Random Rita ~ More Monday Mayhem!

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Evenin, ladies, and HAPPY NEW YEAR…seein’ as it’s still January!

With my first offerin’ of 2018, I bring you a variety of genres from high adventure to period romance, crime drama to high school drama and endin’ with a pair of supernatural fics with some intriguin’ twists and turns!

One of more of them should be right up your alley!(banner by MarieCarro Vanadessë)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12815303/1/Skyjacked

When the unthinkable happens on the way to visit her brother, Bella finds herself in terrible danger. More than just the elements are against her and the others as they fight for survival on a deserted island. She finds not only safety in Edward, but also her soulmate. Will that be enough if they aren’t rescued in time? Will danger continue to follow them?

Rated: Fiction M – English – Drama/Romance – Bella – Words: 1,982 – Reviews: 33 – Favs: 69 – Follows: 139 – Published: Jan 27 – id: 12815303

If that gorgeous banner is anything to go by, Sue has a real treat in store for us! So far, we just have the prologue but I’m already more than excited for her to start regular postin’ to find out what happened to land everybody in such a precarious predicament!

The five men we had last seen disappearing toward the horizon almost two weeks ago had not yet seen us and I was about to suggest we move inside the tree-line when Alice stepped up behind us out of the shade and into the light. 

“Hey, you two. Why didn’t you wait for me?” Her exclamation was loud, and at the sound of her voice, the heads of all four men turned in our direction. 

“Damn it, Alice. Don’t you ever notice your surroundings?” I whispered harshly. 

However, the damage was done, and the wide smile on the face I recognized as that of the leader, told me we were in a very bad situation.

“Both of you get behind me and move back slowly under the trees. Do not move from there until I tell you to, and if you get the chance, run.”

Alice, ever the ‘look after yourself first’ type of person, of course, did as she was told for the first time ever. But Bella? Somehow, I knew she wouldn’t.

“I’m not leaving,” she murmured. Wryly, I had to acknowledge that at least she’d stepped behind me, if nothing else.

Fair warnin’…this fic is not for you if you are in any way Team Jacob! The rest of us will enjoy the hell out of it LOL!

~oOo~(banner by FallingSnow Winter)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12778242/1/Passion-and-Propriety

There is absolutely nothing improper about the Vicar of Forkton’s spinster daughter nursing the badly wounded Viscount Masen back to health. Isabella is far too sensible to develop feelings for a man of Lord Masen’s wealth and position . . . a man who is determined to break the curse that has plagued his family for generations by letting his bloodline die out.

Rated: Fiction M – English – Romance/Drama – Bella, Edward – Chapters: 24 – Words: 75,089 – Reviews: 2,042 – Favs: 379 – Follows: 645 – Updated: 3h ago – Published: Dec 29, 2017 – id: 12778242

I just love it when a favorite author misses us so much they come back after years LOL! Elise has returned to us with a period romance you will find irresistible!

Edward was on fire, pinned down and unable to escape the burning pain.

The screams of men and horses rose above the heavy thud of the big guns spewing their deadly missiles. The battle for Arapiles, south of Salamanca, had begun well. The English-fired shrapnel, a new development, shifted the balance in the favour of the Anglo-Portuguese troops, but still their losses were great. Cut down by a spray of fragmented shell casings fired by the superior French guns, Edward’s cavalry unit was decimated. His personal demons—images of his men, his friends—swirled through his mind, their faces hovering before him. Then a real spectre appeared.

“We’ll have to remove your arm, Captain.”

The army surgeon loomed over him while the lantern above his head swung to and fro, in time with the familiar but unexpected sway of the ocean.

Edward felt steel cutting through his flesh.

“Not my arm!” he roared, struggling against their hold.

“Shh,” a woman’s voice soothed, her cool hand caressing his brow. “It’s going to be all right.”

His pride decimated by pain, Edward’s demands turned to pleas.

“Don’t take my arm. Please, I beg of you.”

“We’re trying to save it.” The unknown woman’s voice was soft, in stark contrast to the vicious pain radiating from his limb.

“Just let me die.”

“I can’t do that. You must fight to live”—the sweet voice scolded before changing to that of his father’s cruel tone—“but it would be better if you had never been born.”

Edward flinched away from his sire’s angry face. At least he had done one thing right, leaving no heir behind to bear the burden of the Masen Curse or hear such hateful words from a father.

Over and over, he returned to the war—different battles, different fields, but the sounds of gunfire and the smell of blood and death always the same. When it all became too much, his angel’s voice drew him back to the bed where he lay in his father’s room. How, in God’s name, he had arrived at his abhorrent location he had no idea.

