Royal Duty Ch.8 TEASER :D

Hey everybody!

If you haven't already heard, my poor little laptop has a serious virus at the moment!! Unfortunately, this means that while it's been down for the last week, I've dropped behind on my pre-written chapters.

I do have three pre-written chapters of Royal Duty left, but I'd like to let you know that I'm going to space out my updates by a few more days - so ten days instead of a week - that kind of thing, just so I can get back on top of things.

As I said at the start, this fic isn't particularly long. I'm trying to get it finished in 20 chapters, but if you  know me, then you'll know that probably won't happen. I'm hoping anyways!!

So, I'm managing to get this out to you in the mean time, and I'd like you all to cross your fingers that I can continue to use my laptop for the next few days because between my four in progress fics, I have a lot of shit to do!!

I hope to have this chapter up by the weekend, and I hope you enjoy the teaser in the meantime :D:D

Onwards...

Chapter 8 - Show Time

“He should be in bed,” she remarked kindly.

“I asked him if he was up to it, but he was insistent.”

“Of course he was. This is your engagement party. And in that dress? You can’t blame him for wanting every man in this room to see you with him.” My jaw dropped as Alison giggled lightly. I was unsure as to whether Alec had filled her in on “the situation,” but her next comment told me he hadn’t.

“That boy is mad about you. He probably didn’t want to let you down. Maybe you could play it off as him being lovesick?” She giggled again, and I tried to join in but it died in my throat, making her look at me in concern.

“I didn’t mean to speak out of turn, Princess. Forgive me.” She bowed her head slightly, and I told myself to get a grip.

“Not at all, Alison. There is nothing to forgive. I’m a little nervous tonight, is all.”

“He won’t let you down, Princess, he’s been waiting for tonight for a very long time after all. I guess you both have.” She smiled as Alec and Edward re-joined us, taking her husband’s arm and both of them bidding us goodbye.

I played her words down. She’d clearly just read the article and, like was supposed to happen, believed every word. It did surprise me that Alec hadn’t told her the truth about us, however. Before she was diagnosed with cancer, she used to work in the palace gardens and, like her husband, knew everything that went on behind its doors.

My hand was back in Edward’s, and I didn’t know how it got there. Had I reached out and weaved my fingers through his without realising? Or was I so caught up in the riddles I’d been living with for weeks that I hadn’t noticed Edward’s gentle touch. I turned to find him with his eyes shut and breathing deeply and decided I must have done it because he was in no state to do anything

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See you all soon!! xx

Royal Duty Ch.7 TEASER :D

Hey all!

Tis that time, Edward is back and things are moving forward! Yay, let's get on with it shall we?

Enjoy x

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Chapter 7 - The Engagement Party

Our engagement interview was aired that night on the six o’clock news. The reporters remarked on how happy and relaxed we looked together, how naturally we seemed to handle the questions, the sadness surrounding our story, and the fairytale ending we seemed to have secured.

The engagement was everywhere. Only one official photo had been released, a shot of the two of us standing arm in arm, my engagement ring in full view and smiles on both of our faces.

My dress and hair were critiqued in every magazine, and it didn’t take long for copies to hit the shelves for the “everyday” woman to purchase.

I tried to ignore everything as much as I could. Instead, I found myself in a constant bubble of thought. Thoughts that only centred on one thing: Edward. I couldn’t get him out of my head. Every time I turned a corner in the palace I thought saw him. Every time I heard someone speaking with a similar tone of voice, my heart went into overdrive.

When he told me he was leaving, I knew I’d miss him, but I wasn’t aware of just how much.

My mother had knocked on the door to my suite the night he left to tell me his car had just pulled out of the garage. She seemed surprised that he had packed a few bags into the boot, but I reassured her he was coming back. Or at least, I thought I was reassuring her. It turned out I was trying to assure myself.

“Honey, that boy is mad about you. Nothing would be able to keep him away.” She held me close, and for the first time in weeks, I let someone else comfort me.

“But why? I don’t get it, I’ve been so mean to him…” I shuddered at the thought, and my mother’s arms tightened around me as she rocked me back and forth on the sofa.

“Have you spoken to him? Really spoken to him?” she prodded.

I nodded my head and pulled back, letting her take my hands in hers and gazing upon her soft features.

“He told me he’d wait for as long as it took for me to trust him before we got married, but it seemed like he wanted to say something else.” I knew in my heart what it was; he wanted me to love him before we got married, but saying it aloud was a terrifying thought.

“He said he wrote the story we told the press and that it wasn’t a lie…I don’t understand what he was talking about. I was too busy trying to think up ways to make him stay…but he left, mother. He’s gone…”

“But he is coming back…Isabella, these last few weeks have been hard on him, too. He has no family here, no friends. I know he hoped you two would become close, but you haven’t given him the chance to get to know you…he just needs a couple of weeks to find his bearings and probably say goodbye to his old life.”

