In The Blood Chapter 12 Teaser

If you haven't figured it out already, allow me to warn you now: this story is going into the dark place in Edward and Bella's relationship. That's right, there's enough pain to go around and everybody's going to get a big, heaping plate of angst. But just remember, no good thing comes without a price. In order for our erstwhile lovers to get their happy ending (and I do love me a happy ending), they're going to have to make it through the tough times.

artwork by dholl

Unlike my last chapter, I have known EXACTLY how this chapter would work from the very beginning. Let me set it up for you just a bit:

On a whim, he stopped by the park where she had found him again so many years ago. He wandered past the field with the tall oak trees where they had kissed for the first time. As he did, Edward caught the faintest whiff of something…not human. It was soft and lush like vanilla with a sweet undertone of ripe strawberries. But there was something else mixed in with it: an underlying odor of chocolate? Coffee? The aroma nagged at him. Like a sleepwalker, Edward followed it past the formal gardens, past the reflecting pond, and out onto the street and into the city again.

It led him to the heart of Isabella’s old neighborhood, only a few blocks from where her house once stood. For a moment he forgot the scent he had been following and remembered how he had stood on the porch of that house the day they had made love, how nervous he had been and how very much in love. In the thirties, not long after he had left Chicago to follow Carlisle to the Pacific Northwest, he had purchased the grand, old Queen Anne and had it demolished. It was the only time he acknowledged the anger and betrayal he had felt and done something about it. Though cathartic, it had not done much to cleanse his heart of the ichor with which Isabella’s leaving had filled him.

The wind shifted again, and the scent he had been following called him onward, past the seedy corner currency exchange with its neon sign alternately blinking “2:12” and “39˚F.” Edward barely noted the time, something that would have sent warning tremors through him normally, especially combined with the perfume he identified as Isabella’s. He inhaled deeply, turning his head up to where the aroma was strongest. He easily scaled the building and was streaking along the rooftops of the warehouses that dotted the main street when he heard her voice.

“Baby, please…come with me.”

Uh, oh.... something tells me Edward's about to see something he REALLY won't like. Oh well...

One thing I did want to mention was that the park described above (and in Chapter 5 when Bella kisses Edward) is based on Douglas Park in Chicago. It is still a beautiful place today. The following pictures were borrowed from The Jens Jensen Legacy Project.

The main park building


The lagoona

The playlist song for this chapter is The Chain by Fleetwood Mac:

In the Blood Chapter 11 Teaser

If you found the last chapter beautiful and lovely (which it was - onepushyfox wrote an incredible chapter), you will have emotional whiplash after reading chapter 11, "Give You My World." While Edward is returning to Chicago to find his Isabella, Bella is leading Emmett through his first day as a vampire:

“Bella? Is it over, Bella?”

Emmett's voice was shaky and quiet, but it was a symphony to Bella. She looked into his eyes, no longer clear blue but now inky black, and she smiled.

“Yes, baby,” she said, stroking his head soothingly, “it's over. I missed you so much.” She kissed his lips tenderly.

Sitting up slowly, Emmett carefully scanned the room. “Everything looks so different.” He reached out and cupped her face with his hand. “You're even more beautiful, if that's possible. You even feel different.”

These moments were the ones she had dreamed of having with the beautiful boy. Watching as Emmett opened his eyes and truly saw her for the first time, she once again mourned the loss of her mate. Still, she was devoted to guiding Emmett through the difficult newborn years, making sure he was the perfect vampire she knew he could be. She would not fail this time.

I feel I should warn you: it's chapters like this one that give this story its strong M rating, and, like we've said before, we're so not kidding about that.

It will be posted on FFn at 12:01AM-ish on Wednesday. We are still waiting for the last chapter to be validated on Twilighted, and we hope we're caught up soon.

The playlist song for this chapter is "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac.

Bella's Loft...and a little Emmett

A lot of the early chapters of In The Blood take place in Bella's loft. I've been meaning to post the pictures of the loft on which her's is based, and I'm finally remembering to do it :)

When Bella returns to Chicago, she returns to the same neighborhood in which she lived when she first met Edward: Canaryville.

Canaryville is a predominantly Irish American neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, located within the New City community of Chicago. The borders of Canaryville are from 40th to 49th streets to the South. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Chicago and enjoys a reputation for insularity or hostility to outsiders. It was also considered to be one of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods throughout most of its existence, from the late 19th century and much of the 20th century.

Canaryville is undergoing a gentrification of sorts, and several old buildings have been converted into lofts. Bella's loft is based on a loft in an old department store on South Ashland.

Bella's nice loft needed a nice bed for Emmett to make...and sleep in. This is what her bed looks like:

I'd pay to watch Emmett make that bed - how 'bout you? *evil grin*

Speaking of Emmett: while our Bella and Edward aren't modeled after the usual suspects, our Emmett is totally modeled after Kellan:

In The Blood thread on Twilighted

For those of you who haunt the Twilighted forums, we've just set up a thread to discuss In The Blood which can be found by clicking here. Enjoy!!!

Fragile Foxes gets a great new look!

What a Christmas gift, hunh? Can I just scream, "Thank you, Fragile!!!!!" When my sweet co-author asked if I wanted to get our blog redesigned by the AWESOME Mrs. Vanquish, I of course said, "Yes!" But when she also said she'd foot the bill as a gift to me, I just SQUEED!


