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Reviewer: Mom of 2 in WI (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 07:18 AM · On: Chapter 46
Wow - loved that lemon. May have to make lemonade with that one...Great story. At times in this chapter I felt slightly squirmy with all of their non sexual talk in the middle of a sexual encounter. As I read I had to remind myself that their relationship is not a "get swept away in the passion of the moment" one, but more of an analytical, talk about it, work through it relationship. It works for them even if the romance isn't always evident. Thanks for writing...
Author's Response: Yes, this one isn't really a swept-away relationship. Of course, IME, most sex isn't. Ha. At least not necessarily initially. It may not be romantic, but you get weird stuff in the middle like the lube mini-discussion. :-) But when they got down to it, yeah ...
Reviewer: Capricorn75 (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 06:16 AM · On: Chapter 46
Katie, I don't how it's possible but you just continue to surprise and impress me. How can writing be clinical and erotic at the same time?!? I'm so glad Edward had this experience, and that Bella was the one giving it to him. You did them both justice. They bring out the best in one another and make a beautiful couple.
Author's Response: Thank you! Wow! I'm so glad it wasn't a let-down. I also wanted to write the sex scene so that it was *theirs*, not just an interchangeable one. Sometimes they all start to read the same. I don't think Docward would think about sex quite the same as another version of him.
Reviewer: cornel (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 05:57 AM · On: Chapter 46
²Love, he thinks, shouldn't be desperate. It should be giggles and joy and a bed of white feathers.² this is the best part of the whole chapter imo. That is such a wonderful message, because that’s what love really is about.
Yay they’re married now, even if it is that small ceremony between the two of them, but then again marriage is something intimate between two people and the whole “window dressing” is for the rest of the world. I think their commitment is the most beautiful act of love.
It was a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, chapter!
Author's Response: Thank you! They'll eventually have the "window dressing" for the rest of the family, and for Edward, to some degree, but the important part is accomplished, and there are a lot of considerations to work through for the public side of it. No reason to hold up the private reality.
Reviewer: aerialla (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 05:47 AM · On: Chapter 46
Absolutely wonderful chapter. I love how you have gotten the characters to evolve in this story.
Author's Response: Thank you!
Reviewer: latinabeauty70 (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 05:39 AM · On: Chapter 46
That was simply Amazing and fantastic!
Author's Response: Thanks!
Reviewer: kng1986 (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 04:42 AM · On: Chapter 46
When Edward proposed to Bella I was laughing, thinking that she said yes so she could get into his pants :) and it worked. I also liked the feathers. Mostly it was a fun chapter with just enough of Edward being insecure to make it real.
Author's Response: "Mostly it was a fun chapter with just enough of Edward being insecure to make it real"
And that really is the ultimate point. Edward is still Edward ... but he's learning to get past himself. Ha. She's helping him avoid the sort of extremism he can spiral into on his own, but is still able to address his real concerns.
Reviewer: Twinklefae (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 03:58 AM · On: Chapter 46
I never know what to make of this story. I respect what you are doing, and I can't stop reading it, but at the same time all the characters have grown so much that they aren't the same people anymore. Which makes it really weird to read about.
It is nice to have Edward and Bella talking though!
Author's Response: "but at the same time all the characters have grown so much that they aren't the same people anymore..."
That's the idea. :-)
But hopefully, you can see where they CAME from, and how they got where they are now. That's the basis of good characterization, I think. There's character development, and it's comprehensible to the reader. If the characters haven't changed at all from the beginning of a story to its end, the author hasn't done her job. :-)
Reviewer: JAustenlover (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 03:39 AM · On: Chapter 46
Katie,
I have been remiss in my reviews - so sorry!
Thanks very much for this chapter update. You have stayed true to the unique and fresh Bella and Edward you have created. They are not cliche - they are so original and I love you for that.
Words, words, words. In the present day, they so often seem trite and unimportant in this world of impersonal electronic communication. But in this setting, and given Edward's background, they are so critical. Lover to lover. Man to Woman. After all this time, it gives added meaning to their bond and Edward the needed affirmation of hope for a future with his Bella, his love.
Whenever I read your story, one word repeats itself over and over in my head. Real. Real. Real. You have made this story and relationship so natural, so real, not cliche, not canon. So original. Thank you for that.
I want this two to have the happiest and most fulfilling of relationships. I would be lying if I did not say that I yearn for forever for these two...but accept and respect your decision as creator and writer to take this where you need to.
