Brown Study by Littlesecret84

Bella's dreams have a way of coming true. But what will she do when the man she dreams of appears in her life as a boy who is less than ideal? Will finding him mean losing her BFF, Jane? Does knowing the future change the present? Rated M for adult stuff.

The Gist:

Brown Study is my most favourite fic. I can't tell you how many times I've read it. I can't literally open up any chapter, start reading, and be totally compelled to read the entire fic again.

The story starts with a young Bella and her premonitions of a man she is head over heels in love with. She see a vision of the love of her life and wonders when he will actually make an appearance. In walks Edward Cullen who is starting high school at Forks and Bella knows that he is special.

What follows is the flirtatious push and pull of two teenagers who are insanely attracted to each. However as soon as they come together, life pulls them apart. Bella is completely heartbroken and stubborn, figuring her life will be off not having Edward in it. The story then skips along Bella's future until she bumps into Edward at a party, immediately knowing that she still loves him but will he come back to her?

Edward and Bella:
What I love about this fic is the heartfelt, passioned stream of consciousness Bella has for Edward. She loves him wholly despite the years apart, the hurt she felt, and the life and the live-in girlfriend that Edward just doesn't seem prepared to leave. She gives herself fully, having faith that he will wise up. 

Bella and Jane:
This is one of the more true to life friendships between two girls that I have ever read. Bella and Jane are childhood bests and live for each other but as they grow up, they also grow apart, with Jane becoming a negative element in Bella's life. The way this relationship plays out is so relatable.

This Is Why You Should Read: 
It's sexy, it's real, it's romantic and it has love pulsing through it.

He says nothing for a while, but holds me tight and squeezes hard, like I would hug my dad after a particularly bad fall, or my mom when I'd find her crying in the kitchen.

"I have to stop," he says, and his lips finally, definitely touch my skin, and there's a gentle trembling where his chin meets my shoulder.

"But… but what if I have to know that you want me?" I ask, not sure where these words are coming from, because they sound strange and needy, and make me feel a little sick.

"What if I have to have this?" I continue.

He moves against me, like other men have before him, and also like he did before any other man, and silently tells me he does want me. He doesn't get it.

"I'm not talking about a natural physical reaction to being close like this… I meant… really want me." My voice breaks on the last few words, and I don't want to cry again.

He squeezes again, sitting up and bringing me with him. He holds me tighter. He opens his eyes and brings his mouth so close to mine. I whisper "tighter" and his forehead meets mine, and his arms are so tight around me, I could break.

"I'll hold you the tightest," he says.

Pretty boys shouldn't be allowed to use pretty words, or convey pretty emotions. It's just not fair, because if I end up with a random guy, say Tom, Dick, or whoever, fifty years from now, what I'll remember is Edward Cullen, holding me like he'll die if he lets me go, almost kissing me and saying things that make my heart soar to heights from which I can never bring it back. So poor, poor men of my future. You now have two Edwards to compete with, and lose against.

Read it here: Brown Study

Lack of Color by Coldplaywhore

He paints; she inspires. Together they are whole, until one day they are separated, breaking him of his soul. Five years later, she's not his. Can she be again? ExB AU AH M for language and lemons.

This is a great little fic and what might make it an even better proposition to you is that it's complete! God, don't you fucking love those completed fics? I sure do, nothing like knowing you won't have to have your heart in your throat for a whole week waiting for an update.

Bella meets Edward after answering an ad he placed looking for a model. Bella's got a lotta bills she as to pay for and this job provides the perfect opportunity for her to earn good money quickly. 

24 year old meets 19 year old Edward and an instant attraction is felt. It really is a only a matter of time before they succumb to the feelings that crackle between them and to be honest this artist Edward is sultry hot for such a young boy.

"Why did you agree...to pose nude, that is?"

"Well, first of all I haven't been completely nude yet," I mused as Edward gave a small laugh. "And secondly, I need the money. I'm really close to losing my apartment and I refuse to take money from my mother, yet again."

"Okay."

"That's all I get is an okay?"

"Yeah. I mean, you've been a great model today and I've enjoyed spending time with you, getting to know you. I don't really care what brought you here, I'm just glad you are, you know?"

"I know." I smiled sweetly at Edward and he went back to working away, asking me the most random questions about growing up in Forks, and what my favorite movies and bands were.

It was all very casual and easy until he moved away from the canvas and came towards me, bending at the knees in front of me. "I need to move your sash."

"Alright," I squeaked, somewhat unsettled because I knew that the sash for the robe was currently draped between my legs. This would either end badly or... I didn't even want to think of the possibilities.

I watched, taking a nervous gulp, as Edward moved his hand between my legs and reached for the sash to move it to the side. Unfortunately, or fortunately if you were me, his finger slipped between my wet pussy lips before finding their true goal.

