355Disclaimer: Even after all this time, SM still owns Twilight. Orientation belongs to Orozco, but this OOC Nerdward pining for Bella is mine.
A/N: Well….hello. Lol. So…I'm not dead? I truly am so sorry for being gone for so long. I will give one of my epic A/Ns at the bottom, but for now I will just introduce you to my latest craziness. It's weird, almost-parody(but not quite), (hopefully)humorous, and (of course) a lemon at the end to make up for all the time I've been away. I love and have missed you all. *mwah!*
Betaed by the great and amazing aleighy (aleighy on Twitter)
EPOV
"Hello, Ms. Brandon. Welcome to our team here at Volturi, Volturi, & Volturi. I'm very glad to have you join us here today, and I'm also thankful you were able to look past the ridiculousness of our firm's name. The brothers all wanted equal billing, never minding the fact that even they don't know who is listed first in the business's name."
"Who is?"
"Who is what?"
"Who is listed first?"
"That is an excellent question, Ms. Brandon. I'm afraid I can't answer it, but always feel free to voice concerns or questions to your second nearest managerial supervisor. Not too many questions, though. Too many will make your supervisor believe you incompetent, and he will then most likely find a reason to let you go. Moving on…"
"Wait, why my second nearest manageri-"
"All in good time, Ms. Brandon. Again, an excellent question. Now follow me, if you please."
This was going well so far. I'd given her two compliments and I hadn't gotten a panic attack yet. That Xanax had really done the trick, even if I was a little more talkative than usual. I led her down the hallway, continuing to point out a few rather insignificant cubicles, full of a few rather insignificant people. One of our CPA's, Jacob Black, who was always in a foul mood and also the hairiest person I had ever had the displeasure to encounter. How he landed himself a wife and mistress, I'd never know.
"Probably uses his secretary to keep them straight," she mumbled under her breath behind me.
"That is entirely possible, Ms. Brandon. Very astute observation. We have very good administrative assistants here, for the short amount of time they remain. They all come from the temp agency and the turnover rate is very high. In the last six months alone we already went through two Janes, a Lauren, a Victoria, and a Kate. I believe the new one's name is Tammy…no, Tara…no, Tanya! That's it, Tanya. Most leave due to sexual harassment, either as victims or instigators, sometimes a strange mix of both. The new one appears to be leaning towards the instigator sort, if you know what I mean. If you don't, I mean she tries to attract my attention to her breasts at every conceivable opportunity. As you are a woman, you are most likely safe from their advances, however they are known to be quite catty toward our female colleagues here. But, they will always do the work assigned to them, otherwise they would be let go. So feel free to ignore them otherwise or accidentally spill your coffee on them anytime to ensure cooperation. If you ever happen upon one of the temps attempting to harass a fellow male colleague, feel free to intervene, unless it is one of the Volturi brothers. They are usually the instigators in that scenario. Moving on…"
"Wait! Should I be worried here? You just said my bosses like to harass women," she exclaimed, stopping me with her hand on my arm.
"Oh no, no need to worry at all, Ms. Brandon. They like to harass the temps, and quite frankly, the temps like to be harassed. The brothers are also rarely seen outside of their offices, which are located in the basement. They are very strange. As for myself, I would never harass a woman, and neither would any of my fellow colleagues here. Except for James Hunter. And the janitorial staff. And the night guards."
She was beginning to look a bit pale, so I continued moving on so we could finish quickly and she would be able to take a short break before beginning the work day. She must have forgotten breakfast.
"Anyway, you won't need to worry about the janitorial staff or the night guards, unless you stay late in the office. We don't pay overtime, so you shouldn't stay late. Your work day is eight hours, but we only give each person about two hours worth of work to do a day. You should still stretch that work out over eight hours, though. We keep expectations low to avoid laziness, not promote it. If for some reason you are unable to do your two hours' worth of work in the eight hour allotted time period, feel free to file an extension with the Office Manager, Angela Weber. She is quiet as a mouse and a complete pushover. She gives extensions to anyone. Incidentally, she is in love with Ben Cheney, her assistant, but is too shy to let him know. However, he is aware, but equally shy. A most unfortunate impasse. Moving on…"
"Wait!" she stopped me again, seeming exasperated. Maybe we would need to take a break first, before I finished the tour. "What about this James Hunter?"