I so love this gem of a story. Thank you again,
JA
Author's Response: Wow! Thank you! I'm so flattered! :):):)
And yes, 'real' is very much what I'm hoping for -- that the reader can believe not only that these two could have this journey, but that it will work. As different as they are, they're good *for each other* and their differences make them stronger rather than weaker -- but because they recognize it can. I think the biggest danger to any relationship, past simple difference too great to surmount, is STAGNANCY. Things never changing. That's what tore the Cullens apart (imo). They'd been playing the same game so long, and then tried to bring Bella into that, that when it didn't work, the whole thing exploded in their faces, and they had to start actually *talking* to each other, working through buried resentments and rediscovering what and who they could be, without giving away their secrets. Bella blew them apart, and then brought them back together. They may still be "fantastic" but they're real people, not facades. :-)
Reviewer: chrom (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 02:20 AM · On: Chapter 46
:-) so intense!!!!
i' only wondering why Bella didn't want to acknowledge that marriage is that important for Edward.When you have certain beliefs - you can push them away temporarily but they stay in your head eventually giving you a headache... it's hard to believe that Edward moved past that thing after giving that kind of reasons to Bella.
This - and "let me see your groin" part was like Bella didn't want to wait for a good moment for both of them. Like she wanted them to jump over some steps and forgot that it's very new for Edward.
But all the love, giggles and most of all - discovering that making love has nothing to do with drama - got me grinning wide :-) the're coming home!
thank you for beautiful update!
Author's Response: The problem is that what you've outlined above is Bella "giving in" to Edward's beliefs, not an actual compromise. This is something a couple of readers have brought up and I feel the need to underscore that the compromise has to be on BOTH sides. Bella didn't brush aside his concerns, but gave him the words and promises he needed after getting down to brass tacks. I don't think it's really the outward show that Edward needs. Even in the books, he suggests running off to Vegas. It's the words, and she helped him get to that -- then gave him the words he needed. But to ask her to throw aside her own wishes and beliefs to conform to his is just as unfair. There's a middle ground that can be reached. Edward gets what he really needs, and Bella isn't put off until they can work through all the details of exactly how they're going to manage all this. Each gets something they want and need, and can then work through the less important stuff. There will eventually be a ceremony, but everything else isn't forced to wait for them to work that out. I think Edward is less reluctant to have sex than he was uncertain about where things were going. He got a ring on her finger, and her promise (and he knows she means it), and that was the wall that had to go down. Now he can be happy without feeling guilty. The rest will take care of itself. :-) The fact Edward is all smiles and giggles at the end instead of an angsty mess is important. :-)
Reviewer: SusanL (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 12:54 AM · On: Chapter 46
Compromises that weren't really compromises. Bella needs the physical affirmation and Edward needs the emotional. In loving each other, each gives what the other needs, and each receives what he/she needs in return. There is so much more to it than that, but I love that Edward got the words and promises that he needed to hear, and Bella got the physical expression that she needed. And in the end, joy and happiness. At least, that's how I see it :)
Author's Response: Yes, exactly. Once they actually talk a little, it becomes clear what Edward actually needs, and it's easy for Bella to give that without giving herself a headache trying to work out all the details quickly. In many ways, she'd already assumed those promises, but hadn't verbalized them yet, so verbalizing them for him was easy. And once he had that, he was able to let go finally. :-) Now he's just a little mushball of happy. LOL! Well, for a while. Edward never stays entirely happy forever...
Reviewer: casket4mytears (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 12:34 AM · On: Chapter 46
Yum! I loved every second of it. Much better than the half-assed tease that BD was, and that includes Edward's reluctance and need for reassurance.
Author's Response: Thanks! No cock-blocking here, true.
Reviewer: twilight_lamb (Signed) · Date: June 03, 2009 12:21 AM · On: Chapter 46
Loved the chapter. Om my the feathers was great.. You did a great job I love this story..
Author's Response: Thanks!
Reviewer: Aille (Signed) · Date: June 02, 2009 11:49 PM · On: Chapter 46
I loved her outlook on marrage. I have to admit that it matches mine fairly closely. My SO & I are planning a wedding next year, after several years together. However, the only reason we're getting a piece of paper is to make our families happy. We've been calling each other husband & wife for years now.
I enjoyed that Edward was able to work on some of his views on marrage and sex in general. Looks like they had fun together & I loved the little shout out to BD with the feathers.
Author's Response: Thanks! I think Bella realized that Edward needed SOMEthing before he could really let himself go and be with her -- some sort of promise. It doesn't really alter her outlook that much, as her mind was already made up, but it's a much easier step for her to take. :-)
Reviewer: xparawhorextwerdx (Signed) · Date: June 02, 2009 11:45 PM · On: Chapter 46
So, I thought I'd let you know...I've got exams this week, and the one thing I'm limiting myself on is fic, one chapter a day. And this happened to be today's chapter! I skimmed the smut, it doesn't interest me, but the rest of this chapter was brilliant!
Author's Response: Thank you! And good luck on the exams!