Edward froze. His eyes, clouded with both lust and anxiety, as he stared me down. "I am so sorry, Bella," he stammered as he rose from his spot and headed directly into the bathroom, closing the door with a slam behind him.

"Fuck," I groaned as I sat there, my body trembling with apprehension.

However the relationship ends abruptly and the reader is brought to the present through E's POV. Edward's life spiralled out of control when he & Bella broke up and only now is his life getting back on track. However his art was a casualty and he's been unable to connect with anyone since. Unfortunately life gets a lot harder when Bella comes back into his life, the fiancé of his douche bag cousin Peter. Why is she with him? How did they even meet? Why is Bella so different from the vibrant woman he first met? Can Edward get over the resentment and abandonment he feels? Can he stay away from Bella? Well this is all answered but it's not as simple as Edward once thought.

Read it Here: Lack Of Color

When Will I Know by deb24601

You don't get over Edward Cullen. Even when he was never really yours. A story about wanting, needing and, eventually, knowing. AH. Inspired by Jan 2012 Witfit prompts.

So I found this fic whilst partaking in a little random fic diving. I that from time to time and often come up with nothing but this rough diamond has something to offer. 

Bella meets and falls for Edward when her boyfriend, Mike introduces them. She feels an instant attraction but unfortunately believes that Edward is unreachable to her and as such continues dating Mike. 

Edward's feels this attraction to Bella, despite the fact she is unlike any of the girls he normally hooks up with. As well as that, he lives a carefree, almost nomadic lifestyle and can't see himself tying himself down to a relationship. As well as that, he's slept with 2 of Mike's past girlfriends so Bella seems to be more trouble than she's worth.

I think about our parents and sweet Mike and our friends and my job at the bank. I see security and acceptance. "Well, he hasn't asked... yet," I hedge. "It's what people do," I say.

"Fuck that," Edward says. His voice is hard.

"Excuse me?"

Edward sighs and throws his arm over his eyes. "You get one life, Bella. One chance. I'm not living it based on my parents' expectations or out-dated social customs. It's good enough for some people, I guess - but not for me. I think you want more too. You talk about places you want to go, things you want to see, yet you're buying into this tiny world. Think for yourself. What do you want?"

I'm shocked speechless for a moment. I've never heard Edward talk like this. It's too much to think about all at once. "I... I... I don't know," I stammer. I don't know what's happening.

Eventually Edward does realise he is in love with Bella and makes it his mission to steal Bella away, despite the fact Bella is due to marry Mike in a few weeks.

You can read this within a few hours and whilst it's a little light on plot development and some of the actions of the characters are questionable, it's still quite a harmless, low angst read.

Read it Here: When Will I Know

Beautiful Complications by Discordia81

Bella and Edward's hook up at a party causes a rift among their friends but they can't stay away from each other. When Edward leaves for Italy and Bella realizes she's attracted to her friend Claire, their already shaky relationship is threatened.

Want a bit of dirty realism in your fic? Sick of all those young "ILY" forever & ever declarations? Then Beautiful Complications might be the fic for you.

Bella, Rosalie and Alice meet Jasper, Edward and Emmett after watching the boys at a gig. However Edward  hooks up with Rosalie and Bella is essentially left as the fifth wheel in this little social group. At one point whilst everyone is getting busy, she's sitting in the lounge room reading a book (sad I know). However Bella starts becoming infatuated with Edward and eventually he turns his affections towards Bella. Bad news for the girls because Rosalie is livid and as a result Bella decides she can no longer do anything with Edward because her friendship with Rose means more. Sadly after reaching out to Rose,  she realises Rose has essentially severed their ties.

What follows is an agreement between Edward and Bella to essentially be each others fuck buddies, unfortunately from the get go there is something more going on here. There are nightly phone calls, Edward's tender moments and Bella finally admitting she's in love but still Bella cannot give herself to Edward.  She's afraid of real intimacy in a relationship and her lack of experience in dating. Oh and she's also attracted to girls so she's constantly second guessing Edward's intentions and her ability to give. Yeah she kinda pissed me off. 

There was no way this would end well. It was obvious that there was something between us. Something more than just friendship or sex. But that didn't mean he loved me. He cared about me, I knew that for certain. But the space between affection and love was wide and undefined. I knew how much he hated girls who were clingy, or pushy. We hadn't laid out any ground rules when this had all began, but surely me telling him that I loved him would make him run screaming and I was terrified at the thought of losing him.

The beauty of this fic is the more realistic attitude it has about young love. Does your first guy, love, infatuation have the strength to be forever? What if you fall in love with someone who has never been with anyone else, is it fair to be in a serious long term relationship with them? Would you always wonder if the grass was greener on the other side? This is what is the struggle for this E/B. 

Only criticism? This fic is 60 chapters and truthfully it's could have been edited down to be punchier but saying that, I ended up reading it in 1 day (skimming over certain chappies) and think this underrated gem deserves some love.