"Ah. I neglected to explain. My apologies, Ms. Brandon. You are a very astute individual. So full of questions, though. Anyway, James Hunter is your first managerial supervisor, hence why I told you to take all questions and concerns to your second managerial supervisor. If you don't look him in the eye, he won't believe he has a 'connection' with you, and will therefore treat you as though you don't exist. That's his office just over there. He is absolutely obsessed with hunting. His office is covered in pictures of his various hunting trophies and decorated with bullets. I have heard that he even has bullets for pens, but I can't really be sure. I don't look him in the eye, either.
"Your assignments are sent via our office's email system and you will deliver them the same way. You need never actually speak to another human being while at the office, but we actively encourage polite and civil office friendships and relationships, during appropriate break and lunch times."
"Relationships?"
"Yes, Ms. Brandon. Marcus Volturi, one of the brothers listed in our firm's ridiculous name, believes strongly in the importance of relationships in a healthy individual's life. Because the majority of our waking hours are spent in this office, he encourages the firm's employees to pursue relationships within the workplace, so as not to be distracted by the freedoms the outside world offers. That is another reason why each employee is only given two hours worth of work for an eight hour day. For example, our other CPA, Mike Newton, is currently in a relationship with our Human Resources manager, Jessica Stanley. She is cheating on him with Tyler Crowley, our Office Supplies Manager. For more information on these and other relationships, you can sit in the office lounge during your breaks and listen to the temps gossip by the coffee machine. Even at the alarming rate in which they turn over, they always know who is sleeping with whom."
"I see."
"Excellent. Incidentally, here we are at your second managerial supervisor's office. Knock, knock, Mr. Whitlock."
"Edward, I've told you, you can call me Jasper," he replied, without looking away from his computer.
"Mr. Cullen!" I heard a hiss come from behind me. I turned around to find Ms. Brandon hiding behind me. Amused, I cocked my head down at her. She was an extremely short woman.
"Yes?"
"Please tell me he's not a pervert, or in a relationship and cheating on anybody, or in a relationship at all!" she whispered frantically. "Or gay!"
I frowned. "Ms. Brandon, here at Volturi, Volturi, & Volturi, we take great pride in our non-discrimination policy. Heterosexual, homosexual, and even transgender employees are all on equal standing in our office. Gianna, down in Public Relations, used to be a Gene, and she/he is one of our best employees."
She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "I'm not asking because I have a problem with gay people, Mr. Cullen. I'm asking from a…potential inner-office relationship perspective."
Huh?
Oh.
I smiled, letting a little of my strict professionalism melt away. "To the best of my knowledge, the answer to all of your questions is no. He and I rescue each other from the temps' advances often, his last monogamous relationship with Maria, who incidentally has always been a Maria, ended for reasons I am personally unaware of. But the temp probably would. Could I introduce you now?"
Her eyes darted nervously behind me, where Jasper was still focused on his work. "Um…he looks a little busy right now. Could we finish the orientation and then I'll…get acquainted with him later?"
I nodded, leading her by the elbow further down the hallway. "Acceptable, Ms. Brandon. I should make you aware of the fact that the copier room and the supply closet do not have a lock, but all offices do. However, the offices are not soundproof, but the stairwells are, from what I've been told. Unfortunately, due to fire code, the doors to the stairwells must remain unlocked at all times. Breaks are thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon. One hour for lunch. Moving on…"
"Wait," she stopped me, again. I faced her to find her jaw slightly agape. "Did you just basically give me a rundown on how to get down during the work day?"
"An interesting way to put it, but all part of the orientation, Ms. Brandon. Normally, I would have allowed you the luxury of reading through the employee's handbook at your own discretion, but given your interest in Mr. Whitlock, I felt it prudent to make mention of such things prior to your plans of getting acquainted. Moving o-"
"Mr. Cullen, can I ask what your position is here?"
"Of course, Ms. Brandon. An excellent question. It might surprise you to know that I am not normally the person who performs first-day orientations. Normally, our Human Resources Manager would be giving you your tour, but she is out sick today. Incidentally, so is Tyler Crowley. I volunteered to guide you in order to escape the unwanted sexual advances of the new temp, Tanya, as I previously referenced, and to prevent James Hunter an opportunity to harass you. I am actually the manager of our IT department. If you ever have any issues with your computer, give me a call. My extension is number four on your office phone, already labeled."
"IT," she mumbled, nodding her head. "That explains a lot."
I frowned, suddenly unsure of myself. Jasper had warned me to be more personable than I was used to. But I recounted at least three smiles I had given her. I had complimented her skills of inquiry. And I thought I had been very thorough thus far.