Even if you think you’re not in the right head space for one…you will be for this one, I guarantee!

~oOo~(banner by HeartforTwilight Productions)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12742614/1/Eala

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?

Rated: Fiction M – English – Angst/Drama – Bella, Edward – Chapters: 9 – Words: 22,490 – Reviews: 367 – Favs: 317 – Follows: 608 – Updated: Jan 25 – Published: Nov 30, 2017 – id: 12742614

Good Mobward fics are a joy forever and Alyscia’s Eala is no exception, especially with a bad ass Bella chafin’ at Edward’s reluctance to expose her to his world!

A moss-covered log cabin was the last place I thought my dad would take me. It was a ten-mile jog through dense trees to get to, and it was easy to overlook and run right past like I almost did, until my dad yelled at me to stop. “What is this place, Dad?” I asked in awe.

“Repeat yourself in Russian,” he demanded.

I huffed, “Chto eto za mesto, Papy?”

“Now Italian.”

“Cos’è questo posto, Papà?” I knew before he asked, so I repeated the phrase one last time in Gaelic. “Cad é an áit seo, Daid?”

“Perfect, sweetheart. You’re doing amazing; the accents are dead on. This is our safe house. I don’t want to use it, but I’m worried our security has been compromised.” His voice went from proud to serious.

I looked around and nodded.

“You come here if anything happens, Bella. You won’t have to worry about anything, I have everything taken care of.” Dad patted my back.

I felt numb at this information. “But nothing will happen, right, Dad?” I turned and faced him, the only person on this planet that I felt safe with.

He looked tired, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he was my hero. “I hope not, cailín leanbh.”

I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings. I breathed in, closing my eyes at the peace. Edward came clean to me last night.

He’s a mafia prince. And because of what his family is, his mother was murdered much like my father. We talked until the sun started to rise. We talked about our childhoods, our dads, and his mom.

I began to smile, remembering the words he said before he left.

“You are my girl. I lied the other night. I just can’t risk your life, Bella. I don’t know how long we can make it work, but I want every minute of it. With you.”

“I’ll take it,” I whispered against his lips.

Nothing that he told me bothered me. What bothered me was his last name; Cullen. Something deep inside me told me I knew it from somewhere.

I got up out of bed and began my routine. I went for a run, I hit the shooting range, and ended at the gym. I felt eyes on me when I started sparring with two guys. My eyes wandered around the room, and they set on some very intense green ones. I felt hands grabbing my arms; he must have thought I wasn’t paying attention. I quickly knocked him on his ass and repeated for the second guy before calling it a day.

I’m waitin’ for Edward to realize what an invincible team he and Bella would make ’cause she’s very much capable of takin’ care of herself!

~oOo~https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12741123/1/Vancouver-Waves

At school, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan exist in entirely different social circles. One chance encounter allows them to see themselves in a new light, however, they agree to keep their budding friendship under wraps. With each harboring their own secrets, the question remains: which one will fall first? AU/AH

Rated: Fiction M – English – Family/Hurt/Comfort – Bella, Edward – Chapters: 7 – Words: 51,491 – Reviews: 268 – Favs: 209 – Follows: 425 – Updated: Jan 25 – Published: Nov 28, 2017 – id: 12741123

High school drama at its finest LOL! As the story begins, Bella is 15 and Edward just turns 16. Their fathers are colleagues and a dinner between the families sparks a secret friendship!

Bella’s here. In my room. With me.

It’s equal parts terrifying and exciting. I feel as if she’s just taking it all in, filing it away somewhere to consider later. Like a real therapist, who knows? She’s looking around now, her eyes rarely lingering on anything until they just do. She steps towards my pin-up board above my desk, where I have a large map of the world pinned.

“What are these?” she asks, her fingers reaching out to touch one of many a red pin. “Places you want to go?”

“Places I’ve been,” I correct, and her eyes widen. “Swimming kind  of takes me places. I like to keep track of all of them. It kind of makes me feel as if I’ve actually accomplished something.”

Her eyes meet mine for a moment, and the ridiculous feeling of sounding stupid disappears. “So, you like traveling?”

“Love it,” I say. “I’m headed to Singapore next.”

“When?”

“August.” I don’t mention Irvine, California, because why should I? It’s definitely not as glamorous as Singapore.

She lets out a breath. “What’s happening in Singapore?”

“The Youth Olympic Games.”

She smiles at me. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”

“It’s new,” I tell her. “The first of its kind.”