Reviewer: happymoon35 (Signed) · Date: June 02, 2009 11:37 PM · On: Chapter 46
I really, really liked the "lemon" part of this chapter. It seemed so realistic and at the end I realized that I had a big smile on my face. The image of the falling feathers and the laughter and tickling was all kinds of perfect. :)
The engagement part made me kind of...sad, for lack of a better term. Edward just seemed like such an excited puppy, running through the woods to get the ring he always dreamed of giving to Bella, yet Bella seemed so unaffected by it. I know she's been married before and she's been through a lot, but she just seemed so...uncaring in that moment. I don't know if that's the best term to use, but she seems to have so little invested in the moment, like just because she had told him she wouldn't leave him, that's the only reason she is going to stay with him. Not because she loves him and wants to be with him. He's from a different time, yet she doesn't seem to respect or appreciate that, just make fun of it.
Is any of this making sense? I know this isn't a fluffy or overly romantic story, which is why I like it so much because it's so original, but the engagement moment made me feel like Bella doesn't actually want to be with Edward. Is this the subtext that's supposed to be there or am I seeing things that aren't actually there?
Either way, thanks for the update! The chapter gave me stuff to think about in the beginning and then left me with a smile at the end. :)
Author's Response: That wasn't meant to be there at all. She was caught off guard. Edward jumped the gun, but he needed to, and she understands that. She recognized that he needed the *words* there, to stop feeling guilty. She also just doesn't agree with his view (as she said) ... and that's hard. It's one thing to respect somebody's view, but respect doesn't mean agree with and sometimes I fear people are equating the two. Bella understood he needed words, but she doesn't agree that they have to get married first, so she was looking for a compromise that would fulfill what he needs, but not require something of her that she simply thinks is wrong and silly. It really is a problem, but marriages face that sometimes, and how a couple can navigate genuine differences of opinion without one of them being forced to "give in" in order to please the other ... that determines whether they'll survive. If Bella just acquiesed to his beliefs then her own would be negated too. They're from two different times, and they have to find a middle ground, which is what they did (eventually) get to. :-)
Reviewer: katydid13 (Signed) · Date: June 02, 2009 11:20 PM · On: Chapter 46
Wonderful chapter! I liked what you said about marriage. I've always thought it was a little odd that vampires worried about legal marriage. I mean all the paperwork is forged, health insurance and inheritance are not an issues. They don't really legally exist. The promises to be there forever would seem to be most important in their world.
Author's Response: Yup. And I think, really, that's all Edward needed -- permission for it to be enough. Intellectually, he knows all that. He's just a little overly hung up on symbols. Bella's showed him the reality. They love each other, the promise to make a real marriage -- including the work ... and eventually they'll figure out how to get a ceremony that can be fun for everybody ... but doesn't define the *reality* that already exists!
Reviewer: Daylen (Signed) · Date: June 02, 2009 10:59 PM · On: Chapter 46
aww Edward was so cute dashing off to get the ring!
And then the two of them continuing their careful exploration. Edward's reaction to the feathers was funny :)
Author's Response: Thanks! :-) The ring is on her finger!
Reviewer: vamppy (Signed) · Date: June 02, 2009 10:53 PM · On: Chapter 46
wow awsome chapter i totally luved it its been an awsome story i cant wait for mroe
Author's Response: Thanks!
Reviewer: NicoleRea (Signed) · Date: June 01, 2009 02:50 PM · On: Chapter 45
Nice, fluffy chapter. But when I saw the pic of the Xmas village on your site, I noticed a pic called "Bella's ring"??? Now I gotta know more!!
Author's Response: The other picture will eventually be explained ...
Reviewer: Kennie (Signed) · Date: June 01, 2009 10:25 AM · On: Chapter 45
I don't know much about having a loved one in a chair, but my son has rather obvious autism, so I'm all too familiar with the impatience and thoughtless actions of others. I hope it has made me a little less impatient and thoughtless myself but, since I have little experience with other disabilities, I'm sure I might fall short now and then.
This chapter hits close to home for me. I know exactly what Bella means about picking her battles, and I've also found that people are better put at ease by a "request and a joke" about autism than if I address the subject more seriously. I sometimes feel a little frustrated at the idea that I have to put complete strangers at ease about my son when they should just be comfortable without my help. A lot of my friends avoid taking their children with autism to stores or public places to avoid the stares or the "helpful suggestions" from others, but I decided early on that I wouldn't rob my son of the normal, every-day experiences that he was entitled to just because some people are put off by him. I had to learn to be the glass-half-full person for my son...and for my own sanity, honestly.