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Should be up in the next few days!

Sarah x

Forget Me Not Ch.48 TEASER :D

Hey guys!

I know this one is overdue! I was doing so well with the schedule, but work has been kicking my ass the last two weeks so I had no time whatsoever to write!

I sat down today and managed to hammer out the chapter though. I have to warn you that it's dark...much darker than I thought it was going to be. Maybe I should be worried at how easily I can write darkness and angst?

Anyways, the chapter will be up as soon as I get replies out to your wonderful reviews on ffn :D

Enjoy x

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Chapter 48 - Darkness

Every night before sleep took me, I felt the same raw pain in my chest.

It was like it waited in the darkness for me, and pounced the second I was at my most vulnerable.

I was trying to deal with it.

I was adamant that it wasn’t going to break me, but fighting it, quelling it, was the hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to do.

Tears fell silently onto my pillow as I recalled the pain in Edward’s voice when I told him it was over. My heart would replay the pain it felt at the time, over and over, intensifying it in my loneliness. I knew it was for the best, but it was ripping me to shreds and I had no idea how to stop it from destroying me.

Jasper could tell. Hell, I think everyone could tell. They all watched me carefully at school, deliberately avoiding the topic of Edward altogether. Alice pulled me away from my locker and into a tight hug one afternoon before I went to biology – alone, as Edward had yet to come back to school – but that been the extent of it. Other than that, it was one massive elephant in the room that no one wanted to address.

It wasn’t until the following Monday that my strength was truly put to the test. Edward was back at school. I watched with mounting anxiety as his silver Volvo pulled into the school parking lot. I noticed him slow down as he entered, turning his wheels in the direction of my truck, but at the last minute he zoomed over to the opposite side and parked by the trees.

I knew it was inevitable, that he had to come back. I overheard Alice telling Jasper in the lunch queue on Friday that he was still recovering from the aftereffects of his panic attack. She said he was weak, suffering from migraines and irritable. She also said that he was becoming restless, staring at his phone when he thought no one was looking and spending equal amounts staring at his car keys.

The end of her sentence hung in the air. I wasn’t sure if they knew I’d heard, but we all knew what the latter of all of that stemmed from. He wanted me to call, or at least reply to the three texts he’d sent me. He was staring at his car keys because he was fighting the overwhelming urge to run away again. Whether he wanted to come and see me was another thing, I was genuinely unsure whether he wanted that or not.

I knew my breaking up with him was somewhat of a final straw for him, but with the positive things Alice whispered, I found solace in the fact that it had been the right thing to do. She’d returned home from school to find him talking heatedly with his therapist. I found out she was now staying with the Cullens, and Edward was getting around the clock care. She said, loud enough this time for me to hear, the he had refused antidepressants and drugs, saying he wanted to know if he was strong enough to get through it on his own.

My heart welled with pride the same time my eyes pricked with tears. He must have been so scared, so alone and so hurt, but he was fighting it by himself, adamant that he do it on his own. He was so much stronger than he realized, and I hoped he’d come to the same realization as me – that he could do it on his own.

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Chapter should be up by the weekend!! :D

Royal Duty Ch.6 TEASER :D

Hey all!!

This week's teaser is a few days early - see how much I appreciate you all? :P

Chapter 6 (this one) has been completely rewritten to mould into a plotline I didn't set out with in mind, but you guys were not enjoying the wait in the original, so the conversation in this chapter is at least 4 chapters earlier than planned...However, I'm sticking with some of my original ideas, so you won't get it all your way :P

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and think better of Bella, Edward and me, at the end of it :D

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Chapter 6 - Fears and Fittings

I stared at him, not sure what, or even if, I was supposed to say something.

He raised his eyes, but they wouldn’t meet mine, and I found myself desperate to look into the deep green depths. I didn’t know him very well, but I already knew that any time I looked into his eyes, I’d see the truth and know where I stood – he didn’t even need to say anything.

Suddenly, insecurities I didn’t even know I’d been harbouring surfaced in me, making it harder to breathe.

“You’re leaving…” I whispered. The pain those simple words caused me nearly knocked the wind out of me as I sat up straighter and brought myself closer to him. I knew, right then, that despite everything I’d put him through, and the fact that it would be my fault if he did, I didn’t want him to go.

His head snapped up, shock and confusion written across his face, but a tiny bit of acceptance lingering in his eyes. It was like I had just made up his mind for him. I felt foolish, he hadn’t been thinking of that at all, but I’d just put the idea in his head.

“I’ve been trying so hard, Bella. You don’t even seem to care that we’re in this together…” He shook his head in frustration. Standing up, the hand that I’d been about to lay on his fell back to my lap and he stared down at it in silence.

“I-I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. I still don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. It’s like everyone around me is expecting something and I don’t know if I’m feeling it because they want me to or because I actually, truly do. I feel so angry that I was lied to, misled, when you weren’t.

