Fran's Pick - Prey By: realeyesfantasize

Fics for you!

Behind a painted smile lies secrets many wish to keep. A modern nightmare. Warning: drug use and sexual situations some might find uncomfortable.



The summary says it all ... or does it?

Bella moves in next to the Cullens. Phil is Bella’s stepfather, he’s a senator, and Ed Sr, Edward’s dad, is his campaign manager. Phil is running for re-election.
Edward has a gut reaction that something is amiss with Bella. He sees her actions as destructive. He wants to know why...he becomes curious as to what is happening.



The sun beats down on us, baking my skin. I'm already baked, like Lays.

"I see you," I repeat, lips softly pressing the words forward. They come out breathy, dreamy. My smile stretches, gets trapped under my front teeth. Lashes flutter close, covering dilated pupils as my body folds and uncoils in a lazy cat stretch.

"You didn't use sunscreen, did you?" His fingers gently press the skin on my warm shoulders. A giggle bubbles up from my gut. Head shaking, I twist myself until I'm pressed against his warm chest.

"Nobody wears that stuff."

His answering laugh is soft, exasperated. "I should take you home."

My eyes are open now. He's staring down at me, propped up on his elbow. Light filters down through the gaps in his soft, sun-bleached hair. His eyes are like the ocean – open, deep, and so, so blue. "No," I smile, walking my fingers playfully up his tanned bicep. "Not yet."

His eyes sweep my face, tongue reaching out to wet his pink bottom lip. He wants to kiss me. I want him to, too. My hand curves around the back of his neck, fingers tangling in salt-stiff tresses. "Someone might see," his words say worry, his eyes say want.

I pull him closer, lifting my chest to press against his. "I don't care."

His sigh is heavy against my lips. I can practically taste the mint he ate earlier. "I can get into a lot of trouble for this." He knows this, yet he's still leaning over me, staring at my mouth, my chest, my legs. I've already won.

"It's just a kiss, Jasper." I reason, shifting my face so our noses touch. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

He gives in. Our mouths fuse together in a warm, salty kiss. The first one is gentle, apprehensive. The second is hungry. I'm gathered into his arms and held against his chest as he consumes me.

"You're trouble," he pants against my mouth. I am. He knows this. Basically, the whole school knows it.

'A senior has no business with a sophomore,' Riley – my older brother by two years – always tells me. He's heard the rumors, the whisperings. He knows it's all true, though he does try to prevent it from happening. He has threatened to pummel any guy that touches me. Although wary of potential bodily harm, I have been touched… many times.

"Please," I gasp into Jasper's mouth, "touch me."

His soft hands curl into fists against my back. "Not here," he murmurs against my mouth. Seconds later, I'm yanked to my feet and towed to his truck.

Seniors may have no business with me, but I sure do have business with them.



PS Not for the faint of heart. This Bella is self-destructive. But why??

Click here to read Prey.


https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12774608/1/Prey

Fran's Pick ... Stolen Heart By: aspire2write

Fics for you!

Captain Edward Cullen was serving his country. He had a plan - lead his team of Green Beret soldiers on a mission to stop a terrorist, finish his tour, and decide what was next: leave the Army or sign up for more. The new doctor on base wasn't part of the plan. Romance wasn't anywhere on his radar, but she may just steal his heart. Expansion of one-shot: Christmas Magic.

It had been hours since the sky darkened, but the activity on the dusty street had increased in the last thirty minutes. I'd watched four different men pass by, hurrying into the adjacent building from where we were camped out. Each arrived separately, scurrying by with their head down, only looking around seconds before darting into the doorway undetected. At least they thought they were undetected. My team had been here for the last twenty-two hours waiting for this moment.

The intelligence group had intercepted communication last week while monitoring local radio chatter indicating Jamil Amari would be in attendance tonight. Amari was the leader of a large terror cell operating out of Iraq, and we'd been trying to capture him for two years. Once the chatter was confirmed, my team was brought in, Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, Army Special Forces.

This particular apartment building had been hit by an IED less than ten months ago. The explosion killed six and leveled a good portion of the building. With no money to repair the structure, it lay dormant. Until tonight. This is what we trained for, why we were considered the elite.

Just as we were about to leave the square, gunfire erupted behind us.

