The One With the First Fic Rec

Well, one thing you'll learn about Mrs. Bing and me is that while we always have a plan and are organized to a fault, we often fall short when it comes to time. We run about 5 minutes late is what I am trying to say. Our intention was for Fic Rec Friday to happen on....FRIDAY. And same with the Fachinelli Fashion Post that went up on Saturday. But often RL gets in our way, and we here at the Anntastic house had a 5th birthday party to celebrate and let's just be glad I focused on that, mmmkay? :)

Regardless, I'm popping this blog's Fic Rec cherry today with a classic. While many of our online friends are more than just dabblers in Fanfic, I have a feeling that many of the Twi-fecta readers are just dipping their toes in this end of the Twilight pool. And given the fact that New Moon was just released, this is the perfect time to read this particular piece. So I'd like to start off by rec'ing something that's easy... and by easy I mean it sticks to Stephenie Meyer's Canon storyline, and is not all smutted up with lemons or heartfail or slash. I'm talking, of course, about Dark Side of the Moon, by Blondie AKA Robin.

This fic, which is one of my all time favorites, should be a mandatory supplemental read to anyone who's completed the Saga. It chronicles New Moon as SM wrote it, right down to any dialogue written in the original, however, this story is from Edward's point of view (for newbies that's EPOV). Blondie's writing is incredible and she captures Edward's "voice" perfectly....and in my opinion, it's better than SM could have done herself.

DSotM begins with Bella's Birthday dream, and follows Edward as he leaves Bella in the woods, right up to the point where New Moon ends. Like many of you, NM was hard to read (no Edward!) and left me feeling frustrated with how/why he left. I could not understand how Edward would simply walk away, and of course I was aching to know how he occupied his time while gone. Similar to New Moon, this is also difficult to read... reliving the breakup scene, knowing what Bella is going through, but the brilliance here is that you begin to really understand why Edward chooses to leave. The additions to the story that Blondie adds are pure genius. Particularly the details and thought she puts into Vampire Canon during the Volturi showdown. Never before did I really stop to think through the logistics of how Edward's mind-reading, decision-making, and Alice's clairvoyance would work during the showdown in Italy. And if you felt this last movie was missing something by not having the plane trip home from Volterra and what transpires in Bella's room afterwards, than that alone is reason enough to tear through Dark Side of the Moon. Like NOW :)

“I would like to ask one favor, though, if that’s not too much.” Her face softened for a moment and I could see that she would do anything for me, that she cared that much. Every cell in my body begged me one last time to stop, to wrap my arms around Bella and never let her go. It is all a lie!

My chest began to ache and I had to fight for every breath, carefully concealing the truth from my one and only love.

“Anything,” she said, and a hint of strength lay behind the word. I couldn’t hide my feelings as I made my last request of her. I gazed deeply into her eyes, willing her to know how much I loved her, how important she was to me. Lost in her perfect chestnut pools, I had to remind myself to speak

“Don’t do anything reckless or stupid. Do you understand what I’m saying?” I commanded.

She nodded weakly, and I knew she understood. Carefully I tried to lock away all the love, all the concern, my whole life, hiding it from her again. Pushing it all away, for without her I was nothing.

But she will live.

I reinforced the lie. “I’m thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself – for him.” And for me.