Bella's Lament by Tat2missy
Review by AnonymouslySufferingFromOCD
Rating: M
Genre: Drama/Angst
Characters: Bella/Edward
Summary: Bella's life is changing drastically and in a short amount of time. Can she reconcile the dreams she gave up for a man who really didn't love her? Can Edward get over his own loss in order to help her pick up the pieces?
I am a huge fan of this week’s completed fic. We have snarky, sassy, Tattella that is truly a bad ass; she really has one of my favorite Bella personalities. While she is sassy and snarky, she is still has a lot of self doubt and she uses her snark to help her cope. Bella’s mother was a nasty woman that used to beat her, finally dropping her off at local police department at 13 saying she could no longer deal with her. Bella goes from foster home to foster home until she finally ends up with her foster mother Renee who was really Bella’s saving grace.
The story starts off with an extremely creative Bella, who can do anything from sew custom made clothing, draw and even tattoo. Unfortunately, Bella is also dating a super oppressive Eric who is more concerned about maintaining his constant high than Bella and what she wants out of life.
Edward is a local bartender/composer with an awesome British accent, who works at Jasper’s bar. He meets Bella during a night out with her friend Abigail.
Abigail found a seat, and I pushed a stool out of the way so I could stand. I took the button up off and laid it on the stool. He was leaning with his back on the other side of the bar. His eyes were closed and he was pinching the bridge of his nose, looking very irritated.
When he opened his eyes, he gave a half assed grin. Still very hot, but not very happy. He walked over to us, and leaned across the bar. As I was feeling very brave at the moment, I asked, "What's your name?" He stood up and looked at me, and I wasn't sure he understood. So I planted my feet on the foot rest running the perimeter of the bar, making myself taller. "What's your name?" I repeated my question.
A look of recognition crossed his face and he smiled. "Edward," he said as he reached his hand across to me.
My heart stopped.
"My name is Bella," I half-shouted as I placed my hand in his. He was warm. I motioned with my other hand to my side, "And this is Abigail." As I looked over to her I noticed a man was standing next to her chatting. Edward offered her his hand too, and she said "Nice to meet you." before she went back to the other patron.
He was making idol conversation with Abigail, "I just moved here and this place is close to home. Do you know of any other good bars?" he asked her.
"Oh...not really. Bella and I don't actually get out much. You know boyfriends at home and all." I cringed when she said that. I had done a good job of forgetting about Eric for the evening. Edward backed up a little then, to lean on the bar. I watched him for a moment. He looked irritated again. Someone walked up to the bar, and he got them their drink, doing his duty at the cash register.
When he was done, I motioned for him to come over. He took a hesitant step. God this man is beautiful, I thought. "Edward, you look kind of bummed." He shrugged at me. "What's the matter?" I asked.
While Bella is with Eric and can’t do anything about her attraction to Edward, Edward is in a similar situation with a pregnant Jessica at home waiting for him.
Things happen and Edward finds out that Jessica was cheating on him, while Bella kick’s Eric out because he finally pushes her too far. Edward and Bella meet once again at the bar and form a friendship that quickly turns to more.
With Eric out of the picture Bella goes back to the career she loved, tattooing, in Emmett’s shop, who is a friend of Jasper.
Jasper came to stand behind me putting both hands on my shoulders, "And this is Bella." I smiled up at the huge man.
"Your an itty bitty little thing aren't you?" I shrugged and offered him my hand. His shook it firmly.
"Good handshake. So Jasper tells me you want to get back into the business?"
I looked around at the spotless area and said, "Yes," I paused, "But I want to check out the shop first. Not to be a bitch or anything, but I was trained with an extreme level of cleanliness."
Emmett's laughter boomed and I stepped back a hair. "And here I thought I was looking over a potential apprentice. Come to find out, I am under scrutiny." He laughed again, patted my head and looked at Jasper behind me, "I like her already." He looked back down at me, "Feel free to look around."
Unfortunately things for Bella are never easy and the drama ensues. Her and Edward have some hard times to face ahead but they realize rather quickly that they are stronger together. The bond that they form is nearly immediate and immensely strong.
While the story is dubbed, Drama/Angst, I think that it is more on Romance/Drama side. There is definitely drama that our favorite couple and their friends have to deal with but I didn’t have any trouble dealing with it, and as many of you know, I am a wimp and don’t like the angst. Of course, we don’t only deal with drama; we also get to read about great friendships, some amazing tattoos, and really hot sex. I highly recommend this one, it truly hasn’t gotten nearly enough love, and I hope that you will check it out.
Thanks for the rec - sounds like a good fic! I'm going to give it a try!