"Take cover!" I yelled at my team.

Suddenly, a searing pain erupted in my right arm as a bullet hit me. In a split second, the team returned fire. I pushed myself up from where I'd fallen and grabbed my gun, holding it in my left hand.

"Come on; we have to go." Jasper pulled me up and pushed me into a run. I pushed the pain from my mind. I'd deal with that when I had time, and now was definitely not the right time.

"Captain, look at me," Newton said as he knelt in front of me, pulling his bag from his back. From his pack he pulled bandages, iodine, a small suture kit, and other things I couldn't name.

"I'm fine," I gritted through clenched teeth. It was painful, but I'd live. The bullet had gone straight through and looked as if only stitches would be needed.

"I'm going to do my best to stop the bleeding, and then we can get back on the move." He tore the sleeve from my shirt, wrapped my arm with gauze, and then used the sleeve to tie off my arm. I groaned at the pressure but continued to breathe through it. "Look at me. Follow my finger." I rolled my eyes, shoved his hand out of my face, and stood.

"Let's move out," I commanded.

"I'm fine," I said as I held up a hand to try to ward them off.

"I'll be the judge of that, Captain Cullen," a soft, alto voice answered.

Click here to read Stolen Heart.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12853489/1/Stolen-Heart

Fran's Pick ... Neapolitan By: CiaraShayee

Fics for You!

He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette bar-maid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan. Carlisle & Bella



He was the beautiful blond-haired stranger from the bar, and she was the pretty brunette barmaid who couldn't resist him. Together, they burned. Apart, they were cold. As cold as the ice cream trickling over the fingers of a little boy with strawberry hair. There are a million different flavors of ice cream out there worth trying, or maybe just one; Neapolitan.

~ oOo ~

Chapter One

August 27th, 2011 - BELLA

"Excuse me! Excuse me, Sir! You've left your…huh. All right then."

Bella picked up the wallet, looking up just in time to see the back of its owner as he left the bar. It had been a busy night, so she hadn't even gotten a good look at his face. If he came back looking it was pretty unlikely she'd recognize him.

"Hey Bells, what'cha got there?"

"Wallet. Some guy left it behind. I'll put it in the lost and found before I lock up."

Bella loved her job at Jake's bar but it wasn't exactly helping her pay off any of her crippling student loans. Everyone encouraged kids to go to college, but it seemed nobody wanted to help pay off the debts it engendered.

At eighteen, Bella had planned to own her own business one day. But at twenty-four, she was nowhere near that goal. She was currently working five nights a week at JBs, the other two at a grill down the street.

Laden with a mop, bucket, and a boatload of self-professed singing talent, Bella got to work on the floor, So lost in her duet with Johnny Cash was she, that Bella didn't notice the click of the doors opening forty minutes later, or the soft clearing of a throat until it was repeated.

"Holy shit on a cracker!" She gasped, spinning around.

So, something about Bella you should know; she was clumsy. Almost morbidly so.

With that in mind, it was no surprise to Bella when her food caught a wet patch, and her flailing legs sent her crashing to the floor, taking the mop bucket with her.

"Ow," Bella groaned, grimacing at the feel of dirty, cocktail-floor water seeping into her t-shirt and jeans. Everything hurt, and she already knew the phone number in her back pocket would now be illegible. Not that she was that sad about it; the guy it belonged to, a regular patron at JBs, was a bit too gothic for her taste.

"I am so sorry! I was trying not to make you jump. Obviously failed there, Cullen. Well done."

Despite her predicament, Bella couldn't help but snort in amusement at the guy mumbling to himself. She peered up at him, now crouching over her prone form, and tried – failing miserably – to hide the crimson flush spreading over her entire face.

He was beautiful.

Like, not in the womanly way. But he had the most artfully designed face she'd ever seen. A strong, angular jaw, covered with a healthy growth of dark blond scruff and a pair of oh-so-kissable lips – currently pursed in a wince. His nose was annoyingly straight, settled between a pair of piercing, gray-blue eyes, and a thick set of brows groomed to perfection.

