Meet the Poll- What we're reading in TLS this week:

Each week we share with you what we are reading and enjoying. The following
made the top of our lists last week. Please help us determine which 5 of
these will be featured as fics of the week, next week, by choosing FIVE
from the poll on the right!

CLICK HERE TO BE DIRECTED TO FLASH FIC FRIDAY

Accidentally in Love by Missus T-rec'd by Six Dlb5
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7778961/1/Accidentally-in-Love
A personal ad for a fake fiancée leads to something they never expected.
Two lonely souls discover that faking it might be the best thing that
ever happened to them. ExB AH Rated M

By Way of Sorrow by Jaxington-rec'd by Evilnat
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8612085/1/By-Way-of-Sorrow
Bella Cullen has spent the last ninety-five years giving everything to protect her family and mourning the loss of her long dead human husband. A trip to Alaska to meet Tanya's latest romantic interest changes everything. The vampire she meets there has his face, his hair, and his body, but not his memories. It's a strange new world. Rated M

Caged Skylark by QuinnLark-rec'd by Evilnat
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8786875/1/Caged-Skylark
Broken Wings Chronicles #1 Journalist Bella Swan is assigned to work with the new guy, Jacob Black, on her own entertainment featured article. There is no way she can turn it down; it's the dream of a lifetime. However, Bella didn't bargain for the beautiful man she would work with, nor Edward—the sexy lead singer of the band they are to follow. Will she fly or come crashing down? Rated M

Cowboys and Angels by JamesRamsey-rec'd by Six Dlb5
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8613285/1/Cowboys-and-Angels
It's not a hobby, it's a way of life. Life in the Rodeo is a circus and
sometimes it feels a bit like a soap opera. Jasper knows his friend
needs to be distracted after the death of his father, riding the rodeo
will be just the thing he needs. When Alice's long lost best-friend
returns from the north with problems of her own, will the two of them be
just what the other needs? AH/AU Rated M

Cracked Marble by Sanguinescriptor-rec'd by Misty H/Six Dlb5
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8792665/1/
Our skin is ice cold and hard like diamonds, but we are flawed. Fine
lines where we should complete each other are empty. We are like cracked
marble, but can we put ourselves back together after all this time? For
almost a century, Edward and Bella have lived a life that neither
imagined. Can an unexpected reunion in Forks repair it all? ExB/AU/OCs/M
- for vampire violence Rated M

Departures by TheFicChick-rec'd by Shana Bowe/Nic
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8625604/1/Departures
"Every day for the rest of my life, I will wonder how kissing a virtual stranger goodbye could have felt like a hello." Rated M

Paying For Your Sins by ConstantRambling-rec'd by Sunflower Fanfic
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8335205/1/Paying-For-Your-Sins
Edward is an alcoholic. Bella is terrified of the rain. She never wanted him like this but she's willing to take whatever he'll give her, even if it kills her. - AH. Rated M. Warning: not for the light hearted. OOC. Rated M

Point of No Return by NeedMyFix-rec'd by Sunflower Fanfic
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8690641/1/Point-of-No-Return
"Nothing, Edward. Not a word. You broke my trust and completely shattered me in the process. It's left us at a point of no return." There's always a reason why people do what they do. There's always another side to the story. Rated M

Press End Call by Twentyfourth and vine-rec'd by Nic
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8943137/1/Press-end-call
He calls, she answers. He says he's not ringing from home. She's sure he
hasn't given her his real name, but she hasn't given him hers, either.
These things don't matter - she's just going to tell him a story.