"Have I done a poor job orientating you today, Ms. Brandon?"
"Oh, no!" she gasped, patting my arm. "You've done a great job, Mr. Cullen. Really."
Slightly deflated, I remained unconvinced. Just as well, I supposed, because we were at the final two offices on our floor. Mine and…hers.
"Mr. Cullen, please. You really have done wonderfully today. I already feel like part of the crew and I haven't even seen my desk yet."
Swallowing, I gestured to the left.
"This is my office. We have techs working on another level in the building, but I am the first go-to if you're having troubles. And directly across the hall from me is our advertising office. I'll, um…I'll let you introduce yourself to Ms. Swan. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Brandon. Mr. Whitlock will be more than happy to show you to your cubicle once you're ready."
"Wait!"
Good god, that must be this woman's favorite word. She was blocking the door to my office, forcing me to remain in the hallway.
"Why won't you introduce me to Ms. Swan? You introduced me to everyone else."
I frowned, feeling my heart rattle in my chest as my breaths grew shallower.
"That is probably not a good idea, Ms. Brandon."
She arched a tiny, thin eyebrow at me as a smirk grew on her lips. "And why is that, Mr. Cullen? You've made mention of pretty much everyone's love life in this office except for your own. Is there something going on between you and Ms. Swan?"
"I wish," I mumbled, but she heard me. Her smirk grew into a Cheshire cat's grin.
"So is this like that Ms. Weber and Mr. Cheney are too shy to say anything-thing? An impasse?"
"No, this is like a Ms. Swan doesn't know that Mr. Cullen exists-thing," I replied back honestly, feeling my ears burn a hot and embarrassed red. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? Orientation: over. Mortification: complete.
"Mr. Cull-"
"Oh, for God's sake, call me Edward. If you're going to start digging around in my nonexistent love life, you might as well."
"And I'm Alice. Now, Edward, this office isn't that big. You're literally right across the hall from her. Don't you see her during breaks? Lunch?"
I shook my head, still disbelieving I was having the conversation Jasper had been trying to pull out of me during months of countless Happy Hours. Maybe I should have only taken a half a Xanax.
"She comes in half an hour late and leaves half an hour early every day, so she skips her breaks. I don't know why. The temps probably do, but I don't want to listen to them talk about her life. It's not my business. She's perfectly polite to every single person here, even Gianna who used to be a Gene. She tells everyone to call her Bella, except for me, because as previously mentioned, she doesn't know I exist. She's never dated anyone in the office, and they've all tried. Several times. She's probably married. Her husband probably has great social skills. And manageable hair. I hate him. He doesn't deserve her. He probably can't even turn a computer on. He's an imbecile.
"I watch her eat lunch every day. She's allergic to peanuts, but loves the smell of peanut butter candles, and I think that that is adorable for reasons even I cannot understand. She calls her mother on Mondays and Thursdays. She calls her father on Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays, she likes to read. She enjoys all the classics, but she hides cheap romance novels inside of them sometimes, usually around the holidays. Her favorite color is blue, and she looks beautiful in every shade of it.
"And her uncooperative computer is the best-running piece of machinery in this place, because it has only glitched once, and of course I was out of the office that day, because I'm pretty sure God hates me. Every day when I get here before she does, I have to fight the temptation to break into her office and give her computer a virus just so I will have a legitimate reason to speak her name and hear her voice directed toward me. But then I remember that I am a horrible liar and will most likely blurt out that I broke her computer intentionally, at which point she would, and rightfully so, become very upset with me. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I would rather die than upset her. Incidentally, at this point I would really appreciate it if you would shut me up so that we might move on. Anytime. Please. Serious-"
"Okay, okay!" she laughed, shaking her head at me. Probably in pity. "Oh, Edward."
Well. Her tone rang of pity, but the glint in her eye was strange and didn't look like it bode well for me.
"So I'm assuming you've never tried to talk to her. First step is doing that. Pretend I'm her, and introduce yourself."
I groaned. I should have called in sick today. But, of course, then Bella's computer would have broken down, and I wouldn't be here to fix it. Paradoxically, it was never going to break down as long as I was working here. Perhaps a game of chicken with fate? Call in sick to work, but then show up anyway?
Ms. Brandon, I mean, Alice cleared her throat to regain my attention. I groaned again.
