Age of Edward Contest

Title: Hometown Glory

Your pen name: Circasurvived

Type of Edward: World War II Edward

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit: The Age of Edward C2 Community:
http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/community/The_Age_of_Edward_Contest/70125/

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So as you can see I accidentally a WWII-ward for the Age of Edward contest. I'm obsessed with WWII history and I couldn't help myself. I immediately thought of the HBO miniseries Band of Brother's and looked to that and the story of the men of Easy Company for inspiration.

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Isabella Cullen looked up from her morning coffee, glancing over at the small service flag hanging up in her front window, the single blue star she used to be so proud of silently mocking her. She sighed and unconsciously fingered her wedding ring wondering like she did every day when this horrible war would be over and her husband could finally come home.

Edward had wanted to join the military ever since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Bella knew by the look of conviction and determination on his face as they huddled in front of the radio with his parents Carlisle and Esme during President Roosevelt's that it was inevitable, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." Edward, along with thousands of others, was moved by Roosevelt's passionate words and immediately knew it was his duty to fight for his country and avenge the lives lost at Pearl Harbor.

She could still remember the day like it was yesterday, Edward rushing into the house, picking her up and twirling her around in the air, "I joined Bella! Jasper and I volunteered for the Airborne!"

"What's the Airborne?" Bella asked once Edward put her down, gripping tightly on his arm as the room slowly stopped spinning around her.

"I don't know actually," Edward said with a little laugh, "We jump out of airplanes. I read about it in LIFE magazine. Only the best men can make it through paratrooper training and I won't settle for any less."

"Edward Anthony you signed up to jump out of a perfectly good airplane! Do you have a death wish?"

They went over to his parent's house for dinner that night to tell them the "good" news. After the initial excitement and congratulations, Bella couldn't stop the pit from forming in the bottom of her stomach. They were barely married three months and now he was going to be gone. Not just gone, but fighting halfway across the world. She knew she was proud of him, but part of her was screaming for him to stay home and not risk his life fighting for his country. It was selfish of her to want Edward to stay but she stood by him and supported his decision even if in her heart she wanted him nowhere near the danger and perils of the war.

Esme threw a big congratulatory party for Edward and his best friend of 20 years Jasper Hale, the whole town of Forks coming together to wish the boys luck. Unlike Bella, Edward grew up in Forks, Washington and it meant the world to him to have everyone together. Bella's father Chief Charlie Swan even presented Edward with a pistol as a gift from the community and the local police force. Seeing the gun in Edward's hand brought the reality that he was going to war crashing down on Bella and when they returned from the party she was in near hysterics.

"Edward please don't go," she begged, tears streaming down her face.

"Bella I have to do this," Edward said, his voice strained as he blinked back his own tears.

"What if something happens to you? I can't live without you," she sobbed again and again. Edward quickly rushed forward, catching her before her knees buckled beneath her. She calmed down slightly as Edward rocked her back and forth, holding her close.

"I'll always be here," whispered Edward, placing his hand above her heart, "I'm never going to leave you Bells. I'll come back for you. I promise. You're the most important thing in my life Isabella Cullen; I need you to know that. I love you more than you can imagine. You can't live without me? Well you are my life, I am nothing without you. "

Bella was there a week later, along with Jasper's fiancée Alice Brandon, as they tearfully waved their boys off on their way to training at Camp Toccoa in Georgia. Bella eagerly awaited Edward's letters loving to hear the stories he spun for her. She felt as if she personally knew the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 101st Airborne, Edward going into detail of the bond the men had together already. She cringed hearing about the grueling training Edward was going through, several of his letters mentioning the run up Currahee he had to do on a daily basis. Edward was being pushed to his physical limit everyday but still had the energy to crack a joke or two. She could almost imagine the comical Captain Herbert Sobel screaming at the men in full PT gear, "Three miles up, three miles down. High Ho Silver!" Bella knew as long as Edward was in training he was safe, but knew it wasn't going to last forever.

Bella and Alice remained strong, using each other for comfort when they heard the rumors that the boys were being sent overseas to invade Europe. The rumors were confirmed when both Esme received a letter addressed to the mother of Private Edward Cullen, "Dear Sir or Madam, Soon your son will drop from the sky to engage and defeat the enemy…"

The next year went by slowly, Bella living in fear of the sleek black Chevrolet and the soldiers who delivered the much dreaded telegrams. She would forever have the memory engraved in her mind of the day she was having tea at Angela Cheney's when their lunch was interrupted by a knock on the door. Angela collapsed immediately after it when she saw the messenger ringing his hat and holding out a telegram for her. She didn't open it until her mom showed up 20 minutes later, bursting into hysterical sobs when she read that her husband Ben died in combat weeks ago.

Bella couldn't imagine her grief, knowing that god forbid something happen to Edward she wouldn't be able to cope with losing him. Bella and Alice grew incredibly close as they joined each other for tea on almost a daily basis; their talks mostly focused on their significant others. Alice was the first person Bella called when she received a rare letter from Edward and vice versa. It was comforting having someone to talk to and share her fears with. It had been months since they heard from the boys though, and each passing day Bella become more anxious, unable to stop the thoughts in her head that maybe one or both of them were wounded or worse…

*

Bella woke up the next morning screaming, her body slick with sweat as she gasped for breath. She clutched her heart trying to erase the dream she had. It wasn't unusual for her to have nightmares about the war, but this is the first time that it was vividly clear. She didn't know where Edward was, but in her dream she saw him sitting with Jasper in one of the foxholes she saw in pictures in the newspaper. It was snowing and they were laughing and joking around. She saw herself standing next to them, calling out to Edward but he couldn't hear her. She looked up to find herself face to face with a soldier, dressed smartly in a grey uniform, distinctively different from the khaki uniforms Jasper and Edward were wearing. It wasn't until the soldier turned towards the boys that she saw the bold black swastika on his bright red armband. She tried to scream and run over to warn the boys but she was paralyzed and couldn't do anything other than watch as the German soldier walked closer to them. Tears streamed down her face as she saw the soldier walk right up behind Edward cocking his Luger pistol with a loud click. Edward turned around at the noise, making eye contact with Bella before the gun exploded right in the middle of his forehead. Bella shivered still seeing the look of surprise on his face before his eyes went blank, a gaping hole in between them.