Read it Here: Beautiful Complications

Back to the Oldskool

Last Tango in Forks by Awesomesauce76

Bella Swan has spent a lifetime putting everyone else's needs before her own. Could a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger begin to change all of that? AU/AH

When I came upon Last Tango in Forks, I was still a baby to the fanfic world. Meaning I had no real sense of what I liked to read, didn't really understand the conventions of fanfic writing and wasn't aware of authors or stories. 

When LTiF started popping up on my twitter feed, I took a look and was hooked just like the hundreds/thousands of other readers who would squee when this fic updated. So this was my first real introduction to a highly sexual and emotionally charged fic.

Based loosely on Last Tango in Paris, Bella wanting to move out of her father's house, goes to check out an apartment but encounters another person who is also interested in the apartment and something else

Bella crossed the room and propped herself on the window ledge. "Listen... I'm sure you'd love for me to get the hell out of here. Even if you don't want the place, it's obvious that you need some privacy." He grimaced in response to her words but maintained eye contact. "Are you alright?" After what felt like minutes he shook his head slowly. "It's just that... I would feel terrible if I left here and didn't at least try to help." She tried to smile but it felt odd under his scrutiny. After a long pause she took a deep breath and bit the bullet. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes," he choked out. Although his voice sounded raw to Bella as if he'd been screaming, she wasn't surprised to hear the musical perfection behind it.

"What can I do?" She didn't notice that she had stopped breathing until she needed to speak.

He moved then, slowly walking towards her like a wildcat stalking its prey. The closer he got to her, the more she could feel something growing and tingling, as if an electric current was shooting between their bodies. He didn't stop until he was right in front of her with his arms on each side of the window, effectively caging her in. He even smells beautiful.

He looked deep into her eyes for almost a minute, allowing the electricity to build between them to a breaking point.

"You can let me fuck you," he whispered.

Hmm, wonder what she'll do? Well considering the above is just from the first chappie, you can probably understand how a lot of us stood no chance with this fic.

So what are the pressure points of this fic? Bella may be in this torrid 'no names allowed' sexfair with Edward but she's also in a relationship with Jake. One that presumably is supposed to lead to marriage and a banal existence. Edward an artist, is battle scarred from the death of a wife he never should of married and losing himself into the excesses of the art world rather than the his actual art. He's come home to reconnect with his family but struggles to meet them half way. Bella also knows his family quite intimately and thus you wonder "When are Edward & Bella going to meet!?!". As their feelings for each other grow around each other, it becomes increasingly difficult for the both of them to not be engaged in the life they actually want. 

This is a candy popping, infinite thumb scrolling fic and a classic that everyone should know about.

Read it Here: Last Tango in Forks

From My Window by kitkat681

Every morning he watches her run past his house. He wants her. She has no idea.

An easy read right here! Despite the suspicious eyes I give drabbles, I have to admit that this one hooked me pretty early on. 

The chapters are short, this is a true drabble fic here. Each chapters seems to be under 1000 words but KitKat681 has used her words so effectively that you really get drawn into the possessive mind of Edward with a few sentences.

Edward spends his mornings watching a beautiful Bella jog past his house. He fantasises about her life, her family and why she runs to begin with. He becomes so obsessed with this pretty jogger that he feels compelled to jerk off as she runs by and eventually begins to follow her when the weather becomes bad.

There is more to this story than just a twisted case of stalker love, which is what I love about the fic. Your initial presumption about Edward totally flips half way through the story, which begs the question - when is stalker love okay for a fic?

Here you come…

And here I come.

I am kinda getting a bit disgusted with myself.

I mean…

My kids are right upstairs.

At any minute any one of them could come down.

Would I stop?

I know I would…

I mean they are my life.

There is nothing I would not do for them.

BUT

Would I stop?

I don't think I would.

I think it would take a team of horses to keep me from this window.

As you pass by.

God damn.

Edward's desire for Bella from afar, is searingly hot and raw. Can you imagine what would happen if they actually were in the same room together? Explosive to say the least. I doubt you've encountered an Edward like this before so clear a couple of hours, sit next to your window and watch Edward's passion unfold.

Read it Here: From My Window 

Someone Like Your by IReen H

Age of Edward Judges Choice Winner: Bella struggles with mental illness, Edward struggles with fidelity. Story set in 1950 with flashbacks through the 40s. Title based on "Someone Like You" by Doris Day.

You know what I love? I love when you bored, restless searching aimlessly for fics through lists, blogs and facebook pages. You see one fic, read the summary and think 'yeh nah, not for me', but then eventually you decide to read. However halfway through you physically stop and think, "why did I wait so long to read this?!". This is what Someone Like You by IReen H is to me.

This fic, hands down, is the best o/s that I have read in as long as I can remember. Come to think of it, it's one of the most well written fics I've read in a long time, period.