She nods thoughtfully, her intelligent eyes taking in the other pins.

“No South Africa, huh?” she asks, clearly referring to the World Cup that’s just begun.

I shake my head. “My father wanted to go, maybe catch a few of the World Cup games, but work.” I don’t mention how a trip abroad that’s not for swimming would just mess with my training schedule.

Not many people understand my dedication, and I don’t want to scare her away.

She nods her head in understanding, because she does understand, doesn’t she?

Oh, and here’s Bella’s first look at Edward in trainin’ *swoon!*

Because it’s Tuesday, Edward’s afternoon training session consists of an hour of dry-land training before he even gets in the pool. It looks like it hurts, all the core exercises and muscle-strengthening.

The facility itself is amazing. It’s probably the best in the city, which isn’t really far-fetched if Edward is training here to reach his Olympic dream. I can’t imagine Carlisle Cullen picking anything else for his son.

When he does get ready for the pool, and his tracksuit comes off; I can’t stop myself from staring. Jessica was right. His abs are to die for. It’s actually not fair. He’s lean and muscular, and it doesn’t look as if he’s finished growing at all. He’ll get taller, and he’ll get stronger, and I wish with all my might that he’ll get faster too. He deserves it.

There’s been so much action and drama packed into the seven chapters already posted, I’m anxiously awaitin’ the next update(s)!!!

~oOo~(original edit by Sally.vg@InRobWeLust)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12808992/1/Ghostly-Double

A doppelgänger (/ˈdɒpəlˌɡɛŋər/ or /-ˌɡæŋər/; German: [ˈdɔpl ˌɡɛŋɐ] ( listen), literally “double-goer”) is a look-alike or double of a living person, sometimes portrayed as a ghostly or paranormal phenomenon and usually seen as a harbinger of bad luck. True Rating: MA Strong language.

Rated: Fiction M – English – Supernatural – Chapters: 5 – Words: 19,440 – Reviews: 31 – Favs: 14 – Follows: 29 – Updated: Jan 27 – Published: Jan 21 – id: 12808992

Fifteen-year-old Bella meets Anthony Mason and his brother, Emmett, when she arrives in Forks to live with her father. Little does she know her new boyfriend has a deep, dark secret…but she’s about to find out!

I couldn’t pinpoint what was going on, but something wasn’t right. Anthony even acted weird toward me from time to time. I brushed it off as pressure from his studying and homework he needed to get done to prepare him for graduating.

No big deal, right?

I couldn’t be more wrong.

We decided to meet in our normal lunch time spot, even though it was freezing outside, so I made my way to the back wall. I finally felt like I had enough balls to ask him what was going on; why was he acting weird?

Turning that corner changed my life completely. It would never be the same, again.

Emmett had Jane against the wall with his face tucked into the side of her neck. At first, I thought they were having a hot and heavy make-out session, but when Emmett heard me come to a screeching halt, he looked up only for me to see red running down his chin.

Unless I was hallucinating, it was blood and he had fangs. That’s when I realized I had to get the hell out of dodge.

Anthony and Emmett take her to see their parents, Marcus and Claire, who explain things to a hysterical Bella. Although she eventually accepts them for who/what they are, more drama causes the whole family to disappear into the night so she hightails it back to her mother in Florida!

We were sitting, enjoying our sandwiches when a petite girl, around my age, approached us, “Hi, Ms. Swan.”

“Hi, Alice. We’re not in school anymore, so call me Renee.” Mom smiled up at her. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Glad that summer school is over; no offense,” she replied, quickly.

Mom gasped, “Oh, shoot. Where’s my manners? Alice, this is my daughter, Isabella. You’ll get to see her this school year. She just moved here from Washington.” I had told mom while we were trying on our dresses that I wanted to stay. She was excited that I wanted to live with her, again.

Alice stepped forward, extending her hand to me, “Hi! It’s great to meet you. Your mom talked so much about you during school or whenever her and Phil came over to our house.”

“I’m afraid to ask.” I smiled up at her, “It’s great to meet you, too.”

“So, Renee, you getting cold feet, yet?”

“Oh, heck no. Phil might, though. You may have to make sure your dad drags him to the altar,” mom suggested.

“I’m positive dad will make sure he’s there.” She glanced over at me, “Phil and my dad are best-friends, and my older brother Evan is Phil’s teammate,” Alice explained.

It seemed that I was so out of the loop with everything. I knew Phil had a best-friend named Carlisle, but I didn’t know he had any kids.

“You’re gonna be there, right? I know I spoke with your mom, and she said all of you were coming,” my mother inquired, raising her eyebrows in question.

