In The Blood Chapter 20 Teaser

So we've brought our lovers together. Everyone's under the same roof even. Things are looking up. And while Emmett and Rosalie are getting to know one another, Edward and Bella are finally getting some alone time of their own. But as much as they're eager to get to the fun part of their reunion, and who isn't?, they still have a few things to hash out.

“Please don’t blame Aro for this, Edward.” Her eyes were fierce as she spoke of the Volturi leader and Edward could see she cared about the man deeply. “You have to understand. He considers me his daughter and he would do anything to protect me.”

“From what? From love?” Edward didn’t want to quarrel with her but Aro’s deception had wreaked such destruction on both of their lives, had made them both so unhappy for so long. It rankled that she could forgive him so easily.

Bella’s shoulders slumped a little, wearily. “When you were in Volterra, did you hear what others think of your kind? Of those that follow Carlisle’s…lifestyle?”

Edward’s pride was pricked. Yes, he had heard what they thought of his father, of him. How they took the respect that Carlisle held for all life and turned it into something perverse, considering abstaining from the murder of humans to be an abomination. Not trusting himself to keep the rancor from his words he simply responded with a curt nod.

“Then you know how strongly other vampires feel about the way you live. When Aro realized that you were living with Carlisle, he came to Chicago to witness for himself if you were truly committed to this way of life. When he saw that you were…” her words trailed off. They both knew what Aro did next.

“And what gave him the right to decide this for you? Even if he is your sire, Isabella, you are a grown woman with a mind of your own. You don’t care that he treated you like a child?”

“Edward,” she sighed, clearly not sure how to explain her point of view to him. “Aro’s not my sire but it’s because of that, because of what he knows of my early years that he wanted to spare me the choice. He didn’t treat me as a child,” she emphasized. “He treated me as his child.”

If Aro truly thought of Bella as his daughter, how could he so blatantly disregard her free will? Edward tried to imagine Carlisle if the situation had been reversed but he couldn’t imagine his caring, loving father taking the choice out of Edward’s hands. His father had too much respect for him for that. Bella must have seen the lack of understanding in Edward’s eyes because she began to chew on her lip in worry. Then suddenly her eyes lighted with wary inspiration.

Can she make him understand? Here's hoping so! Because I, for one, am ready for our erstwhile lovers to reunite already!

The playlist song for this chapter is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen:

No you didn't miss it...

Come on! You know you can't be mad at a puppy!

It's true. Chapter 19 of In The Blood did not post this week. It wasn't a fanfic.net alert fail or anything like that. The truth is due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, the chapter got delayed. We profoundly apologize and fervently promise that it will be there, come hell or high water, that we'll post it this coming Wednesday, March 3rd or earlier should the Almighty decide to stop treating fragile like the 21st Century Job.

In the meantime, I have this message for my co-author:

*ahem* Hello? Fragile?
This is Doctor Lemon.
I know you've been under the weather.
So I'm giving you a prescription.

Take two of these:



and go to bed for the rest of the night.
Heck, take the rest of the week, baby!
With two of these bad boys, you're going to need it!
*wink*

Feel better soon, fragile!!!!!!!!!!

In The Blood Chapter 19 Teaser

Edward called her ISABELLA!!!! *squee*  Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, here's this week's teaser:

Standing over Edward's crumpled body, Bella was terrified. She knew what Jane was capable of; she'd seen Jane wield her dark weapons time and time again. Regardless of how Edward now felt about her, if she'd been too late to save him she would never forgive herself.

Bella fell to her knees at his side and, unable to suppress the need to touch him, brushed the disordered hair from his face. "Edward," she whispered.

Clasping her hand in his, Edward closed his eyes. She expected him to shove her away in anger, but she gasped as his soft lips kissed each of her fingertips. She'd dreamed of his lips for 91 years, of their tender touch and the electricity that resulted from it. She never thought she feel the overwhelming sensation again, yet, here she was, drowning in it.

So, if the teaser is B & E, why is the pic above Rosalie and Emmett?  Oh, you'll see...*evil grin*

The playlist song for this chapter is "Killer Queen" by...well...Queen:

In The Blood Chapter 18 Teaser

While Emmett and Bella are learning just how innocent (or NOT) Angela is, Edward's getting some life lessons of his own.