In hindsight, attempting to push herself up on the wet wood was a dumb idea. With her brain scrambled by the stranger's closeness, this notion didn't occur to her until she was already careening back towards the floor; this time, taking said stranger with her. They landed amidst the puddle of dirty mop water in a tangle of limbs, emitting a series of grunted curses and groans.

"Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Bella whined.

"I'm so, so sorry. God, I knew I should've just left it 'til tomorrow. It's not like I need my wallet tonight, anyway."

A lightbulb went on.

"Ah, so you're the guy in the booth. Your wallet's behind the bar."

Dammit, why do guys always have better brows than me? Bella wondered idly, torn between wanting to smack this guy, ask him where he got his eyebrows done, and wanting to kiss him stupid.

"Miss? Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

And he's got a gorgeous voice, to boot. Fuck a duck.

"I'm good!" She chimed. "Sorry, let me just—"

"All right, seeing as I'm on top of you already, introductions. I'm Bella Swan, Finder Of Wallet."

He chuckled, the sound making Bella's stomach twist pleasantly. "Carlisle Cullen, Loser Of Wallet. And apparently, Menace To Pretty Bartenders.”

PS ... Carlisle IS NOT her father in law or anything like that. This is an adorable fic with great characters and one of the best Swan families, ever.

Click here to read Neapolitan.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12751061/1/Neapolitan

Fran's Pick ... Innocence By: Elise de Sallier

Fics for you!

Ignorance is supposed to be bliss, but in Isabella Swan's experience, it leads to unwise choices and unnecessarily tragic outcomes . . . and there is nothing blissful about either. (Previously posted as A Forbidden Love. This is a Twific version of the extended, published version.)

Period piece lovers, this one is for you.
Isabella is forced to flee her childhood home after the unfortunate beath of her father at the hands of that rake ... James Hunter.

Charles’ eyes flickered open. "You must flee to Worthington Hall, Isabella," he said between rasping breaths. "Before that devil returns for you."

"I can't leave you like this," she said, even knowing she must. Lord Hunter might be devoid of honour, but in this instance, she feared he would be true to his word.

Her father reached for her hand, his grip feeble. "Take your mother's pearls with you, but don't show them to anyone but Carlisle. He will keep you safe."

The bond formed between Bella's father, Sir Charles Swan, a military officer knighted for services to his king and country, and Lord Carlisle Cullen, the Duke of Worthington, had been forged during the war against Napoleon. The two men corresponded regularly, but it had been many years since the Duke had visited Swan Manor.

"Very well, Papa. I shall go to Uncle Carlisle," Bella said, unsure if she should use her childhood name for the Duke or if it might be inappropriate after so long.

"Promise me you will trust no one else. No one."

"I promise."

Tears blurred Bella's vision as her father's eyes closed, and his hand went limp.

Click here to read Innocence.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12887924/1/Innocence

Sharp Turn Saga by Faye Byrd

Sharp Turn Saga
by Faye Byrd
Available on Amazon

Sharp Left Turn by April Salter/ Faye Byrd is a story about what matters most in life.

Family

Follow Easton Wilder as she embarks on a journey she never dreamed she’d take. When she meets Tristan Ashby, everything becomes clear, and she knows what she must due to ensure her son has a fighting chance.

These characters will surround you with humor, love, and determination, as two families unite to make the impossible happen.


Click Here to Find Faye Byrd on Amazon

MOBWARD ALERT

In light of all the Mobward interest I've seen recently, I wanted to bring to light the fact that the stories listed below have all been continued from the We Love Mobward Contest we had one year ago.
There were 27 great entries and these 11 have been extended, and I know there are a few more that will be coming soon.

Duplicity Pen Name: Sunshine1220
Married to the Mob Pen Name: Tufano79
Lucky Girl Pen Name: DaerenDydear
The Next Mrs. Cullen Pen Name: Aliciaw68
Operation Nail the Swan Pen Name: Fyrebyrd
Killa saves the Bee Pen Name: ceceprincess1217
It’s Time Pen Name: Honeymoon Edward
Under The Gun Pen Name: dustybritches01
Crosshairs Pen Name: ericastwilight
Is this the Worst Time To Kiss You Mujer
The Boss Edwards's Eternal
The Celtic Wolf Pen Name: up2late
Cappo Di Tutti Capi Pen Name: MeteorOnAMoonlessNight

Here is the FF link to the contest ...




