: grammar edits, plot consistency, character analysis. All with equal attention and skill. As someone who’s worked with her for over a year, I can say that she’s a great inspiration. I know there were times when I just couldn’t get something right. A paragraph or sentence was mangled, and I couldn’t fix it. When I was ready to give up, she would rescue me. She has this way of unraveling something that doesn’t make sense and smoothing out all the kinks until it’s fresh and new and so much better. And that is exactly what she does with Edward and Bella’s relationship in Unrequited.
When we first meet Bella, she’s alone and downtrodden. She’s gaining success in her career, but it’s not enough. Her heart aches for Edward, her ex-husband, who left her.
Edward has been living with a brain tumor, and Bella has been taking care of him.
"I'm going back to Texas," he began. "Back to Dallas. Back home."
"But Edward, this is home," I said shakily. I was confused; my heart started to beat rapidly at the realization of what he was possibly saying. My brain reasoned that this was temporary or maybe he was confused; he didn't really mean what he was saying.
My heart disagreed. This was goodbye.
Maybe it was paranoia – I hoped it was paranoia on my part, but the acid churning in my gut reinforced the reality of the situation.
"No Bella. This is not my home. This is where I live, but this is not my home. I'm not sure it has ever been my home." He responded with a resigned sigh. I couldn't tell if he was mad or frustrated.
His words felt heavy and obstructive, and my chest responded to their weight accordingly.
Breathing in deeply and finding the courage to speak, I tried to reason with him, convince him that we could move to Dallas together and fix whatever was broken, not that I knew what that was. Didn't he know that my home was wherever he was?
"Okay. If you wanted to go back to Dallas, and you were uncomfortable here, why didn't you just tell me? I can work from anywhere, and we can start looking for houses. I know your parents are there, and so is your brother, and - "
"Bella…stop. I said I'm leaving...not we're leaving." He ran his hand over his face and then returned my stare. His eyes bore into mine as if searching or maybe pleading – no, begging me to understand what he meant without making him say it.
I fell silent as I let the gravity of his words sink in. My lips started to quiver, and my eyes began to water. As tears fell, my trembling lips asked the dreaded question even though the answer could destroy me.
"Edward, don't you want to be with me anymore?" I couldn't even look at him when I asked it. Instead, I stared at my hands in my lap and watched as a single tear turned into a staccato of salty droplets.
He sighed and shifted on the couch, turning to sit side by side with me, his shoulder brushing against mine. Normally, I'd find his touch, his presence reassuring…but not now.
"The truth is, Bella, I simply don't love you as a husband loves a wife," he explained.
One day, Bella gets a call from Alice, her ex-sister-in-law, informing her that Edward is dying. She’s not his wife. She has no obligation to him. But she still loves him, so she goes. She’s not sure what to expect, but at the very least, she figures she can go to say her goodbyes.
But she can’t exactly do that if he won’t let her.
"What are you doing here?"
Frozen in place, I didn't know how to respond. What was I doing there?
"I asked her to come," Alice answered, holding her head high.
"Are you serious?" Edward spat. "You're a meddlesome, little – "
"Hey," Jasper interjected, stepping between his wife and his brother. "Watch it."
"You know what? I don't care," Edward said, turning his gaze from his brother's to mine. "Bella, go home. We don't need you here. I don't want you here."
This story starts out heavy, clearly, but I assure you it’s not all doom and gloom. We get bouts of levity with informative glimpses into their past, into the man she fell in love with. And let me tell you . . . he is adorable. They are adorable.
Bella and Jamie, her best friend (and my favorite depiction of James in Twific ever), visit the ER after she’s injured her foot. She’s just met Edward.
In my stupor, all I could manage was, "Huh?"
Jamie snickered from his stance over against the wall, as the doctor repeated himself. "I said, could you tell me how this happened, Ms. Swan?"
"Oh…yeah. Well, it all started because I threw angel poop at Jamie, and then, well, he tried to hunt me down…"
"I'm sorry. Did you just say 'angel poop'?" he interrupted.
He looked puzzled as I tried to answer his question, "Yeah, the white, fluffy crap that you use when moving."
He then smiled the most glorious smile I think I'd ever seen. "Are you referring to packing peanuts?"
"Yeah, those. So after throwing them at him," I pointed at Jamie and continued, "I ran away, but I got into a fight with a coffee table and lost, and hence." I waved down to my injured foot.
The doctor looked quite amused at my explanation of events. Clearing his throat, he explained the protocol I was well accustomed to with my perpetual clumsiness.
. . .
"You should be fine. Just try to stay off of your foot for a few days if possible. Let the swelling go down. I'm prescribing something for the pain should you need it." He handed me the prescription along with my discharge papers. "Do you need any help getting to the car?"
"I got it from here, Doc. Thanks though," Jamie interceded.
"Oh, okay. Be safe, Ms. Swan," Dr. Cullen said before he turned to leave.
Jamie got me safely in his car allowing me to hobble this time after my dismay at being carried earlier.
Once I was buckled in, I started reading the discharge papers, curious as to what he prescribed me. Two small pieces of paper flitted into my lap. One a prescription for Lortab, something I'd had before but wasn't particularly fond of taking. It made me drowsy.
I picked up the other piece of paper and felt my heart leap out of my chest.
"Should cherub feces prove troublesome in the future, please call: Edward." His number was listed just below his name.
Bella and Edward have an amazing connection, one that was torn apart by Edward’s declaration of non-love. But is it true? Does Edward really not love her? Has he changed because of his tumor? Or is there another reason for their divorce?
You can find the answers to these questions by reading Perry’s gut-wrenching tale, Unrequited. It may take you a while to find these answers, but I can answer the one question you really want to ask: will I love this story?
Yes, you will.
"Cracks in the Pavement" is just too angsty and feels so real. I agree with the suggestion that the author must have lived it.
ReplyDeleteHow can two people be so close and yet so closed to each other?
I cannot bear the wait between updates...