Rubbish by Belladonnacullen-rec'd by Edmazing
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6763895/1/Rubbish
Trash. Dirty. Filthy. Late nights. Early mornings. Finally open your eyes to see Edward staring back. It's hard to remember to take out the trash when you're a high-class hooker. Do you need help cleaning house? Let the garbage collector do it. Rated M

Stay by Fictionfreak95-rec'd by Edmazing
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8767352/1/Stay
Sometimes a blast from your past is exactly what you need to ignite your future. AH, BxE. Rated M

The Right Guy by ThatEnglishWriter-rec'd by Shana Bowe
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8736905/1/The-Right-Guy
Bella always finds the wrong guy. The one who can't satisfy her, ahem, needs. The one who really wants her best friend, Rosalie. But even if she never finds the Right Guy, there's always a glass of wine and the sympathetic ear of Edward, her faithful barman. Rated M

Ties That Bind by EmmalynnMarie21-rec'd by Misty H/Nic
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9410800/1/Ties-That-Bind
"Car wreck, girl pinned, expect casualties!" The lieutenant shouted as the men raced to the trucks. Fireman Edward Cullen and his crew receive a call on a cold October night that will change their lives forever. All human, AU, cannon pairings. Rated M for adult content. Rated M

To Destroy by Walkingwithgiants-rec'd by Evilnat
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7493279/1/To-Destroy
In the words of Abe Lincoln, "The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend." Bella works for a man that makes her teeth grind. "My boss is an asshole," she cried. Rated M

When We Drove All Night by Smellyia-rec'd by Six Dlb5
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4542521/1/When-We-Drove-All-Night
He watched and was there whenever she needed him and she thought he was
something while he knew she was everything. She was brilliant, wrong and
perfect. AU-Human, OOC. Based on a boy. ExB

Flash Fic Friday is here!

JOIN US EACH FRIDAY TO SEE WHO'S FLASHING US

Each Friday a new prompt will be posted along with the previous week's winners.

How does it work? Each Friday one admin of TLS

posts a picture prompt here to the blog. Using this image, entries are

created by commenting on this post. Submissions must be 100-300 words

ONLY. No more, no less. The entries are then judged and we post the

winners here, each Friday, to share with all of you.

THIS WEEK'S NEW PROMPT

You will have until next Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST to submit your entry.

Picture prompt and judge this week is Twilover76

Please leave your submission in the comment section at the bottom of the post using this format:
Your name (use your Twitter, Facebook or FFN name)
Your link to your FFN profile if you choose to share it
Submissions will be judged on Thursdays and on Friday the winning entry will be posted here, on the TLS blog.
This feature is open to everyone, so come one, come all!

WINNERS CHOSEN BY PAWsPeaches

Thank you to all who entered this week, I enjoyed reading every single entry. Each of you embodied what the gif represented so well that I wanted to recognize all of you! I hope all of you have a wonderful week and thank you again for your words. Love, PAWsPeaches

LAST WEEK'S PROMPT:

FIRST PLACE:

@sparrownotes24

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/4244397/SparrowNotes24
Word Count: 300


“What’re you doing up here?”

Trying to breathe.

“I drank too much.”

“Me too.”

The bed dips. Your head presses into the pillow, turned to watch me. Our eyes shaded in the dark.

“I want everyone to go home.”

I never wanted them here at all.

“It’s your party. You can kick them out.”

“Yeah, but I feel bad. They’ve come to say goodbye.”

Don’t say that word.

You play with my fingers, counting my nails, tracing my knuckles. “I can’t believe I’m finally going. What are you gonna do without me?”

You’re the blood flowing through my veins, my heart’s beat. The air that sinks into my lungs and lifts my chest in a rhythm of your making. My vital signs.

“I will most likely die.”

You laugh.

I’m not joking.

“You will not. I’ll be back before you know it.”

It’s not enough.

“I’ll miss you.” Your voice is weighted with intoxicated sleep.

A childhood spent in each other pockets yet my words have fallen through a hole in the lining. They dissolve unrequited on my tongue.

“I’ll miss you too.” A whisper only I hear.
.

.

I wake and wipe the dust of the night from my eyes. You’re gone.

An impression in the crumpled sheets is all that’s left with the heaviness of things unspoken.

Curling against your pillow, the scent of rivers and bonfires stutters a weak pulse that fades with the memory.

My fingers are clasped around my knees, pulling me tighter to hold the pieces together, when I see it.

Your scrawl, sliding up the inside of my knee in black marker, jump-starts everything.

I couldn’t leave without telling you. I've only ever wanted you.

I chase the sunrise to give you my words before you leave.

I love you. Take me with you.




