I know many of you, like me, have been on the Twitter, see someone tweet a link and click it. Of course it’s a total gamble, because we don’t all love the same things. Well, I can tell you that I will never be able to thank Jeanne (@einfach_mich) enough for tweeting the link to sweetandsaltyff’s one shot Unlikely Solace.
One of the beautiful things about this piece is that at first glance, it just doesn’t make sense. Even among slash pieces, there are certain pairings that are preferred, and usually Bella or Edward is one of the players. Taking canon and flipping the script so to speak, a wolf Leah and vamp Rose pairing may seem on the surface a bit of a stretch. However, I think that once you give it some thought, it makes all the sense in the world.
Taking place just after Rose has learned of Bella’s pregnancy in Breaking Dawn, Leah witnesses Rose’s heart-wrenching struggle to deal with the news in a remote part of the woods. I know I never considered the possibility that Rose had any other reaction other than vicarious joy. Yet sweetandsalty taps into much more visceral and painful emotions in the normally terse Cullen sister with such detail that I was immediately sold.
"I don't know how they all expect me to be on board with this baby thing! I mean, can't they see that the idea of having a baby around feels more like being slapped in the face with what I will never have than it feels like the 'second chance' they think it is? They're all just crazy. Heh, I mean Edward has always been pretty crazy but now they're all just jumping on board with this plan and I'm supposed to be excited? Excited about the new soon-to-be vampire girl that gets, oh, not only her happy ending with the guy who rejected me, but she gets a baby too?"
I don’t know about you, but that was an unexpected, and genius twist might I add, on Rose’s initial reaction that sweetandsalty incorporated. The other side of the coin never occurred to me, well because Stephenie Meyer didn’t shed light into that possibility.
At first, Leah isn’t sure what to make of the spectacle, but it resonates deep within her and gives her an odd sense of kinship to the last being in the world she would expect to. It’s her reaction and empathy to her mortal enemy’s plight that is not only surprising, but an interesting and believable interpretation at that.
“Something about the desperation, the purity of Rosalie's pain, felt too familiar, and Leah unconsciously found herself humanizing the being she'd only ever seen before as a dead demon thing.”
The normally bitter wolf is drawn to Rose and even more shockingly, comforts the distraught vampire. Despite the fact that Leah isn’t sure what to make of this newfound compassion, she not only goes with it, but embraces it fully, and Rose right along with it.
Even though these two characters are on opposing sides of the supernatural spectrum, they are in many ways very similar. Both are stuck with an existence that they did not choose for themselves, but are forced to make the best of anyway. Their tough-as-nails and hard-ass attitudes are coping mechanisms to the pain that both Rose and Leah feel about their respective fates.
The kinship is felt by both women, and at first, they simply find comfort being in one another’s presence in the sanctuary of the woods. Far away from their respective clans, they are allowed to just simply be, something that neither of them are really allowed to do. Rose and Leah share invigorating runs, enjoying the freedom of their extraordinary endurance and stamina, together.
Things become even more intense between the two when Rose saves Leah’s life . It’s clear that there are growing emotions and neither of them really know what to make of them. The draw that they feel goes against every fundamental aspect of who they are as individuals, yet they are both unable to ignore it.
Leah curled into Rose, still clutching her fist beneath her breasts, she scooted closer and settled her face into Rose's neck.
After a few quiet moments, Leah's breathing evened out. She pushed her face closer, pressing a soft kiss to the cool, smooth skin and then inhaled deeply.
Leah spoke quietly. "Why don't you smell bad to me?"
Rose's lips curled up into a smile. "I've wondered the same thing. About you."
From there, things only intensify.
"We are both part of a story that is larger than us. Much. I just want to keep this for awhile. You're the only thing that hasn't been decided for me by fate. You're the only thing I have that I chose for myself."
Leah felt the truth of the words fill her and expand through her. She leaned just slightly forward and closed the distance, pressing her lips to Rosalie's.
Rosalie seemed to melt into the touch as if she'd been waiting for it for an eternity. Leah's warm lips pressed against the soft, strangely pliable cool ones as Rose's arm reached around Leah's back, settling a cool palm against her shoulders and pulling her close. Their chests pressed together, Leah's breasts bare where Rosalie's were covered by a soft blouse.
Leah was suddenly highly conscious of her nudity as her hips instinctively pushed forward until her pelvic mound was flush against Rosalie's jeans. She broke the kiss and looked up, searching the vampire's eyes.
Rose looked down at where their hips pressed together. The desire was plain on her face as she drank in the creamy tanned skin of Leah's nude body.
I’ll leave that right there because, wow, you need to read that hot bit of yumminess for yourself. Have a fan handy though because, damn....
Really, I don’t think I can stress enough what a beautiful piece this is. Not only, has sweetandsalty managed to stay true to these character’s canon qualities, but she has developed a believable bond between two incredibly steadfast and strong women. Do yourself a favor and read this gem. It’s golden, pretty much like sweetandsalty herself.
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