FanFiction Fridays – July 27/12

Hello everyone, before we begin FanFiction Fridays, we would like to quickly address the recent issue affecting Rob’s life, and say that Rob Attack is a ROB fansite and that we are truly sorry for what he is dealing with right now. We want Rob to know that we love, support him, adore him and respect his privacy. Therefore we at RA will not be covering Rob’s current personal situation. We can only ask that if you feel the need to discuss it that you please be kind and respectful to one another in your comments. Thank you, The RA Staff ♥

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Happy Friday, friends. I hope you all had a great week, I am on vacation this week, so I am handing over today’s post to our lovely Cared, who has a wonderful rec for you, and I promise to be back next week with several new recs. Please enjoy Cared’s post…

I Remain, Yours by Momatu

*banner made by Readergoof*

Summary for I remain, Yours: “Bella is unexpectedly given an antique desk that once belonged to Edward, and in it she finds a letter he wrote to his cousin in 1918. She responds and sets them off on a journey neither could ever have expected. Perhaps there are some things we aren’t meant to understand, just accept… Will eventually contain character death – NOT Edward or Bella.

Twilight – Rated: M – English – Romance/Drama – Chapters: 20 – Words: 179,891 – Reviews: 935 – Updated: 7-23-12 – Published: 3-15-12 – Edward & Bella”

We have all heard of people falling in love online.  The phenomenon is quite common now, you can google it.  Couples’ falling in love through old-fashioned letter writing happens too.  Wondrous true love blooming, when the boy and girl communicate in this way, live in different centuries, now that is not an everyday occurrence.  That however, is exactly the scenario that awaits us in I Remain, Yours by Momatu.  A 1918 Edward Masen corresponds with 2009 Isabella Swan and shows us the power of the written word.  It is a pleasure to watch the initially freaked-out Edward and Bella, as they enter into the other’s world so hesitantly with tentative steps.  See them gradually become close friends and confidants, and then eventually bear witness to them fall in love.

Sitting at his desk, Edward was reminded of his Grandfather Masen. It had now been six years since he had passed, and Edward still missed him terribly. Sometimes, he almost felt that if he closed his eyes and really listened, he could still hear his voice. Having previously belonged to his grandfather, Edward’s desk was his most prized possession. Made of mahogany with a beautiful green embossed leather writing surface, it appeared to have nine drawers with brass swan neck handles, four on either side and one long, shallow drawer across the middle. However, what appeared to be the bottom two drawers on both sides was in fact one double depth drawer. As a child, Edward had been mesmerized by his grandfather and the stories he told. He remembered his grandfather showing him the desk’s hidden secret as a child. It contained a hidden compartment, and they would draw secret treasure maps and hide them there. It was childish Edward knew, but he continued their game even now, after a fashion, by hiding any letters he wrote in there before posting them. As he did so now, he thought of both of his grandfathers and hoped they would be proud of the man he was becoming and of the choices he was making for his life.

Don’t you just love when Twilight Edward shares glimpses of his human life? I’ve often wondered would I fall in love as easily with human Edward or is it something inherent in his vampire nature that makes me powerless to resist him.  I love how Momatu has written her warm flesh and blood 1918 imperfect Edward so perfectly. He tries to be open and modern and indeed he is, well for a man of his time, although he lives by his values and gentlemanly ways.  Edward is a kind soul, a loving son, and a loyal friend; he is considered to be quite eligible by the young ladies and their mothers.  He longs to fulfill his duty to his country but upon the death of his father he displays maturity; he understands his responsibilities at home are now more pressing. He shows such compassion and gentleness in his volunteer work at the hospital, that you can tell he has the makings of an excellent doctor.  Encouraged by Bella, Edward displays courage against a bully and he steps up to become the man of the house.  Yet underneath the brave and solid facade, he is a normal 17 year old boy, keeping old handkerchiefs close to his bed *wink*.  He is a baseball fanatic, has a wicked sense of humour and has fun going to B&W silent movies with his friends.  On top of that, he is just crazy enough to correspond through a hidden compartment in his writing desk, with a 21st century girl!  Now I know, YES I can just as easily fall in love with human Edward.

