Wednesday One Shots for 5/26/10

JaspersDestiny recommends Honesty by whitereflections12

When Esme catches Carlisle in a lie, it brings on the most serious fight they've ever had. Why would he lie to her, and knowing that he's capable, how can she trust him now? Rated: T

The first thing I'd like to point out is that this one shot is very well-written, and it is rated T when it should be rated M. Why do I think this? Because while it may not contain anything citrusy to elicit an M rating, this story is one of the more mature fics I've ever read. whitereflections12 does an incredible job portraying Carlisle and Esme as multi-layered characters who love like mature adults do, who feel like mature adults do, who FAIL like mature adults do, and who misunderstand like mature adults do. This story is mature precisely because it evokes our ability as adults to fail in our relationships.

Not that all failures are equal, mind you. And while Carlisle does lie to Esme in this story, he does it for a noble reason. Should he have lied? That's arguable. Part of me while reading this story felt compassion for Esme...but another part of me raged against her overreaction. But, we all have the tendency to do this - some of us many times, some of us not so much - and the author beautifully paints the betrayal, the hurt, the horror, the anguish, and the vulnerability of her characters here.

whitereflections12 makes Carlisle and Esme seem HUMAN in this story. I think you should definitely give this one shot a chance. And when you're done, please give her other stories a chance as well. She's the author of 50 stories - 25 of which are Twilight-centered, and they all span different pairings.

Maelyn recommends How I Treasure These Moments by No.1WildChild

This is what could have happened if Edward wasn't so happy with Bella kissing Jacob in Eclipse. Carlisle comforts Edward.

Did you get pissed that Bella was let off so easy after kissing Jacob? Well I did. I wanted Edward to get pissed and at least yell or get mad or upset at Bella for doing it, and not being faithful to their love, which she always said was so constant. But he never did. He just comforted her instead, which is all kinds of wrong in my book. So I really love that this author addresses that issue. Granted, he doesn’t yell, but he is upset about it.

And even better? Kind, compassionate Carilsle is there to give Edward some perspective. Carlisle listens to Edward’s issues and then breaks them down into the simplest of terms – trust. No matter what, you must trust your mate. That is all. If you can’t, you might as well end it now, right? Of course, Carlisle’s speech is more eloquent than that, but it’s true.

The other portion of this fic that I like is the end declarations of love between the two. I don’t imagine men are very ‘lovey’ with other men too often, even ones as compassionate as Carlisle. But I love that Carlisle is so touched by words so rarely uttered. He really is the best father-figure ever.