GuestFicRec: The Opposite of Love

sugarbucket
Breaking Points - M/R
Canon
30 Chaps 213,880 Words
07/09/2009 WIP
[ FFN ] [ Forum ]

Ever wonder why Rosalie and Edward are so cold towards one another? Their story from the start; in keeping with the books, but based on the idea that they're both masterful liars. Love, lust, betrayal, desire, lies, darkness and breaking points.

algonquinrt's

We all know the story of the Cullen family. Carlisle, desperate in his loneliness, changed dying Edward to be his companion. Soon after, he changed Esme to be his mate, creating an awkward triangle that he attempts to resolve by changing Rosalie, hoping she will be Edward's mate. It seems laughable that Carlisle would think that; the vain, self-involved Rosalie spending eternity with the brooding, selfless Edward? They fight like cats and dogs. It could never have worked, and while Rosalie finds happiness with Emmett, and years later, Edward finds his with Bella, that one thing seems to be the only mistake the nearly perfect Carlisle ever made.



What if he didn't make a mistake?



Rosalie - spoilt, arrogant, dark, cruel, selfish, broken, beautiful, angelic, demonic, cataclysmic, divine, wonderful Rosalie.



That premise is the foundation of Breaking Points, a story that was nominated for both an Indie Award as well as a Bellie Award, yet still seems under-appreciated in the fandom. The idea that Carlisle may have been right all along about Rosalie and Edward seems unfathomable, and yet sugarbucket manages to fill in every hole in pre-Twilight plot we may have questioned.



How could Rosalie have gotten away and killed Royce King and his conspirators in her rape and murder without Edward knowing her thoughts? Without the decades of practice, she'd have been unable to hide her plans from him, and the author uses that as a critical moment between Edward and Rosalie:



“I wish you would let me kill them for you... My hands are already bloodied, let me do this for you.”



If you believe that the opposite of love isn't hate, but rather apathy, you begin to realize that the decades of acrimony between Rosalie and Edward make no sense. No one could be so vain as to take one offhand remark personally and let a sibling relationship devolve into years of argument, could they? That is, unless that dysfunctional relationship was really a cover for something entirely different.



From Edward's audience participation in Rosalie's murder of Royce King to his willing participation in deceiving the entire Cullen family about the nature of their relationship, Breaking Points leads you on a path of alternate universe that weaves a complicated story so seamlessly beneath your understanding of canon that when Bella finally makes her appearance, the small cracks that appeared in the shaky foundation when Emmett joined the family may completely destroy the Cullens as we know them.



Rosalie's seemingly inexplicable reaction to Bella, and Edward's preoccupation with the belief that he is a monster, and somehow unworthy of Bella's love and devotion suddenly make perfect sense, as does the Cullen coven's confusion about the heated exchanges between Rosalie and Edward over one seemingly insignificant human girl but for Edward's feelings for her.



If I was any kind of decent being, all my thoughts would have been about Bella Swan. Each of the thousand thoughts would have been filled with her. My mind would have at least been loyally chaotic. Wholly absorbed. But no. Even in madness, I was still a treacherous creature, if not by choice.



The pairing of Rosalie and Edward is one of the most reviled in the fandom, and in recommending Breaking Points to other readers, I've been met with widespread revulsion. Canon couples are the norm, with some non-canon becoming more fanon (Edward/Jasper or Jasper/Bella, for instance). But for the true canon fan, this alternate explanation of the accepted Twilight reality is a must-read.

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Algonquinrt is a freelance writer by day, but more importantly the author of Suburban Ennui, No Trust in Tommorrow and Mr. Horrible (just to name a few) by night. She is curently hosting the Parkaward Contest - voting begins Sept. 6.