SECOND PLACE:

@GeekChic12FF
Word Count: 300


Seeing you walk into the bar makes my fingers falter on the strings.

You're more beautiful than ever.

My heart hammers against my ribcage as our eyes lock before you make your way to a table near the stage.

I haven't seen you in a month.

We've always fought like brother and sister, but this time was different.

I couldn't deal with your asshat of a boyfriend anymore, and you got tired of being in the middle.

Unfortunately, I was the one who had to go.

The small smile you give me makes warmth take root in my chest; I grin down at my guitar as I begin singing the next verse.

~.~.~.~.~

Removing my sweaty sock cap and running a hand through my hair as you approach me, I brace myself for whatever you've come here to say. We both said hurtful things to each other, but I can't lose you all together.

"Hey." You’re smiling.

"Hey."

"Great set tonight."

"Thanks." My hand rubs the back of my neck. A nervous habit.

"I'm sorry," we both say at the same time.

"You go."

"I broke up with Jake. You were right about him."

"Oh, that's..." awesome "...too bad."

Your familiar snort relaxes me. "Yeah, well. I really am sorry for the things I said, and...I just want my best friend back. I miss you, Edward."

Best friend.

It's now or never. This last month just about killed me.

"Thing is..." The skin on my neck may not survive the night. "I really wanna be more than just friends."

Your wide brown eyes shimmer in the low light just before you launch yourself at me, your hand replacing mine on the back of my neck.

Catching you is second nature. Hugging you again helps me breathe.

Kissing you...is everything.




THIRD PLACE:

@PattyRosa817
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1965286/pattyrose
Word Count: 300

Familiar

I flip the tab on the beer can and hand it over, taking a seat at his side.

“Tell me again what happened?”

When he’d called me from the club, all I could hear was Pit Bull rapping in the background.

He sighs a familiar sigh. Everything about Edward is familiar, my best friend since second grade when Mikey Newton snuck a caterpillar down my dress and Edward shoved a stink bug down his throat, instantly becoming, “My Hero.”

I’ve never been more than “My Homegirl,” to him.

“She said she was moving to L.A. and didn’t see the point in staying together. Then she admitted that she was fucking her agent. The confession was preceded by an “I’m sorry,” so I suppose it’s okay.” He shrugs and takes a drink from his can.

If his sarcastic streak is still intact, it can’t be that bad. I’m the one who usually mends his broken heart, yet I’m never the one who gets to keep it.

I trail a hand over his muscular arm, wondering how it would feel to trace the path with my mouth.

“Tanya was high-maintenance, Edward. You need someone as easygoing as you are.”

We open the sleeper sofa and watch a movie, falling asleep halfway through - also something familiar.

I wake to honking horns and blaring sirens seeping through the window.

Edward lies flat on his back, gazing at me in a manner that’s not at all familiar.

He reaches out and tangles our fingers together. “How long have we been friends, Bella?”

“Fifteen years.”

“Fifteen years,” he echoes. “It’s taken me that long to see…”

I know where he’s going. I know everything about Edward. I’ve been waiting for him to see.

Our fingers laced together, they mimic what both our hearts finally feel.




HONORABLE MENTION:

@TinsleyWarren
Words: 297

Getting into a fight always seems like a better idea before it starts than when you’re laying on your back licking your wounds and begging for no broken bones.

“Oh my god! Edward!” Bella leans down next to me, her hand covering her mouth as sobs threaten to escape. Her eyes pleading for me to be okay.

“I’m fine, just looking at the stars,” I force out a laugh as I see the guy that tried to feel up my best friend huff and walk away. He won the fight, but Bella ended up by my side not his. I can’t complain much.

“Edward Cullen!” She smiles as tears fill her eyes. I tug her down on the grass next to me.

She lays down and looks up at the stars with me, not saying anything for awhile. I know she’s organizing her thoughts, because being her best friend comes with the privilege of knowing everything about her. So I wait, I give her the time she needs.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“But I do. You saved me from a guy that doesn’t know the meaning of the word no. You always do E, even at the first house party of our senior year you risked social suicide to save me.”