Alice giggled, “I wouldn’t miss it. Edward’s even taking the day off from practice to come.”

It was my turn to raise my brows in question, wondering who they were talking about.

“Edward works himself too hard. He already knows he has a secure spot on the team.” Mom smiled and patted the seat next to her, “Why don’t you join us?”

“Let me order and I’ll be right back,” Alice said excitedly.

I leaned across the table to whisper to my mom, “I didn’t know Carlisle had kids?”

“Oh, yeah; three actually. Evan’s the oldest, and then Edward then Alice is the baby.” She patted my hand that was on the table.

“You’ll get to meet them Saturday. They’ll be at the wedding.”

Dun, da, da, duuuuun!

~oOo~https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11470212/1/Number-Our-Days

Bella Swan is a time traveler, drifting between the past and present. Can the Cullens help her find the cure before time runs out?

Rated: Fiction M – English – Romance/Adventure – Bella, Edward – Chapters: 32 – Words: 110,110 – Reviews: 1,138 – Favs: 1,229 – Follows: 700 – Updated: Mar 17, 2016 – Published: Aug 26, 2015 – Status: Complete – id: 11470212

I wasn’t too sure how closely this would follow The Time Traveler’s Wife, either the book or the movie, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by how vampires enhance TwistedKey’s plot!

The familiar sensation of time travel began.

It swooped from the crown of my head to my toes. The room lightened slightly. I turned my hand over and studied it. An incandescent glow was dancing under my skin. Renee told me once that my time traveling was beautiful. Beautiful and terrifying. My body seemed to emit the light from inside out, illuminating even the darkest of rooms. I vanished in a burst of white light, like a flash from camera.

The pull backwards was stronger than I ever experienced. An invisible net seemed to ensnare me completely, dragging my body from the bed and throwing me into the frightening abyss of time.

This trip was getting stranger by the minute. I went to the door and locked it, then hurried over to the newspaper. A theory was forming in my mind, but I refused to give into it until I had proof.

“The Chicago Tribune: August 3, 1908.”

Still disbelieving, I let the paper slip through my fingers. There was a window on the far wall. I ran to it, standing on tiptoe to see the outside world.

What I saw was not my world.

I allowed myself two minutes of unbridled panic. Never in my ten years of traveling had I been dragged so far from my own time. Typically, I landed in places somehow related to me. In the past, I’ve seen my parents marry a dozen times, been at the hospital on the night of my birth, and even watched myself disappear for the first time.

But I had no connection to this place. I had been dumped here, alone and friendless, nearly hundred years from home.

Well, her connection is just about to show up!

“Can I help you, miss?”

The maid from downstairs stood in the foyer; her eyes were narrowed. I folded my arms, momentarily thrown. I needed an excuse to be here. Something to convince her to let me be on my way. A flush spread across my cheeks as the silence lengthened. Before I could speak, a boy bounded into the room. He was seven or eight years old. His green eyes stared up at me in excitement.

“Hello! Are you my new nanny?”

“I’m . . . inquiring about the position, yes.”

I had some babysitting experience. Could a few decades change the way we minded children?

“Edward, don’t bother the girl,” the maid snapped. “Why don’t you find your mother? She’ll be waiting to conduct the interview.”

“Why don’t you go find her?”

I saw an opening and seized it. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll entertain him until then.”

It was two against one. I waited until her footsteps died away before I turned back to the boy. “Edward, was it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said formally. “Edward Anthony Masen Junior. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure to meet you as well,” I laughed. “My name is Bella Swan.”

“Let’s go, Miss Bella,” Edward beamed, his solemnity forgotten. He took my hand. I let him lead me through the house to the parlor, where several toys were strewn around the room. He urged me to sit down, then explained that we were going to play charades. I pretended to be ignorant of the rules to collect my thoughts.

This trip was definitely the most unusual one so far. But I had been in difficult situations before. It was all about adapting to the challenge.

Isn’t baby Edward adorable? This won’t be the last time Bella crosses his path in her travels, although her next encounter with him will prove quite a shock!

~oOo~

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9989843/1/In-Fate-s-Hands

That one vision changed everything, Alice stumbled into the Cullen’s family distraught, empty and alone. That one vision meant Alice thought Jasper was dead, that he was never coming back. Now seven decades later, how will she cope when she finds out she’s been wrong all this time?