She was great, working with us to get the background we wanted, making the FANTABULOUS header, putting up with my crazy love of fonts (I picked out less than 10 this time, not bad, 'eh?) and our many questions about the ivy leaves (should they be green? orange? black? removed altogether? GAH!)

Anyway, she's a dream to work with and we absolutely adore what she did for our . It makes me want to write another story after ITB finishes. Fragile, you think you'll be up for more collaborations??? *smile*

Thanks again, Mrs. Vanquish and Fragile!!!

In The Blood Chapter 10 Teaser

So this chapter has me nervous. More nervous than the earlier Edward chapters because I feel Edward finally has to deliver in this one and he and I really struggled with how he would actually make good on his promise. Is he sweet? Sure. Angsty? Like a mo-fo! But has he ever looked back at his time with Bella fondly? Remembered it without anguish, self-doubt and the taint of betrayal? Nope.

But that's the gift that Aro gives him with his memory of Bella: the ability to see her in a way Edward hasn't since he was human. And believe me, they had great times together. They were unconditionally and irrevocably in love, once upon a time. It's just that Edward's kind of protective of that time with Bella and often doesn't want to talk about all the details I want. Finally, after much begging and whining on my part, he's consented to share some of it with me and consequently with you. I do hope it lives up to your expectations.

So first off, the tease. And before you get your hopes up, the tease contains NO LEMONS. I'm not saying there are no lemons in Chapter 10, but you can bet if there are, I'm not teasing them. You'll have to wait just like I do. Sorry!!

Bella's house in Chicago, 1918

Edward nervously straightened his tie, building up the courage to knock on the door of Isabella’s house. He could see from his reflection in the window to his left that he looked perfectly presentable: he was wearing his dove grey tweed suit with a crisp white shirt and light blue tie. His hair, always somewhat unruly, was slicked back on the sides neatly, the rest contained as much as possible under his dark grey fedora. He knew he looked every inch the picture of the perfect gentleman. So why, then, did he feel like such a fraud? He stood there frowning at his reflection for another minute when he nearly jumped out of his skin as the front door whipped open. An older woman with graying red hair and a faded work dress that marked her as a domestic stood there scowling at him.

“Are you going to stare through our windows all day, young man? Or were you planning to knock on the door and introduce yourself like a decent fellow?” The woman’s imperious tone was so discordant with her dress that Edward stood there gaping, unable to formulate the correct response.

“What, no answer?” she continued, a hint of Irish showing up in her accent as she got more put out with him. “Must be one of them mental blokes they write about in the papers all the time,” she murmured to herself, apparently deducing that Edward’s lack of verbal response indicated a deficiency in his hearing as well. Before he could inform the woman that he was neither deaf nor insane, he heard the voice that haunted his dreams drift down the stairs.

“Sadie, is there someone at the door?” He could tell from the smile in her voice that she knew it was him but was letting her housekeeper torture him just a bit longer.

A few additional notes that I think are important to the chapter:

1) Edward brings Bella some flowers in this chapter. Flowers in this era still were chosen to say things that lovers were discouraged from voicing aloud. Edward definitely chose his flowers for that reason. Here's the bouquet he gives Bella:

And here's a list of what the flowers in the bouquet mean:
Purple lilacs – first emotion of love
White lilacs – youthful innocence
Blue/lilac rose – mystery
Lavender rose – love at first sight
White rose – Eternal love, silence/innocence, wistfulness, virtue, purity, secrecy, reverence and humility
Snowdrops – consolation or hope
Snapdragons – deception, graciousness, presumption
[Note, I've purposefully left some ambiguity including all possible meanings for certain flowers. Edward may have meant one thing when he bought the flowers but retrospect often adds a touch of irony.]

2) Bella has a painting in her house, a version of Judith by Gustav Klimt. Here is a copy of it, if you're unfamiliar with the work:

And I apologize if all of these notes make the chapter sound a bit pedantic, but I promise I'm just a bit OCD on the details. The chapter won't read like a university lecture!

The playlist song is "Angie" by The Rolling Stones.

In The Blood Chapter 9 Teaser

Edward is in Italy, and Bella has just revealed to Emmett what she really is. In chapter 9, "I Watched You Suffer," Bella recounts her life to Emmett:

"I was born in Georgia in 1797. My father was the county judge, and my mother was a whore who abandoned us when I was twelve years old. My father's name was Charles, and he loved me very much. When he remarried, it caused quite a scandal because his wife was half Cherokee, and we were immediately shunned. Still, my new mother was a lovely woman, and her children with my father were beautiful as well."

Bella tried her best to forget her family, the four people who had loved her most in the world and had suffered because of her. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and remain focused. "In 1818, when I turned 21, I should have been married to some local boy looking to start a family. Because of my father's marriage, however, no one wanted me. I spent a great deal of time alone, reading the books my father would acquire for us. I often sat alone in a meadow in the woods near our home, reading and wondering if I would ever have a life of my own.

"One day, I was approached by a man in my meadow. He was handsome and attentive, but he made me uneasy. When I tried to return to my father's house, the man grabbed me. He tore at my clothes, exposing my neck and shoulders. I tried to fight, but he was so strong." Her words trailed off, and, for a moment, she was silent. She tried to ignore the horrified look Emmett had on his face as he finally stared her way. "I thought he was going to rape me. Instead, I felt his teeth tear into my neck and his mouth drink the blood from my veins."

Now that Emmett knows, really knows, about Bella, will he still want to protect her?

The playlist song for this chapter is "Wild Horses" by the Rolling Stones.