"What can I possibly say? 'Hello, my name is Edward Cullen. I watch and think and fantasize about you more than is probably psychologically healthy and am pretty sure I'm in love with you, even though you didn't know I existed until approximately fifteen seconds ago, and yes, I am aware we've never actually spoken. I would greatly appreciate you letting me take you out on a date so you can come home with me and never leave. Please don't be alarmed by the fact I have an entire room in my apartment full of Star Wars collectible action figures. They're for my nephew, mostly. By the way, in case you are wondering, no, I've never had a restraining order against me. I would really not like to start now. Also, in case I wasn't completely clear before, I think you are beautiful and want to have about a million little Bella-babies with you."
Huffing, I glared down at Alice as though she were the sole annoyance of my life. Right now, she was. She was unaffected by my wrath though, her shoulders shaking in laughter as she sucked her lips into her mouth. And then I heard a woman's voice ring out from behind me.
"Well, that's quite a start. I'm not sure about a million though."
"Oh, no," I whimpered. Yes, whimpered. Not even a manly sort of whimper, if there is such a thing. I started calculating the amount of money in my savings account and the costs of moving to, say, Antarctica, mentally already packing and donating various items throughout my apartment.
"Oh, yes," the she-devil in front of me cackled. Now, I was also adding torture, murder and subsequent shallow-grave burial with a lye topping to my to-do list before running away to the bottom of the earth.
"How long has she been there?" I gritted out between clenched teeth, as though by continuing to not acknowledge the angel behind me she would somehow disappear so I could kill the little demon in front of me.
"Oh, not long," Alice smiled. "Just since around when you said you'd rather die than upset her."
"But in the interest of full-disclosure, I was listening through my office door since around 'she comes in half an hour late…"
God, that voice was like chocolate. If it wasn't currently referencing my diarrhea of the mouth to an almost-complete stranger about my unrequited love for the owner of that voice, I'd probably drop to my knees in worship. Be more personable, my ass. I was going to add Jasper to my kill list, too.
"Ms. Swan, I'm Alice Brandon. Mr. Cullen just gave me my orientation. This office may very well be the strangest place I will ever work, and that's saying something. I used to run the books for a mental hospital. Woman to woman, is Jasper Whitlock on the level?"
"On the level and very available. Call me Bella, Ms. Brandon."
"Only if you call me Alice," she winked, which was ridiculous, because her view of Bella was blocked by my unmoving, frozen form.
That's right, I still hadn't turned around.
"Bella, I think we may have broken the Edward."
I think I whimpered again.
"I'll be fixing that momentarily. If you don't mind, on your way to…introduce yourself to Jasper, will you tell Tanya to cancel my eleven o'clock? And incidentally, have her check Edward's appointments as well. If he has any, tell her to cancel them. Did Edward explain to you the effectiveness of spilling coffee on the temps to make them behave?"
They were talking to each other through me as if I weren't even there.
"Oh, yes. Like I said, mental hospital. Trashy temps don't scare me."
"Great. We'll have to get together for a Happy Hour soon, Alice."
"Oh, I think we're going to be great friends," Alice winked again, which was still ridiculous, and then bounced away to the temp's desk.
Which meant I was now alone with Bella.
Option one: jump into office and lock door. Wait her out. Go home and never return.
Option two: make a run for stairs. Drive car straight to airport. Buy one-way ticket to the ends of the earth. Have movers ship everything. A lot can be done over the phone nowadays.
"Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Silly Bella. Turning around to acknowledge your presence so that you can then reject me in the kindest yet firmest way possible was not one of the options given.
A heavy sigh behind me.
Heels clicking on the hardwood as she walked away from me.
A crash.
Whipping around, I looked around for the source of the noise, and found it in the now shattered monitor on the floor of her office. My eyes met hers, and she stared back at me calmly. Sitting primly on the edge of her desk, she beckoned me inside with a crook of her finger. Picking my jaw up off the ground, I walked into her office slowly, breathing in the scent of peanut butter candles deeply.
"Would you please close the door, Mr. Cullen?"
Without thought, my hand obeyed her, my eyes never moving from hers. Any second now, my alarm was going to go off, and I was going to shoot up in my empty bed at home, sweating and hard and alone.
"Mr. Cullen, I seem to be having a slight problem with my computer."
Swallowing hard, my eyes glanced down to the floor and then bounced straight back to hers. They were the darkest brown I had ever seen. I'd had no idea…
"Yes, I can see that. Unfortunately, I don't think it's fixable. It's going to have to be replaced, Ms. Swan."