I look at her and I know, I can’t hold it back anymore. My hearts starts pounding as I spill my guts. “Bella, I will always save you. You’re everything to me. I wish you would see the selfishness in my actions. Because the thing is, I really want to be more than just friends.”

I hold my breathe as she twists her hands with mine and gives me her secret smile. “Oh Edward Cullen, I thought you’d never ask.”



HONORABLE MENTION:

@bebeginja
http://www.fanfiction.net/~bebeginja 
Word Count: 300


She opened the expected letter with apprehension. One per week while he was away, but this one felt heavy. She had sensed a shift in tone over the last few weeks, but refused to read too much into it.


~ A Serious Request For My BFF ~

B,

This is my last letter before I return home. I just want to say thank you for keeping your promise. For writing me. Being away has been tough, but your words helped close the distance of time and space. I love you to death, like, literally. You know that, right? You’ve been my closest, dearest friend for … well, forever. You know me better than I know myself (that pisses me off – you know that, too). You’ve been my cheerleader, and my reality check. You know my scars and who put them there. You know my darkest desires and deepest secrets.

But one thing you don’t know is this: I want more.

I want to call you mine in the most complete sense of the word. I don’t want to continue knowing all these things about you, about us, and just keep it at that. I don’t want to pretend to be happy with what I get from you, and what I get to share with you. I’m not happy any more. I feel like I can’t love with my whole heart until I can love with the part I have reserved for you. It’s not fair, really. Or right.

I’ve thought so much about us. I know there’s more to our story, don’t you?

Have I ruined everything?

I know you love me, too. So, I guess I’m calling you out here.

~ E.


She stood frozen in shock, elation, and anticipation.

He comes home tomorrow.

He’s wrong. She knew. She’s known for a while.

LEMON DROPS: 7/3/2013

Happy Pre-Independence Day! The temperatures aren’t the only thing sizzling around here, if you know what I'm sayin'. We’ve rounded up five of the hottest summertime one shots around and I’m serving them up. Enjoy and please leave your gracious authors some love.

Xoxo

Mel

Bonfires and Fireflies by ImHereToReview
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6199892/1/Bonfires-and-Fireflies
Old crushes & lost time lead to true love and new beginnings. My entry for the Summer Lovin' One Shot Contest - FINALIST. Fiction M - Romance/Friendship - Bella & Edward - Words: 10,867

Chocolate Mint Crush by nicnicd
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7071111/1/Chocolate-Mint-Crush
Fluffy, toothache causing oneshot/birthday present for Nerac. New guy Edward meets a quirky girl who makes him take notice. B/E, AH, OOC. Fiction M - Romance - Bella & Edward - Words: 4,005

I Carry Your Heart With Me by Amethyst Jackson
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5143561/1/I-Carry-Your-Heart-With-Me
AU, AH, pre-Twilight. Bella volunteers to give Renee some alone time with her new boyfriend and spend the summer in Forks. She doesn’t count on meeting Edward, the sexy and soulful musician. A one-shot written for the Summer SmutDown. Fiction M - Romance/Drama - Bella & Edward - Words: 10,955

Out of My Head, I Sang by Little Miss Tightly Wound
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8514646/1/Out-of-My-Head-I-Sang
AH. What can you learn about yourself in one night? A college student and her best friends follow their favorite rock band during their Summer break, then one night she and the lead singer learn something about themselves and each other. Fiction M - English - Romance/Angst - Bella & Edward - Words: 10,826

Waiting Always Waiting by jennlynnfs
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5889882/1/Waiting-Always-Waiting
Bella's home from college for the summer. Her step brother Seth and his friends hang out at their house. Bella is reluctant to take part in their high school antics, but discover it's not so bad especially with Edward Cullen around.  Rated: M - Romance - Bella & Edward - Words: 12,203

It's @Edmazing's Birthday! Happy Happy Birthday!

She's our Lemon Drop queen and it's her birthday today! We want to wish Edmazing a very happy birthday and we hope all of you will too! Leave her some love in the comments if you would like or birthday bomb her on facebook and twitter... just celebrate Edmazing with us today! She deserves all the love for being a constant source of positivity and encouragement here... Happy Birthday Emazing! We love you!