{story rec} Through the Flames
One fateful night, 29y/o Edward must make the decision that haunts every firefighter’s worst nightmares. In choosing between his life and that of another, life altering repercussions arise. Rated M. Contains graphic descriptions of fire. HF Warning.
Twilight – Rated: M – English – Hurt/Comfort/Drama – Chapters: 41 – Words: 204,791 – Published: 4-9-10 – Complete
Once I started reading Through the Flames by SparklingTwilight, it was nearly impossible for me to put it down, which is really refreshing because I feel like I’ve started reading a lot of completed stories lately that just couldn’t hold my attention.
Edward is a firefighter who suffers from a debilitating accident after saving a girl from an apartment fire. The girl, none other than Bella, devotes herself to stay by his side as a friend through the aftermath, something that is practically unheard of by victims whose lives are saved. There are ups and there are downs. Not a chapter went by where my heart didn’t get all clenchy from something that occurred.
This story encompasses everything I love about reading fanfic. There’s heartfail, hope, and my absolute favorite, an imperfect Edward. He’s wheelchair bound, and the struggles he faces in his recovery cause him to lash out and act otherwise unacceptably toward his friends and family. But he is strong and that’s why I love him. Bella is strong as well. She does what she feels is right and she’s not a pushover.
SparklingTwilight wrote this story in third person, and although it’s focus is on Edward and Bella, she did an amazing job at giving each character a voice and a back story, making them each well rounded. Everyone in this story grows. She shows exactly how the accident affects each character while staying true to the root of who they are. While reading, I was surprised by just how real the characters seemed. She doesn’t cash in on clichés or allow canon characterizations to dictate their personalities. I felt as though I was looking into the inner workings of an actual family. The characters arehuman. They make mistakes and they aren’t perfect, but as the story progresses their bonds to one another strengthen, and I can’t help but feel proud of them for how far they’ve come.
Now, I’m not one to cry, and I didn’t while reading, but the end of the epi did have my eyes pricking and my nose tingling a little bit.
If you haven’t read Through the Flames, you should. It’s a fantastic story and one of my favorites.
Links:
Through the Flames on FFn: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5883476/1/Through_the_Flames
SparklingTwilight on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SprklngTwilight
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