So I suppose I can empathize with Bella in a general sense, but I'm always grateful to this story for opening my eyes wider in regards to spinal cord injuries specifically. If I were even half the writer you were, I might attempt to extend a similar service and write a Twilight fanfic involving autism. I wonder how that would go. I'll admit that, since my son is non-verbal, I've often thought it would be handy to have a mind-reading vampire around. I'm not sure I could write a story like that though. I personally think my son has the sweetest, purest, most beautiful mind you could ask for. I just doubt I could write a story that could ever do him justice. I guess we all have our own ways of educating others, so I'll leave the writing to you and pray that I can be nearly as effective in my own sphere as you are in yours.
On a less serious note, I loved this chapter. I don't know why, but I was so touched by Edward reaching out to massage Bella's neck. I thought that was such an intimate moment, made more so by how understated it was. Loved it!
Author's Response: Writing something you know really helps a lot, I think. There's both familiarity and passion -- although I've certainly read good stories written by people who had to research it all. I just figured for a first outing into fiction writing (versus article writing), it might be a good idea to stick to what I know.
And I did want this particular chapter to be just some sweetish fluff, even while letting them get to know each other's daily limitations.
Reviewer: katstrat (Signed) · Date: June 01, 2009 10:05 AM · On: Chapter 11
I really like you're story and you've got a lot of interesting twists. This one with Rose is a great one - although it should be quite obvious that she hires Bella of all people because the Cullens are trying to help her out of her financial disaster... Normally she would have been much too stubborn to accept it, wouldn't she?
What I don't like is Bellas way to look at her relationship with Edward now... as if he was just a Highschool Sweetheart and nothing more... I guess that is a big unterstatement of what the two of them had and it makes me sad somehow. Ok, maybe Bellas is only telling herself that it was nothing more so that she can handle the situation...? I will go on reading the next chapters now and hopefully find out! ;o)
Author's Response: Hi! Thank you! I'm glad you like the story, or at least this much of it. You may or may not continue to like it, however, because Bella's opinion of her young love of Edward isn't just a matter of handling the situation. Bella really only knew Edward for about 6 months, and she was quite young. I don't believe in "soul mates" that are magically found; I think we make soul mates from spending time with a person and getting to know them, flaws and all. I don't think teen-Bella ever really saw Edward's flaws, so she adored him, she didn't love him. I know some readers are in it for the magic love, but this story takes a lot longer to build because the older, widowed Bella has a very different perspective on life and love after everything she's survived. She did honestly love her husband Mark; he wasn't a placeholder until Edward returned. The story IS E/B, so yes, she will learn to love Edward too, but it's different from the first time around. I don't mean to be off-putting, but I do want to be honest about the fact this story is about them rebuilding a (realer) love, rather than have an epiphany moment when she suddenly falls back in love with him and everything's okay. :-) It takes time.
Reviewer: tina_cullen (Signed) · Date: June 01, 2009 09:20 AM · On: Chapter 45
It's unbelievable how a week drags on when I think about the time of your next update...
Yes, Edward is definately a romatic sap, but Bella, bless her, is not as bothered by it as 10 years before. Might not have hurt that Emmett gave her a warning, too :)
Oh, how I wish, I could do xmas shopping with our fave vamp. He would be allowed to buy any obnoxious, big and expensive xmas decoration he wants as long as he would be under my xmas tree as well, as my fave present :)
Author's Response: Ha! Emmett's warning helped a lot. Bella is a lot better now at "getting" Edward -- and a lot less insecure -- but attitude helps too ... and I think Emmett is wise enough to recognize that. Ha!
Reviewer: PerfectMeadow (Signed) · Date: June 01, 2009 07:32 AM · On: Chapter 45
"little puddle of Edward-angst" Lol!
Internet is out at home and FanFic is blocked at work but YAY! You're here! Can't believe my luck!
Tears at the end, as always. Gah! I love how hopeful Edward is and how understanding Bella is and I always cry at Christmas anyways.
*sniffles*
Author's Response: Thank you! And yeah, I tend to think of Edward sometimes just having an angst meltdown. Hee!
Reviewer: sunsunhot7 (Signed) · Date: May 31, 2009 09:11 PM · On: Chapter 45
I absolutely love BxE time! They're relationship is growing and I love that they are taking it slow and just enjoying the time. I'm glad that she's letting him do for her even if its just a little less than what he wants. Compromise is ALWAYS good and Bella really is trying!
Author's Response: I think Bella and Edward are both making a real effort to understand (and *respect*) the other, which helps enormously. So I'm glad their relationship feels like it's growing at a realistic pace. More soon!
Reviewer: careolinagirl (Signed) · Date: May 31, 2009 07:34 PM · On: Chapter 45
You're making me so homesick for N Ga! You describe it so well...I'm also pining for Christmas now too! Love this chapter. It's nice to see their relationship growing and for Bella to be better able to accept at least the idea of a gift with grace. I look forward to see where they're headed. Keep going and thanks for the awesome update!
Author's Response: Thanks! And yes, Bella is getting better, I think, with age and time. :-)
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