This image is of an actual chair
that you can buy, should you be so inclined,
on eBay

As Edward crumpled under the weight of Jane’s torment, he barely registered being picked up and flying away from his house. Jane made sure he was incapacitated throughout the entire journey. As Jane’s torture burned through him, Edward had no way of knowing where he was being taken. His mind, normally able to focus on multiple things at once, was completely incapable of processing anything other than the agony he was in. When it stopped abruptly, Edward found himself sprawled out on a dank cement floor in a dark and musty room. His eyes fluttered open to see a tiny pair of black, lace-up, steel toed boots standing in front of him.

“Don’t move or I’ll do it again.” Jane’s voice was almost bored as she turned her back on him and walked toward a chair she had set up in the center of the room. The way the room was laid out reminded Edward of something, but he just couldn’t quite place it in his hazy state. When Jane twisted around to sit on the ornate, gold-adorned piece, it finally clicked into place. It was a throne. This dark, desolate place was Jane’s throne room. And, as he might have expected, it was but a hollow shell of the glory she sought. For a moment Edward felt very sad for the tiny child-monster before him. But only for a moment.

The playlist song for this chapter is Contact in Red Square by Blondie:

In the Blood Chapter 17 Teaser

Jane's on the warpath, and Bella is on her way to Edward's office. Who does she find? Why, innocent little Angela, that's who.

Closing the distance between herself and the moaning girl, Bella winked at Emmett over Angela's shoulder. "My, aren't you a pretty little thing?" Bella cooed, threading her fingers through Angela's silky hair. "I bet you taste so sweet."

"What the hell are you doing here? Get your hands off her!"

Bella turned her head and looked straight into Edward's blazing eyes. Smirking, she tugged Angela's hair, giving Emmett access to kiss her exposed neck. "Well, hello there, Edward. Emmett and I were just playing with your little toy." She laughed as she watched his jaw tighten. "So, how did your grudge fuck go?"

Edward's eyes widened then narrowed into angry slits. "You two...my office...now!"

Bella and Emmett shrugged as they pulled away from a panting Angela and followed Edward into his office. Once they were seated in the guest chairs, Edward slammed the door soundly.

The playlist song for this chapter is "Heart of Glass" by Blondie:

ITB Nominated for an Indie!

Could you all HEAR me squeeing? Because when I got the email from fragile last night that In The Blood was nominated for not one but TWO Indies I squeed louder than a tweenager at a Jonas Brother's concert!

That's right! In The Blood has the distinction of being nominated for an Indie Award in both the Best Love Triangle (WIP) category and the Canon or AU story that knocks you off your feet (WIP) category!!!

We are truly grateful that our readers enjoy this story to the point that they would nominate us for this awesome award. And the competition is quite stiff! But we truly are just happy to be nominated. You guys make our day...everyday!

Thank you so very much!

PS - is it crass to mention that voting begins on February 20th? It is? Oh, well then...nevermind. *wink*

Congratulations afragilelittlehuman!!!!!!!!!!!!!

text graphic from textspace.net

I just got back from being without an internet connection all weekend and I am THRILLED to see that fragile won in both the Steamiest Smut and the Judge's Choice categories in the PPSS sponsored An Officer and a Gentleman contest for her story The Possibility of You!!

And, if I may brag on my co-author for a minute (and seriously, why else have this blog if I can't?), here's what the judges said of Fragile's awesome story:

Lieutenant Edward Cullen is a dedicated fireman, but, when a new probie joins his crew, he struggles to keep things professional. Will he be able to keep himself in check or lose his heart to the possibility of love?

Reading through the entries for this contest I realized how many great authors there are. There were a lot of great o/s and it made choosing really hard for me. Still, reading through them all was a pleasure. My pick is The Possibility of You by afragilelittlehuman. This o/s has not only FireWard but Firella as well. What I really enjoyed was having a Bella who was treated as an equal, regardless of sex or sexiness...though that didn't keep the guys from fantasizing about her sliding down the fire pole. Being employed as a fire fighter equals tough situations and loss of lives; some unknown and some friends. There is an especially hard part when Edward wants to comfort Bella after the death of men from a nearby firehouse...but can't due to the circumstance. I could feel how difficult it was for Edward to deny his desire to help a woman he was no longer just "in lust" with but had deeper feelings for. Besides being realistic with the day to day life of fire fighters, afragilelittlehuman wrote the UST so well that I was dying with the wait for them to get together. Her Edward is sexy in his uniform, all sweaty and dirty. Her Bella is tough yet still feminine. And the smut? Well, I'll just say you need to read it to appreciate it. I could definitely go for more of this to see how a relationship will work out between two people who risk their lives at work on a daily basis.

Way to go fragile!!!! Very well deserved!!!!