Set in 1950, Bella & Edward's marriage is slowly crumbling. Bella, who suffers from mental illness that has only become worse because of World War Two, lives on a knife edge trying to be the 'good wife' whilst maintaining a grip on her sensibility. She feels Edward slipping away and he is. Edward has found comfort with another but maintains his commitment to his marriage. Shit hits the fan when Bella starts to suspect there is more than one person in her marriage.

Bella walked over to him purposefully and inhaled deeply through her nose. "You smell of Shalimar."

"Bella – YOU wear Shalimar."

"Not since Christmas, when you gave me the Miss Dior Cherie."

"And you wear that?" She didn't. It was gathering dust on her vanity.

"Sometimes." She whispered.

"Sometimes. Like when you have dinner ready on time? Sometimes." His tone was annoyed, and he was already regretting it, but then he thought of Maribel. Her warm mouth, her warm welcoming body. Just get through this, he told himself.

Fire flashed in Bella's eyes, cocoa turned to steel. "You scarcely take meals here anymore. Honestly, Edward, I don't know why I bother."

"Bella love, you DON'T bother."

I can't praise this fic enough, the tension that pulls underneath that suburban veneer is palatable, with Edward  struggles at once to bring Bella in with one arm whilst pushing her away with the other. This fic absolutely deserved to win Judges Choice in the Age of Edward contest.

Word of warning though, this o/s is not for the faint hearted. It's macabre, a tragedy and angsty as all fuck but I will promise you once you finish the last sentence you will know it was all been worth it.

Read it Here: Someone Like You

Back to the Oldskool

I'll Be Your Lover Too by EdwardsBloodType

Bella is helping her best friend Edward cope with his dark and tragic past while strugging to hide her true feelings for him. When a friend comes to visit, she will force them to recognize their deepest desires.

So thinking about what "classic" fic to recommend, I thought to look at my Favourites List. Well the third fic that I had added in 2010 was a little fic called HIGH ANXIETY. You might have read it. Well there is no denying that HA is one of the ultimate classics but to be honest I find EdwardsBloodTypes' I'LL BE YOUR LOVER TOO to be the first classic fic that I occasionally reread and my first Oldskool rec.

Best friends Edward and Bella are living together and apparently cohabiting quite happily. Bella has just come out of a bad relationship that was originally only intended to be a casual hookup. Edward seems to be coasting through his manwhore life without issue. But, you know how these things go, Bella is in love with Edward but Edward is apparently still suffering from the death of his fiancé Jane several years ago.

When an old tart comes back into town (good old Tanya) Edward begs Bella to accompany him so he doesn't have to suffer Tanya on his own. Bella agrees to the night out and what unfolds is a night of first time drugs and a threesome. Admittedly this threesome is going to blow your mind a little but not because it's just a steamy lemon but because Edward is actually also in love with Bella and believes this could be his only way to express his love for her. 

From that point there is another night of group sex (also involving a young actor Robert Pattinson) and the ramifications of what these expressions of intimacy mean for Edward & Bella. They struggle to process what the sex meant because they are unable to communicate properly to each other and this is exasperated  with a pre booked holiday to Mexico.

What brings me back though to this fic is the flawed characterisation of Edward, he's damaged & guilt ridden but not for reasons you may think. Bella also must come to terms to opening herself up to Edward without any fear. Finally combined with the insane crackling lemons this is one for the shelf.


Read it Here: I'll Be Your Lover Too

Second Page by CaraNo

The first page didn't belong to them, because it was dedicated to someone else. Eight years later, we flip to the 

second page. It's theirs. EPOV. Daddyward, Mechanicward, Inkward, Olderward. Entry for the April Drabble War.

I don't read many drabble fics. I find this style of fic often disjointed and not very well written even when complete. However I can say that Second Page by CaraNo is a sweet heartfelt fic that is a wonderful quick read.

Bella is a 15 year old who has decided to give her baby up for adoption to 24 year old Edward and his older wife Kate. Nearing the end of the their pregnancy Edward reflects over the impending loss of Bella from his life and the incredible sacrifice she will make for himself and Kate. He really enjoys her friendship and their common love of music but he knows that once the baby is born Bella will go live her life and he'll live his with his family. Bella is also trying to process how to move on in her life without knowing anything about the child she will give up. Bella gives birth and Edward & Kate become the parents they always wanted. 8 years later Edward and Bella paths cross again.

This is so heartfelt and the child in this fic is such a spunky character. The parent dynamic between Edward & his kid is honest, you won't find any baby talk here. Bella grows into a gorgeous woman whose happy exterior hides a broken heart. This is a romance and the journey to get to the final ExB place is such a wonderful, hot experience. Read this on a weekend afternoon or just before bed cause you'll be smiling afterwards.

Read it here: Second Page