Fic Rec: Magan Bagan Recs Mens Rea

forbidden-fruit81
Mens Rea: A Guilty Mind - M/R
AH - Crime/Romance
7 Chapters, 52,038 words Words
9/20/2009 - WIP
[ FFN ] [ Twilighted ] [ Forum ]

Edward Cullen is accused of murder for the slaying of his girlfriend. No one dares take on his case, until defense attorney Isabella Swan, that is. Edward proves to be a difficult client & the biggest challenge of her young but promising career.

magan bagan's

I first found this story over on Twilighted and two things caught my eye immediately, the banner and the summary. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, especially with not knowing who Edward’s girlfriend was, but I figured why not give it a try.

That was a smart move.

From the very beginning it’s been a wild ride of emotions, confusion, and anger, one of the most important being Edward’s relationship with his girlfriend. And who might his girlfriend be, you ask? That’s a very good question. His girlfriend, and the woman he ends up on trial for is none other than Tanya.

Now, when I first found out it was Tanya I thought she was going to be the typical whiny, clingy, look how beautiful I am, types, but I was proven wrong again. This Tanya is strong and independent. She’s volatile, intense, and emotional, but that seems to be why she and Edward do so well together. They feed off each other, bring out the worst in each other, but still somehow love each other deeply.

Edward is not your typical Edward either. He still has all of the characteristics that we know and love of this amazing character, he’s self deprecating and loyal and smart. He also has a temper. Edward and Tanya were not ones to bow down to the other and you get a good dose of that as you are introduced to these characters.

"You're not leaving."

"Yes, I am." She gave him one long hard look before sauntering back towards the bed and throwing the lingerie on top. For some reason this angered him to no end. He found himself behind her in an instant, bellowing at her.

"I said you're NOT. FUCKING. LEAVING." He grabbed her shoulders fiercely.

"Get off of me, Edward." She tried to shrug him away, but he gripped her tighter, pulling her against him.

"I said YOU. ARE. NOT. LEAVING." He gave her shoulders a quick jerk and she turned to face him.

With this type of beginning you might be wondering how forbidden-fruit could possibly top herself. And that she does. Not only are you quickly introduced to the quite interesting relationship between these two characters, but you also have it quickly taken away. Edward loses the woman he loves and finds himself in a world of trouble.

Emmett is the detective assigned to the case and after some help from Jasper, Edward has one of the best defense attorney’s on his side. Miss Isabella Swan. She’s beautiful, tough, and extremely intelligent. She’s not a pushover either. Isabella and Edward butt heads almost from the moment they meet, trading witty comebacks and setting a palpable tension in the air.

One of my favorite things about this Edward was that he was not too proud to cry. When the reality that he had lost his girlfriend had set in, he allowed himself that time to grieve and to deal with his loss, or rather wallow in it.

"You've reached Tanya and Edward. We're not home right now, so please leave a message. Spasibo!" A pained cry erupted from Edward's chest, as the sound of her voice split his heart into pieces. The tears came instantly, and Edward slumped into the sofa cushions, burying himself in grief. He retrieved his phone from his pocket, numbly dialing his home phone number again and again, crying as the sound of Tanya's voice reverberated around the empty room. He dialed and redialed until his battery died, his sobs finally quieting down as the house once again fell silent.

Forbidden-fruit has created an amazing story, taking most of the best characteristics, and some of the bad ones, of each of the characters and made them her own. Since you only get a peek into Edward and Tanya’s relationship in the beginning, each chapter reveals a little more into who they were, how they met, and why they stayed together so long.

Each chapter reveals a tiny piece of the puzzle as well. Why is Edward’s memory fuzzy about that night? Who would want to hurt Tanya? Who would want to frame Edward? This fic promises to keep you guessing and forbidden-fruit has not given away any of the details.

So, I’ll leave you with one final question. What do you think happened?

---

Magan bagan has been a part of the Twilight fandom for a year now and loves it even more so than before. She is the author of such stories as No One Saw the Pain, The Family that Stays Together, For the Love of a King, and A Perfect Twilight. She is also co-host for a Twilight podcast Cullens Court Cast and is involved in many other aspects in the fandom.