“Five years is a long time, Edward. It might not seem like it, and I get that this was forced on you, too, I do, but you’ve had five years. I haven’t even had five weeks…”

Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and I brushed them away angrily.

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The chapter should be up by the weekend :D I'll be replying to all your reviews between now and then so look out for that too :D

See you soon xx

Beyond the Glass Ch.22 TEASER :D

Wow, no you didn't read that wrong, there really is a new chapter of BtG!!


I can't apologise enough for the wait you've all patiently endured, I know most of you already know that it just wasn't coming to me.


Thankfully most of you read more than one of my fics and haven't been compeletely starved, FMN is doing well! :P


Anyways, a little teaser for the next chapter to get you in the mood :D Oh, and a recap of what happened last might help :P


Previously - Jasper found out what Edward tried to do and walked out, stating that they were over and that Edward "ruins everything." Edward got his moment with Bella, told her the truth about his fear of her, kissed the girl numb and then got his heart broken when Bella told him Jasper had got there before him. He walked out, a broken man, and Bella realised the epic mistake she'd made. Since then, her music has been picking up on YouTube and James has turned into the star we all love. Bella confronted her mother about her savings and found herself her own place. She's moved out, moved on and moving up with her life, free of Edward, heartache and her mother.

Chapter 22 - A House is not a Home

I’d spent the better part of a month trying to forget about Edward and his departure, but no matter how hard I tried, it was still there. The feel of his hands on my skin, the taste of his mouth on mine. I heard the sound of his voice – quiet and reserved – as he told me the truth for the first time. I remembered the look in his eyes as he tried to make me understand.

Then I remembered the pain in my chest when I had to shatter his ideas, the tugging I felt deep inside as he walked away from me. The fissure I felt cracking open when Heidi told me he was gone, the shame I felt when I realized it was my fault. The disgust at myself when I realized I’d used two guys at the same time – two best friends – and pitted them against one another unknowingly. The hurt I felt when I lost both of them.

My fingers were flying over the keys angrily until the same melody sounded again and again. It smoothed out when I thought over all the headlines I’d read in that same month – the ones about me, the ones about Jasper, but mostly the ones about Edward.

He was back in New York, back to his old ways: the drinking, the girls, the parties. There was barely a day that went passed without a picture of him falling out of some club with two girls on his arm from the night before.

I fell silent. New York had never appealed to me, even when I’d stayed there, but I remembered Jamie saying it was by far the best city in the world. The soul, the music, the sounds, the feel, everything was alive he’d said. I wondered if Edward liked being there, if he felt alive while he was there.

For the first time since he’d left, I wished with every part of my being that he’d walk back through my door. Maybe he’d smile, or maybe he’d just smirk cockily as I lost my nerve with whatever I’d been playing. He’d sit on the couch behind Jamie, cross his legs at his ankles and stretch out like he owned the place, revelling in the way I completely fell apart in his presence.

God, I missed him.

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See you soon!

Fanfiction Fail!

Hey guys!

I'm sure you've all noticed the numerous update e-mails from ffn about Royal Duty...

It seems some of you can see the chapter but not review, and the rest of you can't access it at all!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

So, I've taken it down completely for now. I'll only wait until tomorrow and try again. Hopefully the problem doesn't persist, it usually only fails for a few hours.

Sorry for the inconvenience, I will post it as soon as possible!

Thanks for your patience :D

Sarah x

Royal Duty Ch.5 TEASER :D

Hey all!

It's that time of the week again! :D:D

I'm doing pretty well with keeping on schedule with these updates, I'm quite proud of myself :)

Anyways, I'm editing the chapter this evening and replying to all your awesome reviews, so in the meantime you can have a little teaser to whet your appetite for tomorrow :D

Enjoy! x

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“I heard her before I saw her – someone squealing in delight, a voice that was getting closer. I don’t recall if anyone else noticed, but I was intrigued. Isabella came barrelling around the corner in this little blue dress and white shoes, laughing and squealing. It turned out she’d been playing hide and seek with one of her father’s closest advisors, and she’d run away when he threatened to tickle her.

“I didn’t even speak to her that day, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget her smile or the way she looked.”

“Clearly. You can even remember what she was wearing!” Marcus exclaimed.

“I hope I don’t embarrass myself by admitting that I think I was probably smitten. She was pretty, or at least that’s what I thought at the time,” Edward answered, squeezing my hand and smiling at me.

“At the time?” Marcus asked.

“Well, now, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Pretty doesn’t do her justice.” I blushed under his gaze and dropped my head as Marcus turned to look at me.

“Isabella?” Marcus probed, wanting to know what I had to say to that.

“I’m afraid I don’t remember that day, Marcus. I guess I was too young,” I admitted at least partially truthfully. I would have been too young, if it had ever happened.

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Yes, it's that time!! You will all find out what really happened all those years ago, and just how well they knew each other :D:D

See you all soon!

Sarah x