From <https://www.fanfiction.net/u/8713588/We-Love-Mobward-Contest>


ENJOY!!

From the FF Vault ... Beneath-this-Sky

Beneath this Sky by Bedelia

Reported by April Salter/Fryegirl

I'm not a very gushy person, but when I read greatness, I want everyone I know to have that same experience. This fic, gahhh, I have no words.

Author envy; that's what I have.

From the prologue to the very last sentence, this tale is engrossing, imaginative and intricate. You'll spend the first ¾ of it collecting all the puzzle pieces and making guesses over what the final image could possibly be. And let me tell you, it's better than all your guesses.

I know the usual way to interest someone in a fic they've never read is to give them an awesome synopsis, but I can't do that. You need to not know what you're getting into because uncovering it on your own is one of the most amazing aspects.

I can give you some mind-easing basics, though. It is ExB HEA. They're both human, along with one of the best Jessicas ever. The rest of the crew are vamps, and the wolves also have a part to play. Some might call it post-apocalyptic, but it's set in current time (for when it was written) with an altered past.

If you can handle a plot that always has you wondering what's next, writing on the level of pattyrose (and I do not say that lightly), possible tears and chills racing across your skin, then please, go read this story now! How this fic isn't a “classic” already is beyond me. And, please, review, review, review!

I'm going to leave you with a scene. This one stands out to me. It showcases the author’s effortless style and awesome dialogue, without giving anything away.

"How long is your break?" he asked.

Glancing at her watch, she frowned. "I have about ten more minutes."

"Would you like to take a walk?"

"With you? Um, I don't know."

"Just a quick one. Around the block, maybe. We'll be back before you know it."

Something foreign tingled over her scalp and trickled down her spine. Suddenly, she felt light and airy. A laugh sneaked through her lips, though she couldn't say what was so funny. Everything was right in the world. The alley was charming. Broken glass may as well have been gemstones, given the way it glimmered. The shadows lurking in corners were cozy. A walk sounded like the best idea ever. She couldn't sit still―couldn't contain the euphoria that pulsed through her like an orgasm.

Why wasn't it wise or safe or whatever to take a walk in the middle of the night with a strange vampire? She couldn't remember, not with all of that lovely darkness begging to be explored. Maybe Jake would be upset, but she could make him understand, couldn't she? If he saw everything through new eyes, the way she did, he would walk with them and they would be friends. He probably wouldn't even care that Jasper was a vampire.

Jasper extended a hand―such a nice hand. It was pretty, like the rest of him, like everything in the world. Before Bella could take it and tether her floating body to the earth, the hinges of the door let out another groan.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Oh, it was Emmett. A different Emmett, though. Bella's Emmett never spoke in that voice―so hard and rough. It was like listening to a freight train try to form words. The pretty hand vanished as a body slammed against the wall of the bar. Emmett pushed a thick arm against Jasper's throat until red dust scattered onto the ground: crumbled bits of the bricks at Jasper's back.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Emmett asked again, this time in a whisper.

Jasper's eyes went wide, as if he was just waking up. With that, Bella's good mood popped like a soap bubble.

What had he done to her? More importantly, if Emmett hadn't shown up, what would he have done to her? Jasper's gaze flitted to Bella as anger seeped in and set her trembling. No. No. How dare he? She wasn't going to end up as some vampire's midnight snack.

Maybe Emmett would let her borrow his hand so she could punch said vampire without hurting herself.

"It wasn't planned," Jasper said, "if that counts for anything."

Emmett growled. "It really doesn't."

Jasper's mouth moved in the same way Garrett's had on the day the visitors showed up. All Bella heard was a low whoosh that went up at the end like a question, but it made Emmett press harder.

"Yeah, and Rose does too, and you know it," Emmett said.

"I do. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Instead of shoving him back inside, like Bella expected, Emmett escorted Jasper to the end of the alley. Just before Jasper ran into the street, Bella thought she heard Emmett say something about Raiders.

"Look," Emmett said as he walked back to her side, fiddling with the strap of his eye patch, "you should probably stay away from him as much as you can. He's kind of dangerous, and―shit. That just makes him sound more appealing, doesn't it? I know I probably seem paranoid and over-protective, but I don't want to see you get hurt."