Edward’s first letter from Bella

Dear Edward,

I found your letter in the desk. Your mother will be glad to know, you won’t be seeing battle in this war. It will be over soon, long before you’re 18. An armistice will be signed on November 11th, and all fighting will stop at 11:00 A.M. that morning. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It will become known as Armistice Day, and then eventually Veteran’s Day.

Become a doctor. Consider it your duty to care for those who fought.

Also, you may want to reconsider insulting the intelligence of someone whose name you cannot even remember. Some may see that as arrogant or hypocritical.

Sincerely Yours,

Bella Swan

Breathing heavily, Edward sat with his head in his hands, staring at the letter; he was so shocked, he could not form a coherent thought. This was impossible, unbelievable, and again he wondered briefly if he was dreaming. He had a very logical mind, but there was no logical explanation for this. His mind raced. His letter was gone, and in its place was a letter, addressed to him, from someone he had never heard of, who said she had found his letter in his desk–his desk, which was in his bedroom, where it belonged, at that very moment. He wasn’t dreaming; he was cracking up.

Edward did not know which was more impossible, the fact that this letter lay in the hidden compartment of his desk, where no one could possibly have put it, or what it said. The war would be over in less than five months? It was too much to hope for.

Whoever had written this had read his letter and knew of his plan to enlist and his mother’s worry for him.

Whoever had written this had also read what he had written about Violet Carrington and the others, and had reproached him for it. He had not been at all complimentary. Not at all complimentary? He had been horribly rude. Edward squeezed his eyes shut and groaned loudly as his stomach churned. If whoever had taken his letter showed it to anyone….. He couldn’t bear to think of it.

What was he going to do? Edward stood up and was pacing in his room in growing agitation when there was a knock on his door, and he stood there for a moment staring at the door, almost afraid to open it. This was ridiculous, he said to himself. He was afraid to open his bedroom door. Did he expect this Bella Swan to be there? He opened the door and their maid, Maggie, was standing there.

“Mr. Edward, breakfast is… Mr. Edward? What is it? Are you ill? Truly, my dear boy, you look all done in.”

Sweet sixteen Bella lives in Phoenix with her mother, she seems a little lonely, maybe even pragmatic.  She is a gentle girl but has a fun side to her nature too.  Bella is intelligent and was a model student until her head became filled with daydreams of Edward.  She shows responsibility, especially where her scatter-brained mother is concerned, and is a kind and loving daughter to both parents.  She is quite shy but well able and willing to fly to her father’s defence, when she deems it necessary.  Bella is also just crazy enough to correspond through a hidden compartment in her writing desk, with a 20th century boy!  In short, she is the perfect match for Edward…well apart from the glaringly obvious obstacle of course.

Bella receives her first reply from Edward

“You imagined it. That’s all. You had to have. You’re being ridiculous. Right. Of course. That’s all. You imagined it.”

After a few minutes, Bella calmed herself down and convinced herself she hadn’t seen… what she thought she’d seen. It was silly. It was ridiculous. It was completely insane. Did she really think she’d seen… what she thought she’d seen? Crap, she couldn’t even admit to herself what she thought she’d seen. “Right. Okay. You’re not crazy… you just… you just thought… you saw… something… you didn’t. Your eyes were just playing tricks on you, that’s all. Right… so… just… just get up and… look again. You just… you just saw the letter you found yesterday, and, and… you just imagined… Right. Of course. All that’s there is the letter you found yesterday and the one you wrote. You just…imagined… that… other one. Crap, now you’re talking to yourself, and if that’s not a sure sign of crazy….”

Bella took a deep breath and pushed herself up. She took a few short, slow steps toward the desk, trying to crane her neck to see into the drawer without having to go any closer. After several very small steps, she was able to see inside, and she stood, rooted to the spot, unable to believe what she was seeing. “Oh… My… God…. Oh, my God…. Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my GOD!” She hadn’t imagined it. There was a letter there, but it was not the letter she had written. It was a different one in the same old fashioned, slanted handwriting, written with the same fountain pen, and on the same paper as the first one. And it had her name on it.

“OhGodohGodohGodohGodohGod.”

“Breathe, Bella. Breath… Breath in, breathe out.”