"Please," she said softly, all traces of coyness and beguile gone. "Call me Bella."
I exhaled loudly, finally hearing those three words I had been waiting to hear for months. Call me Bella. I sank back into the couch behind me without even knowing it was there.
"I'm Edward."
She smiled then, a soft smile that was understanding but not pitying.
"I know. You're the first and last person here everyday. You've only missed one day of work since I started here, and I was so worried about you the whole day that I accidentally opened a virus, which incidentally was actually labeled 'Virus'. During your break in the morning, you get coffee from upstairs in the tech department to avoid the temps, and in the afternoon, you stop by the mailroom downstairs to say hello to Mrs. Cope, ask her how her husband is doing and on Fridays you offer to come mow her grass until he's recovered from his heart surgery. She always tells you no, but every Monday she brings you muffins for breakfast because you showed up and did it anyway. Everyday at lunch, I hope that today is going to be the day that you'll talk to me, or wave at me, or even just look me in the eye, so I can have even the tiniest hint of a sign that you might think about me half as much as I think about you.
"I've been after Jasper for ages to try and find out if you liked me, or might be interested, or if you even knew I was less than ten steps away from you for the last seven months. And so that we're clear, I don't have an imbecile husband, or a fiancé, or a boyfriend, but I'm hoping that's changed by the end of this conversation, at least the boyfriend part, if you know what I mean. If you don't, I mean you. But first I want to know, and I don't mean this as an accusation, but why were you able to tell all of this to a new-hire and not me?"
"I…Xanax…should've taken half…" I trailed off, at a loss. It boiled down to being terrified of rejection, the fact that I had terrible social skills and knew it, and that she was just too…so… "Because, Bella. You're perfect, and I'm just the computer guy. I learned a long time ago, the guys with severe social anxiety and obsessions with sci-fi don't get the girl."
"Edward," she sighed. Pushing off her desk, she came to stand in front of me and knocked my feet with the toe of her shoe to make me spread my legs so she could stand between. "That's just…Look. I'm not perfect. I grind my teeth in my sleep. I never shave on the weekends. I forget birthdays worse than an amnesiac. And I could go on and on. But I'm not so naïve that I expect for you to be perfect either. I don't want perfect, I want you ."
"But…if…why didn't you try to talk to me then?" I asked quietly, looking up at her as she cupped my face in her hands. They were so soft. Smelled like soap. My hands were in tense fists on my knees. They were rough. Smelled like wires and ink.
"Because I was stupid and didn't take Jasper seriously enough when he warned me about your shyness. Because I was vain and thought if you were interested in me you'd make yourself known. Because I was afraid that if I talked to you first and you rejected me, I might not be able to get over it, but if I just kept pretending that you didn't know I was right here this whole time, I wouldn't have to risk my heart."
"So what happens now?" I asked, my mouth going dry as I saw her eyes focus on my lips.
"Now we know. I want you. You want me. And no more talking," she whispered, reaching behind me until I heard a click. She'd just closed the blinds. Slowly, she leaned down and my fists uncurled and found their new favorite place at her waist, holding her steady as her lips met mine for the first time. She deepened the kiss almost immediately, and my fickle hands forgot their favorite place around her waist and slid up her back, curling around her shoulders to bring her closer.
Good God, my angel could kiss like the devil. She surprised me by jerking her pencil skirt up to straddle me, pushing me back against the leather cushions of her couch. If she didn't stop soon, I was taking her on this couch, in her office, right in the middle of the day.
I broke away, gasping. "Bella…we should sto-"
"Edward," she cut me off, a fierce look in her eye. Something told me I would be losing a lot of arguments in the foreseeable future. "I get that you're a gentleman. You want to take me on dates, and romance me, and make love to me, and a lot of other beautiful, wonderful things that I will be so lucky to get. I'm on the shot, so we'll have to wait a while on the babies, and I'm still not sold on a million of them, but I want all of it. With you. But right now?"
She snaked her hand down between us, coming to rest on my very obvious tent. She groped me firmly, but not painfully, beginning to stroke me through the thin material of my dress pants. I groaned from deep in my chest, my eyes struggling to stay open as my breath picked up into shallow pants of pleasure. Leaning into my neck, she nuzzled me, dropping small kisses on my Adam's apple as it bobbed.
"Seven months, Edward. I've been wondering and hoping and wanting for seven months. Please."
Please.
Woman of my dreams, on top of me, fondling me, begging me to love her.