The story is told in third person, focusing on Bella. My advice. Don’t let that aspect carry any weight when you’re trying to piece it all together or come up with possible scenarios. Open your mind to all the possibilities!

Awesome side note for readers who like couples aside from ExB, she has other stories that I can't imagine being anything other than amazing. Some people just have it, and this girl does.

Run, Read, Review,

Fyre

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8396816/1/Beneath-this-Sky

Classic from the FF Vault ... A Crack in the Door

A lonely bartender on Cape Cod and a mysterious girl next door. Who is this girl, and why does she cry every night? More importantly, why does he care? Together they form a tentative friendship through a crack between their doors. Will the crack open wide enough to let love in? A story of intimacy, healing and hope.

As reported by ~ChristyWIX

I just finished reading A Crack in the Door, and I just adored it, from start to finish. It grabbed you right from the first chapter. A tale about two broken, no, not broken, just bent, souls that find each other. Just one of the tragedies they both faced would have torn apart most people, yet these two survived and thrived.

From the very special way they met, through a crack in the door, through their whole relationship, it was such an incredible journey.

The side characters were canon, yet slightly different than the norm. You’ll understand what I mean once it is read. The Charlie in this one has to be, hands down, one of my most favorite ones yet. Carlisle and Esme were so supportive of Edward. And an Alice who was so cute. The way Carlisle spoke to Alice was so funny at times. Mrs. Cope was absolutely delightful. You will love the side characters just as much as the main ones.

This is a must-read for any true TwiFanFic reader out there.

A Crack in the Door

By: jane-with-a-y

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8874295/1/A-Crack-in-the-Door

Encore ... Eala by Alyscia

Eala     

By ALyscia

Edward Cullen and Bella Swan have an instant attraction from the first night he walks into her pub. The mob boss and the enforcer's daughter have more in common than they know. Danger is the name of the game, but they must be willing to sacrifice their love for their safety. Will their secrets stay hidden, or will they spill along with their blood?Not that we ever thought we would end up in love. In the beginning it was an arrangement that grew into something that we don’t regret, but our hearts will never be the same. Here we are, fingers playing with our Claddagh rings. We wear them on our right hands with the heart facing towards us, showing that we are in a relationship. We’re committed, but we can never move forward. “You know I would risk the world to be with you.” I lay on my stomach, leaning on my elbows to look at him. “And you are my world, which is why I’m not risking it. I can’t live in a world without you. Saol gan tú tá sé cosúil le oíche gan réaltaí.” I try not to melt into a puddle of goo with his words. “Ceart go leor.” I’m not in the mood to continue this argument that we have had continuously over the last month since we almost risked being caught. “How long do we have?” I find myself tucked into his side, running my fingers through his chest hair.

This new story will begin posting on November 30th.

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1943278/Alyscia

RETURN!! ... Long Way to Christmas by That'sMzPeachesTYVM

Long Way to Christmas

By: That'sMzPeachesTYVM

One chapter of this fic will be posted daily, along with teasers until it is completed. Starting 11/25/17

She is brilliant and beautiful, and well respected at a very young age in her field, but she is all alone. No family. No friends outside of work. He is alone by choice, punishing himself for the sins of his past, but he has family to give him strength. Will a chance encounter, and a daily trip out of her way lead her to the family and place of belonging she so craves?
Long Way to Christmas

Pentwater is a very small tourist town on the Lakeshore of Western Michigan, and only a fifteen-minute drive from her home in Hart. She had lived here for the last three years in her Uncle Charlie's house. She grew up visiting him every summer and knew the area well even before she moved to Michigan, intent on getting away from the constant heat and loneliness in Arizona.

Looking up, she saw the small convenience center that had been put in earlier that year. She had heard great things about the homemade pastries, chocolates, and house roasted coffees that were sold inside, and as she had yet to eat, decided she would take a look-see. After pumping the gas, she went inside to pay and was greeted with the most mouth-watering aromas she had smelled since her childhood—back when her Aunt Sue was still alive and would bake for her.

Thinking of Aunt Sue made her heart sad for a moment, and loneliness wrapped itself around her like a shroud. Aunt Sue and Uncle Charlie were the closest things she knew to stability growing up. She never had grandparents, as they passed on in her infancy, and she never knew who her father was.

