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Whitlock's Girl brings you
Minerva-one’s Bittersweet Hurt was written in response to a LiveJournal prompt and explores the reasons why Carlisle chose Edward to share his life.
One of the reasons I chose this story was because, well, to be honest, I have so many stories on alerts and I have no more room to add yet another work-in-progress to that list. I wanted a great story, one that could be read in one sitting, but I felt that we needed to give you something a little meatier than a one-shot. So, I dove through the mess that is fanfiction and this is what I came up with. At twelve chapters, Bittersweet Hurt fits the bill perfectly.
What makes it so great is the way Minerva-one has woven her beautiful passages together to create even more beautiful scenes. One of my favorites is at the very beginning of the story.
Carlisle Cullen walked with a deliberate pace toward the hospital to begin his shift. He was not scheduled for duty tonight but he needed a distraction, on this night most of all. This was the one night of the year his human memories would come unbidden to his mind, and make his heart ache for the life that was taken from him. It was Christmas Eve and he was lonely.
How long had he led this life? He was beginning to lose count; the years were starting to blur together, but every face, every city, and every continent all seemed the same. Yet, each moment he could spend in the vicinity of humans helped to desensitize his nose, giving him some sense of control over the incessant thirst for blood that would always plague him. He chuckled quietly to himself, thinking that he might yet be able to prove to the others that living among humans was not an impossible task. It was a simple issue of mind over matter.
The air settled into a blanket of quiet over the city, heavy with the coming snowstorm. The only sound Carlisle could hear was the near imperceptible crunch of snow under his feet, and a few snippets of caroling now and again.
Turning down one particular street he had not used before, a light piano melody caught his ear - lush and sensual against the still of the night. Carlisle stopped to pinpoint the sound and heard another faint stanza emanating from the house two doors down, and he stepped forward in curiosity. There was a large gathering in the home, as lights burning bright in every room - probably a Christmas feast, he surmised.
The feast he’s stumbled upon is hosted by Edward Masen’s family. The sight and sound of Edward sitting there playing for his family struck a chord within Carlisle; a chord that moves him as nothing has for the last 300 years.
I was very touched by this story, but I must warn you – tissues just might be needed. Enjoy.
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And naelany brings you
Have I mentioned how much I love contests? They bring out some of the best stories, and digging through them is definitely a pleasure. Especially when you come across something like Walk In Beauty by einfach_mich, which was written for the Officer & a Gentleman contest.
Einfach_mich gives us a striking story of Edward and Jacob. Edward is the officer assigned to protect Jacob, a Windtalker. While Edward is supposed to be the one protecting Jacob, you find early on that their roles end up reversed when one of their missions goes awry and Edward ends up hurt.
Jacob has given Edward a nickname - Ayid, which he explains:
“It means chest,” he says, pulling his hands back till his thumbs hit his chest. “Actually, it means protection of what is vital to the body.”
But is it just the literal meaning, or could there be something more behind it? For that, you are going to have to read this story for yourself. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.
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We hope y'all enjoyed the recs and remembered to get those towels. If you didn't, well, you're on your own for the cleaning bill - we did warn you.
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