There are no options to consider here.
I grasped her face in my hands, kissing her hard. She moaned into my mouth, setting off a spark inside of me that just exploded. Grinding on top of me, she ripped off my sport jacket with the elbow patches. I yanked her silk blouse out of her skirt and over her head, a couple of buttons popping off and bouncing noisily on the floor. My checkered tie was pulled over my head and landed on the doorknob. My dress shirt followed and landed behind her desk, possibly in the trashcan. She stood suddenly, reaching underneath her skirt to make a delicate pair of lace panties appear. Before she could let them drop on the floor among the ever-growing pile of clothes around us, I snatched them away and tucked them into my pants pocket.
"Mine," I said firmly, meaning it in more ways than one.
She nodded slowly, her eyes blinking at me in shock, I think. I was a little shocked myself. Reaching down, she undid my belt buckle and the fly of my slacks. I pulled her back down to me, kissing her as she straddled me again, her skirt hiked up high on her hips. This time there was only my boxers between us, for a second, at least. She almost immediately took me out and began stroking me, slowly lowering herself ever closer. With my hands wrapped tightly around her waist, I stopped her one last time. Last chance, angel.
"You're sure?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"It's just the beginning for us, Edward."
And then she was sinking, sinking, all the way down until I thought I couldn't get any deeper inside her. I loosened my hold on her waist so she could rock at her own pace, slowly adjusting to the feeling. My lips were attached to every part of her I could find; her beautiful breasts, trapped in delicate lace that matched the panties in my pocket. Her clavicle, the hollow of her throat, her long, pale neck, her swollen lips; I couldn't get enough. She egged me on as her rocking became faster, her soft hands tangled in my unmanageable hair, simultaneously tugging at the strands as she pushed me further into her.
I mumbled words even I didn't understand against her skin, mixed with grunts and pants as I began to match her movements with shallow thrusts. Her chocolate voice came out in choked gasps, more, more, more, echoing all around the walls of her office. The thrusts became deeper, and she matched me, move for move. The fire in my gut grew hotter and hotter, and I reached between us to coax her to join me. Her gasps came faster and faster, until I felt her freeze above me and bury her face in my neck, biting the skin there to muffle a high-pitched moan. The double sensation of pain in my neck and pleasure from the tight heat down below finished me, my own groan buried in her chest.
As I came down from my high, what we'd just done came crashing down on me. As thoughts started racing through my mind faster than I could process, I felt my body tense as I prepared to face Bella and the unknown of what came next. But before I could work myself into a complete panic, I felt soft hands rubbing my back and an ever softer whisper of my name against my ear.
"Edward. Look at me."
Reluctantly, I did, and I was met with relaxed eyes and a bright smile.
"Do you have any vacation time saved up?"
Confused, I nodded.
"Good. We're taking the rest of the week off. We're going to find the nearest hotel and spend the rest of the day in bed. Tomorrow, we'll go on our first date, and then we'll go to your house and spend the rest of the night there. The day after that, we're going on our second date, and then you're coming to my house to spend the rest of the night there. After that, we'll play it by ear. Together. What do you think?"
My confusion quickly gave way to complete giddiness.
"Really?"
Her smile was all the answer I needed.
Just the beginning, indeed.
A/N: So. Life has been a little crazy for me. I recently went through a divorce and have been taking care of my three chitlins on my own for the last six months. I'm finishing my bachelor's fulltime and it's been a little hectic.
I want to say a big thank-you to all those readers that have sent me PMs, saying hi, asking if I was okay, ordering me to write. :P I still read the reviews that continue to pour in from TINML, RM, and MM. I hope you guys like this one, it's for you.
It's also a little self-pimpage for the Fandom for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I will be submitting a oneshot for this cause, and you can still donate. And it's not just me you'd be getting. It's a compilation, full of pieces by some of your favorite authors. For more information go to:
.com
I wanted to take a second to mention my beta aleighy's new mission, which is to get everybody in twific fandom together for a summit. I am planning to go, if finances allow. Here's her note to all of you:
Are you interested in meeting up with all of your Twific friends in person? Join us for the TWILIGHT FANFIC MEET-UP in LAS VEGAS, NV on JUNE 8-10, 2012. For more information check out TwificMeetUp on Twitter or take a peek at our blog (under construction) .com. If you can't make it to Vegas there are a couple other meet-ups being planned: FanFicNYCMeetUp and TwificMeetupUK .com