She had moved back not only to get away from the heat of Arizona, but to find a sense of home, and Uncle Charlie had always provided that. At least he had been there for her graduation from Medical school and had celebrated with her when she finally reached her goal to become a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. Now she worked at Mercy Medical Center in Muskegon and was gaining respect from her peers and the medical community in general.
It was difficult looking at her life sometimes, realizing she was now thirty-five years old, and all alone. She had no family. She had no boyfriend. She didn't even have a pet because she didn't think it was fair to leave an animal alone for fourteen hours a day, four days a week.
She shook herself free of her lonesome thoughts, and looked around. The small store was homey feeling, and clean. As she approached the glass enclosure to look at the treats on display, her stomach grumbled. She heard a soft, deep chuckle from behind the counter at the coffee machine.

As Bella turned to ascertain to whom the laugh belonged, she was rooted in place by sea-green eyes. Utterly mesmerized, she didn't even hear the words being spoken to her until that same chuckle reverberated through her ears once again.

"Are you okay," said a soft baritone voice "is there something I can get for you?"

Bella blinked, and cleared her throat as she tried to pull herself together, and stop gaping.

Those eyes, Gah!

"Oh, yes. Yes, I'm fine." Bella blushed. "I-I was just looking at your display case, trying to figure out what I want to treat myself to."

"From the sounds of it, you haven't eaten yet," said the man with the gentle timbre and the beautiful green eyes. "How 'bout you let me fix you something substantial, and a cup of coffee before you dive into the sugar?" There was a twinkle in those verdant orbs.

She looked back up to take in the whole of the man behind the counter, reminding herself to show no expression at her perusal. She failed. Her lips parted and a small gasp escaped her as she beheld a wild crop of hair the color of a well-used penny, high cheekbones, sharp-angular jaw, and a beautifully anfractuous smile. He was quite tall—she estimated six foot two or three—with an athletic build. He was very handsome, and had a piercing gaze. She sucked in a deep breath, hoping that an influx of oxygen might help clear her head so that she could speak coherently.

"If I say yes, will I regret it?" Her face morphed into an impish smirk with one eyebrow raised.

"I'd like to think not." That crooked grin just grew as he drank in the view of her. He swept his eyes over her curvaceous figure, and fought to keep his thoughts in line. The last thing he wanted to do was to have to adjust himself in front of this stunningly beautiful stranger who had just breezed her way into his little store. He'd never seen her before, and hoped that she was not just a tourist. It was, after all the end of May, and beginning this weekend—Memorial Day weekend—the tourists would be out in force. He just hoped he would see this vision of loveliness again. In fact, he hoped he could keep her around for a while today.


"Why don't you go move your car from the pumps to a parking spot, then come back and relax at a table while I get you squared away?"


"I didn't place an order yet." Bella reminded him.


"Are you a vegetarian?" He grinned as Bella's face twisted into a grimace.


"What?"


"Are you a vegetarian?" He laughed. "It's a straightforward question."


"Um, no." She began to wonder if staying for breakfast was truly a wise idea.


"Are you lactose intolerant?"


"What is this, twenty questions?" Bella rolled her eyes playfully.


"No, but that's a great game to play over brunch. Are. You. Lactose. Intolerant? I promise this is not a trick question."


"No, I'm not a vegan, or intolerant." She blew out an amused breath. "I'm moving my vehicle now."


"Okay, see you in a second."


Bella looked at her reflection against the paint job of her Durango, and grimaced, wondering why the handsome man inside wanted to cook for her. At five foot three, and one hundred and seventy-five pounds, she was certainly nothing spectacular to look at in her opinion. She supposed that she had nice eyes, and a pretty enough face but she was no great catch. She reminded herself to just accept the friendly gestures. Friendship was all she could expect in her own mind. She never would have pictured a man such as that looking at her with desire in his eyes. She shrugged to herself, just knowing that she had misread his lingering gaze.


After the door closed behind her, Edward watched the beautiful woman walk to her large black SUV. As she approached it, she seemed to slow momentarily, and he saw her shoulders slump slightly. He was determined to brighten her day as she just had his.
There was something about her that was refreshing. She was gorgeous, and had a sense of humor. That was plain, but there was something more that drew him.