I can’t explain it rationally, not even to myself, but it appears that the bond between Edward and Bella is so strong that it somehow transcends time. These two just need something physical to enable them make the connection and this is where the writing desk plays its part.  Reading the letters, witnessing tokens being exchanged and seeing their daily lives play out, was bitter sweet for me.  I could see them falling in love before my eyes, and that inexplicable pull taking hold and drawing their very souls together.  I felt sadness for their resignation at the hopelessness of their situation, and then lifted by their realisation that it was better to have experienced such love than never to have known it at all.

After several minutes, Edward forced himself to reluctantly tear his eyes away from the picture and to look at the next one. This was another picture of Bella, this time more completely covered up he noted with both relief and disappointment, and she was standing next to a man. She’s wearing the scarf and gloves! This photograph looked to have been taken outside a small church. On the back she had written, “With my dad.”

She and her father didn’t look much alike, he noted, but they did have similar coloring, both with the same dark hair and fair skin. He smiled down at the picture of her in the scarf and gloves he sent her and turned to the last picture she sent him.

On the back of this picture she had written, “This is me in the dress for my mom’s wedding.” At his first sight of Bella in this photograph he forgot to breathe and his heart almost stopped in his chest. Edward’s mouth went dry; his arousal grew and his trousers quickly became uncomfortably tight. The dress, like the pantaloons in the first picture, only came to her knees, her lower legs were again bare, and she was barefoot. The hemline of the dress was just below her knees but was a sheer fabric which hung an inch or two longer than the layer beneath it, giving him another near glimpse of her knees.

Edward passed his tongue over his dry lips, trying to moisten them, but it was of little help.

Not only were Bella’s legs bare, but her arms and even her shoulders were as well. Without taking his eyes from the picture, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. She was slim but had gentle curves that held him captivated.

But it was to her legs that Edward’s eye kept returning. Her ankle… the shape of her calf… Her perfect, pale skin held him spellbound; he could not look away for very long. 

It was not until much later that he finally went to bed, and when he did, as usual, he dreamed of Bella. In his dreams, her beautiful face was smiling at him, and she was wearing her blue dress.

Some of the time.

Edward needed several of his stash of old handkerchiefs that night.

Now, while I don’t want you thinking this is a sad tale, that there is no hope the twain shall meet, I also don’t want to give too much of the plot away.  From very early on in the story though, some undeniable facts are blatantly obvious.  First, Edward is in Chicago where the Spanish Influenza is rampant in 1918.  Second, a very handsome and mysterious Dr. Cullen is Edward’s friend at the hospital.  And third, Bella’s father lives in Forks in 2009.  I’ll leave you to get a pencil and join the dots.  I will say this – I believe true love never dies!

You don’t need to be a history buff to acknowledge how much research Momotu must have completed to give the authentic feel to Edward’s human life and his letters.  It’s the attention to detail that allows the reader to share Edward’s world so vividly and real events and people are included.  In her Author’s Notes, Momotu shares a mine of information about the period too. There are 20 chapters posted to date and the story updates frequently as the entire 50 chapters are written.  I Remain, Yours is told from both EPOV and BPOV and has a varied cast of interesting new characters in addition to the usual crew.  It is labelled Romance and Drama and believe me, that is what you get.  The author warns it will contain a character death but not Edward or Bella and the she has promised a HEA.

Go read – I know you will love it!

The author and story can also be found at…

Momatu on Twilighted.

Momatu on TWCS.

Cared

My favourite aspect of this story has to be the unconditional and irrevocable bond formed between E & B.  AllyVera and I talk endlessly of how special this kind of love is, particularly when the story is as well-written as this one. Between us, MC, AllyVera and I, we came up with this list below – all stories where you can feel that special connection, that love that will never die between our beloved Edward and Bella. This is our starter list – lol – as we know there are many more deserving fics that can meet this criteria, and we’d love for you to share your stories with us.

A Pound of Flesh by jaxon22

A Quiet Fire by Magnolia822

Awake In The Infinite Cold by Quothme

Beyond Time by Tkegl

Firefly in Summer by Primarycolors

Fridays at Noon by TroublefollowsEdward

If We Ever Meet Again by Pattyrose

Pure Revelations by Georgialion

The Family Business by SuzsPetals

The Art Teacher by Spanglemaker

Unplanned Perfection by littlecat

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I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Cared for her excellent post today, and I will see you all next week. Please share what fics have been owning you, and what fics you’ve read where you felt that E & B special connection. xo

Midnight Cougar