Holding Sam by MeraNaamJoker @in_purdah

Holding Sam by MerNaamJoker

When HoochieMomma_ told me to read a Bella/Sam fic I scoffed. Bella and Sam? Well that doesn't work now does it? Bella and Edward, of course. Bella and Edward and Jasper, absolutely. Bella and Alice, please, yes. Man, Bella gets around! But those were all pairings that I loved to read. I've even read a Bella/Carlisle once, but when she realized she slept with Carlisle and his son, Edward, I was out.

I figured Sam with Bella would probably squick me out too since, well, Sam is Sam... he's like the Carlisle of the wolves, right?

Wrong.

This is a canon take at what would happen to Bella if Edward left her behind like in New Moon, but didn't come back. What if it had taken Sam a while to find Bella, and Bella and Sam were int he woods just a little while longer after having been attacked by Victoria? Just a few slight changes in the first part of New Moon and you have a totally different story. And the best part? It makes COMPLETE sense.

Sam is wounded by his transition. Although he is the key to the wolfpack, he's the leader or alpha... he's alone. Through a chain of events with just a different perspective, we find that Bella and Sam are very much in need of each other. 

The healing that begins within the confines of kindness and friendship is astounding and my heart was very much bleeding by the end of the fifth chapter. It was so beautiful though. 

And Sam is a true-to-the-book Sam. He's just a 19-year-old kid thrust into a massively abnormal world and struggling to keep himself, his tribe, and all of his responsibilities in check, and this now includes the hunted, wounded, terror-seeking Bella.

This story is fraught with emotional turmoil, but it is also filled to the brim with hope and humanity. When you are so completely broken, your heart and soul shredded in front of you, it might not be right to be put back together by the one who broke you... 

Sometimes having someone else with bloody, jagged edges find the right pieces to hold you together. Maybe another like yourself is all you need to become whole.

I would recommend this story for anyone who is in need of a good emotional, angst-fest with some amazing prose, fantastic canon characters, and a beautifully real story within SMeyer's fantasy world of vampires and wolves.

Go take a look and tell @in_purdah I sent you :D - Rain

Wow... Heat by @ArcadianMaggie

Heat by ArcadianMaggie

So, there's this one-shot... and it's intense and painful, it's as I described- "Beautifully fucked up." Really.

I was in a writing challenge, working on The Adventures of Peeperward and Stripperella, and ArcadiaMaggie started to tell us about what she was working on. She even posted a lil' snippet involving bathroom sex... it was HOOOOOOT! Wow. Nothing like angry, slam bodies around, wall humping, no? I'm no shipper of anything with Paul in it usually, but this scene had me panting.

Then I read ArciadianMaggie's warning: "AN: Please read WARNINGS - contains graphic content and possible triggers.

I originally outlined this story for the Beyond the Pale contest (http:/www .fanfiction .net/u/2431148/BeyondThePale), which called for "stories inspired by images that imply secret desires, habits, and happenings. Fetish and deviance. The forbidden. The socially UNacceptable. What goes on behind closed doors only. What pushes beyond the pale. The otherwise untouchable. The taboo." Because I was in the middle of my multi-chapter and realized I worked best only writing one piece at a time, I set it aside. This story skirts lines, and some might say crosses lines, oft advertised in other contests: "No entries containing rape, bestiality, pedophilia, incest, or non-consensual sex will be accepted into the contest."

Please close the browser if you are under 18, or if you are uncomfortable with the statement above."

And thought.... "ooooh... maybe not." o_0

Then I read a review, one of the first saying that she took such a hard topic with all these taboos and grey areas and did an amazing, truthful job, so again, my interest was peaked! I am one curious kitty... so you know that was the wrong thing for me to see cos I wanted to read it again!

Then I saw her summary: Leah went from a young woman in love to the only female in a pack of mind-reading shape shifters, led by the Alpha Sam, her ex. Rated M. Contains mature content.

And thought, well, this could go really well and be a lil' angsty with a cool turn... OR it could go REALLY badly and I will be left heart broken!

Well, my friends, it was both. It was angsty, it had a cool turn (and some WTF turns), and there was a part that turned VERY badly that made my heart crack open, then another, then another, and another! All the while, Maggie is intermingling these incredible lemons that have you sweating citrus and this internal dialogue from Seth and Leah that just tears out your heart, rubs it in the dirt, then rinses it off and hands it back to you with Hello Kitty band-aids on it!

I don't want to ruin the story with too many details, but that summary and her warnings are right on. This story is NOT for the lighthearted or wusspervs. It is, however, incredibly pressing and intense... it pushes boundaries, yet even though I was uncomfortable and creeped out at some parts, it all made COMPLETE and TOTAL sense. I'm not kidding... if you read with an open mind, keeping in mind that they are wolves... it is achingly, painfully perfect! No, really!

Some of the most amazing parts are Leah's internal dialogue... so well written and emotional. And Seth! Oh, god! Seth. I need to know more of Seth. And the scene between Quil and Set was in one word- WOW!

Truly, this was an incredible, mind-blowing journey all in about 10,000 words. In the end, I was left wanting more and I had so many questions. She said that she's thinking of continuing it in some way and I truly, truly hope she does.

Maggie, if you are reading this, doubtful, but whatever- Please write more. I need to know what happens to Seth!!! And Leah's journey was crazy and passionate and so much more than I thought it would be, but it's not done!

I hope you'll give this incredible story a chance. Remember, open mind. Let me know what you think. And if you go read, let her know I sent you.

Love and hugs,

Rain