So, this is my contribution to the Babies at the Border, second compilation. I started working on this story years ago in the early summer of 2016. I've worked on it, now and then, over the years but decided to concentrate more fully on it when the second compilation was announced. It's told as a true crime story with little dialogue and no romance, so if you're expecting some loving, please be warned. There is mention of delicate subjects which may trigger emotional responses in some people. Please contact me if you have any concerns.
My thanks to beachcomberlc for her unfailing support with this, and all my stories. My thanks to IpsitaC77(Happy Birthday!) for love, banner making skills and ability to find plot holes when pre-reading. My thanks to ceceprincess1217 for her joy and excitement when pre-reading. And my thanks to Jmc62 for letting me use her nickname for Edward's and the story title.
Thank you to jeaboo1 and spidermonkey321 for hosting the compilation. I hope we won't ever have to do it again.
I dedicate this chapter to FangirlingGranma Dee.
The first six chapters, the ones that were included in the compilation, will be weekly. Subsequent chapters might be every two weeks unless writer's block hits again. I know some of you are wanting more of Perfect Match, as do I, but it's not speaking to me right now.
Thank you for reading.
Junebug by Alice Cullen-Whitlock
Copyright © 2004 by Alice Whitlock
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.
Published by WildWolf press, Tacoma, Washington
ISBN-13 978-0-xxxx-xxxx-4
I dedicate this book to my family, my loving husband Jasper, our children, my brothers and sisters-in-law, my parents, but most importantly to Charlie and Renee Swan, for bringing such a wonderful person into the world and into our lives. Thank you for loving Bella first.
"A time it was, and what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence
A time of confidences
Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They're all that's left you"
Songwriters: Paul Simon
Old Friends / Bookends Theme lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Preface
Most of this story doesn't actually belong to me. I'm the one telling it and I was involved, but this story really belongs to my brother, Edward Cullen and his girlfriend, Bella Swan. Through interviews, research and personal associations, I've been able to piece together the events as they occurred before and after my involvement.
There are certain dates that stick in the collective memory of people; certain events stay with you no matter your age. Some transcend borders and oceans to live forever. If you ask a person where they were then, they can recall in vivid detail the events that helped shape their lives, depending on their generation. The Hindenburg disaster, D-day, V-day, the Kennedy assassinations, John Lennon's murder, and/or September 11th. Those days are imprinted on the country and the world as a whole. Then there are the personal days that don't register collectively, but may be prominent for families or groups. Not birthdays, anniversaries or death days, but something similar. A life-changing event that deeply affects you and your family. The first for me, July 5, 1976, is a day I will always remember. That was the day Bella Swan went missing.