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3266949/That-sMzPeachesTYVM

Pay It Forward Christmas Contest!

What’s more fun than receiving holiday cards from friends and family?  Especially the photo ones.  Lordy!  

Sometimes they can be so adorable, the ones where the little kids are all dressed in their finery  ...

But, sometimes they can be hideous.  Ugly sweaters,  ugly faces, ridiculous backgrounds.

We thought we might be able to have some fun with the idea.  So, this is our way of presenting our very first, Pay It Forward, Decemberward Contest.

Submit to us a photo you think depicts the way our very own Edward Cullen would be celebrating the December holidays. He could be single, with a date or with his family and friends.   Inside, outside, home or away.  Use your imagination and make him the best you can.

He can be Winterward, Holidayward, Decemberward, etc. 

Let’s have fun.  

Entries submitted no later than Dec 20th.

Winners announced December 25th 

There will be 3 Amazon Gift Cards awarded to 3 winners.  
Judges to be announced in the group. 

Each entry must have a photo on the front along with a caption or short story tying it together.  

   

Published! .... Sharp Left Turn by April Slater

Sharp Left Turn (Sharp Turn Saga)   By our very own April Salter  

In an instant, your life can take a Sharp Left Turn. Lives will be shattered, including your own.In separate cities, worlds apart, a silent storm is brewing. For the past three years, two families have lived a devastating lie, and they're completely unaware.

Available on AMAZON.COM
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076SDLD4J/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_t2_mvWeAbYFTAZWM

Encore ... A Christmas Tale by Rat19

A Christmas Tale

    by Rat19

Follow Bella and Edward from childhood into adulthood.  A story about learning to be friends, first love, second chances, and compassion. A bit drama and bit sweet, revolving around the holidays over a fifteen-year span.  

Since they’re still so young, people think they exaggerate when Bella and Edward say they’ve known each other for decades. Edward always used to tell the story, but she would need to try this time.

Christmas 1998 – Frosty the Snowman

Their parents were great friends in the small town of Forks, a small dot on the Washington State map that only appeared on Google MapsTM once you zoomed in. Esme and Carlisle Cullen were the reputable doctors in the area. They had achieved their two point five kids and ‘white-picket fence’ dream and were now living an entertaining life, or as much as you could be in that little town. Bella’s parents, Renee and Charlie Swan, were the quintessential average American family, with barbecues and burgers, beer and television shows.

Even at the young age of ten, it was amazing for Bella to observe the interaction between Dr. Cullen, who was currently sipping a canned beer, and Charlie, who was listening intently to the former’s dialogue regarding his extensive stamp collection, simply nodding from time to time. In the kitchen, Esme was putting the last touches to her Christmas pudding while Renee was loudly praising her in the background.

The actual dinner, was, for all intents and purposes, a disaster. The reason why was the presence of the two monsters (or at least that’s how they appeared in Bella’s mind) - Emmett and Edward Cullen. In comparison, their younger sister, Alice, was kind of cute, and maybe in a parallel universe, they would be friends. But Bella had to keep up her guard. The younger boy, Edward, who was about her age, was shooting daggers at her.

“Oh, boys,  Esme started, “I’d like to introduce you to some very good friends of ours, and their lovely daughter, Bella.”

“It’s actually Isa … bella,” she stuttered through her name.

“Mom, she doesn’t even know her own name!” Edward was smirking.

He was arrogant, conceited and much too pretty for his own good.

She was painfully shy, soft-spoken and clumsy, in action and speech.

“Edward, don’t be rude! Especially since you are going to be classmates soon.” Esme interfered.  “I’d love for Edward and Bella to get better acquainted.”

While the news seemed to excite Emmett and Alice, Edward became confrontational and was fighting it. “I can’t believe you want me to be friends with this church mouse!”

All eyes were on her now.

They were all taken aback by the remark and gasped until Emmett started laughing, then Charlie, and eventually they all joined in.

Bella was the only one standing there with her beet-red cheeks, holding her breath and murmuring, “Well;  I guess now I know what the Grinch looks like…”

This story will begin posting on Dec 15.

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/9418511/rat19