Rated: Fiction T – English – Romance/Hurt/Comfort – Alice, Jasper – Chapters: 66 – Words: 245,891 – Reviews: 579 – Favs: 160 – Follows: 182 – Updated: Dec 4, 2017 – Published: Jan 4, 2014 – Status: Complete – id: 9989843

I don’t believe I’ve ever rec’d an Alice ‘n Jasper fic before but I was intrigued by the summary when I looked it up after findin’ it listed as a TwifanfictionRecs Top Ten Completed Fics Nomination for December 2017!

I relaxed slightly as I heard Carlisle’s thoughts slip into my own.

He’d been missing over two hours without even a phone call in explanation.

Finally Carlisle entered the house and the blonde man trailed behind him, close but never within reach. His face and hands were so badly scarred that I unconsciously cringed away from him. He looked around warily as the rest of the family came to the door. I caught Carlisle’s eye as he began to explain his meeting with the strange vampire beside him.

After the initial fussing from Esme, Carlisle had introduced our family to the silent stranger. He had a lot of questions but didn’t voice them. He was confused mostly about our eyes, about how we could all be so civil to one another, but he stood silently beside Carlisle.

“Where’s Alice?” Carlisle asked.

“Upstairs” Esme told him, gazing worriedly towards the girls room.

“I’ll go and fetch her.” I would have offered to go myself, knowing that Alice was still struggling against her visions but I didn’t trust this new guest enough to leave.

A short time later I heard Alice and Esme begin to descend the stairs, Alice’s footsteps were sloppy and uncoordinated, all her focus on the throbbing pain in her head that was gradually getting more and more unbearable. It was the worst I’d ever seen it I heard her stumble on the stairs, and got up to see what was going on. “I’m fine” she told Esme, but her voice was hectic. The nomads head swung around to the door as she opened it. Alice took a few uneven steps into the room before she looked up and froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at the nomad.

“Jasper?” The strangled cry was all that she could do before whatever she’d been pushing away broke and we were both thrown into a frantic string of visions. Scene after scene, but they were different, they were in the past. Each and every one featured the blonde nomad.

“Catch her” I called through gritted teeth as Alice’s legs buckled.

Bella jumped up and pulled Alice into her arms, visions were forcing themselves through her mind, too intense to even allow her to think. She struggled in my wife’s arms, whimpering helplessly. Her eyes were hooded and dazed.

It began to take its toll on me, as visions began to overlap and the family grew more and more concerned. The voices in my head got louder. When Bella saw that I was struggling she extended her shield around Alice to block her visions from me. We were all so caught up with Alice that at first none of us noticed the nomad, or Jasper as we now knew, slide down the wall clutching his head.

“What’s going on?” Carlisle asked looking between the two of them.

“Whatever he can do, it’s not mental, I can’t block her from him.” Bella said.

I concentrated on Jasper’s mind, trying to connect his thoughts. He was trying to push something away from himself and when that didn’t work he was trying to figure out a balance. ‘Calm’ his mind chanted. Finally I found it “He’s feeling our emotions.”

“An empath?” Carlisle questioned finally knowing the reason for his breakdown in the ally, he felt the emotions of his victims. I nodded.

“What can we do?” Asked Esme, stroking Alice’s back. I thought back to what little I’d seen of her visions, the ones she’d pushed away all these years. They all contained Jasper. Her reaction was exactly the same during her surprise appearance in 1937 when she stumbled through our door scared and upset. It was all connected.

“There’s nothing we can do for Alice, this is what she’s been blocking, visions of him. She’s seeing every one of them starting from 1937” the rest of the family looked over to Jasper wondering how the two individuals were linked. He was still clutching his head and I started to feel pluses of fear and panic that weren’t my own.

‘Is he doing that?’ Carlisle thought, I nodded. “I think so, but he’s not conscious of it.” I told him. I turned to Esme and Bella “Take Alice upstairs until she calms down.

The effect on Jasper was almost instant, his body slumped. “Who the hell is she?” He snapped.

“You don’t know her?” I checked. He shook his head. “She certainly knows a lot about you.” He pushed his hair back from his face.

Now that he couldn’t pick up her emotions he began to calm down.

“What can she do?”

I looked over at Carlisle to make sure It was ok to tell him. Carlisle nodded. “She can see the future.” His eyes widened “She been blocking some of her visions for decades and we never knew why. . . I think they were about you.”

Despite all the spellin’ and grammatical errors, this young author, who was only 16 when she started writin’, has given us a surprisingly deep, sophisticated story that still has me rivited…I’m on chapter 53 *eyeroll!*

So broaden your horizons and give her a chance to astound you!

What fics have astounded you since my last post?

Happy Monday, y’all!