An ill feeling washed over her and she couldn't stop her body from trembling. It took her a while to calm down before she got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. She started the hot water for her tea, walking over to the window overlooking the street in front of her house. She twirled her wedding ring around trying to block out the images in her dream in vain. She could still see Edward's face, his eyes instantly growing dim and looking off blankly. Her heart stopped as she saw a black Chevrolet slowly crawling down the street.

"No, no, no. Keep driving," she thought not hearing the whistling of the boiling water in the pot behind her as the car slowed before finally stopping in front of her house.

"Oh my god," she gasped as she saw the door open and close, the uniformed man walking around the car and toward the walkway leading up to her house. She tried to control her breathing jumping at the loud knock on her front door. Her heart pounded and her eyes felt hot with the tears that threatened to overflow. She tried to smile as she opened the door but couldn't make her lips turn upward.

"Mrs. Cullen?" Bella couldn't do anything more than a nod as he held out a small square letter in front of her, "You have a telegram."

Bella stared at the little envelope for a few seconds, her hand visibly shaking as she reached out to grab it.

"Thank you," she said her voice cracking.

He nodded his head and touched the side of his cap, giving her a sad smile, "Have a good day Ma'am."

Bella slowly closed the door behind her resting her back up against it. In a daze she walked over to turn off the stove, sitting down heavily at the kitchen table. She glanced over at the framed picture wedding picture hanging above her fireplace, a profile shot of Edward leaning down to her with the biggest smile on his face their foreheads touching as Bella looked adoringly into his eyes. She couldn't believe that the last two long years of sleepless nights and days worrying about Edward's safety all relied on a small piece of paper. She contemplated calling up Alice or Esme for support but for some reason decided against it. She fingered the edge of the telegram cracking the seal. She slowly unfolded the bit of paper, leaving it upside down on the table. She started to hyperventilate as she turned it over the tears overflowing in her eyes making her unable to read the words on the page. She brought the paper up to her eyes blinking a couple times until the words became clear. Her breath came in loud gasps as she started to cry uncontrollably crunching up the paper in her hands. Her shoulder shook as she struggled to breathe, letting out a loud strangled sob.

*

Three Weeks Earlier

"Edward if you don't shut up about Bella you won't have to worry about the German's getting you. I'm going to smother you in your sleep."

Edward laughed touching the spot on his chest over his pocket where he kept a picture of his beautiful wife.

"Come on Doc give him a break," joked Jasper as he tapped Edward lightly with the butt of his shovel, "Edward can't help the fact that his only redeeming quality is the woman he's married too."

"Shut up Jasper and dig."

"You know Edward; you could be a good friend help me with this."

"No, I'd rather just watch you suffer."

"So what do you guys think?" said their friend Private Emmett McCarty as he walked up to the group, crouching down and watching Jasper dig their foxhole. Edward and Jasper met Emmett on Normandy, their company missing their drop point, everyone scattered all over the place. They immediately formed a bond with the man who they ran into on the way back to base camp; finding out Emmett lived in the neighboring town of Beaver, Washington, 15 minutes away from Forks.

"I would say I'm glad to be out of that hell hole, but this place looks exactly the same as Bastogne. Other than sitting in foxholes all day I guess we're doing alright, no German's shooting at us today."

Edward looked around at the bare snow covered trees on the outskirts of the Bois Jacques, most just skeletons of their former selves, branches being gathered by the company for their foxhole cover.

"Yeah it may look exactly the same, and we're doing all right now but you see that town over there," Jasper said sarcastically pointing off into the distance, "In that town there are these guys and these guys are called German's and these German's have tanks. And our sides gonna wanna go into that town. I'm gonna take one guess at who they're gonna want to be fronting this suicide mission."

"E- Company," answered Edward quietly looking at the ground.

"Yes Edward, Easy Company. So I'm not going to get too attached to our new home," he said gesturing to the hole he was digging," because I have a feeling Emmett here is going to tell us we're not staying long."

"Don't worry Jasper," said Emmett placing his hand on his shoulder with a sigh, "We all do our jobs and everything will be fine. I'll get you back to that fiancé of yours." He looked off over the hill to where they all knew the town was situated, a calm silence falling over them.

"Ok guys make sure to get some rest tonight; we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We're heading back to the front line, right outside Foy."

*

The next day most of E-Company headed back to their original positions right on the outskirts of the woods overlooking the town. The first thing Edward noticed were the fallen trees, many of them blown to bits, obvious signs of tree bursts, the Germans shelling their old position the short time they were gone.

The company immediately started refortifying their foxholes, gathering branches and getting ready to settle in until they got orders to invade the town. Edward was busy dragging branches over to his shared foxhole with Jasper when he heard it; the booming sound followed by a loud explosion the ground shaking around him.

"Incoming! Take Cover!"

He heard the screams of the men in his company behind him as explosion after explosion went off, dirt and shrapnel shooting high into the air, trees exploding around him with loud cracks. The sky lit up as each blast went off, in a brilliant flash of light and sound. Edward's heart was pounding, his adrenaline kicking in as he ran towards his foxhole, tripping slightly as a blast went off just to his right.

"Shit Jasper, keep that pretty little head of yours down," he said jumping in next to him and pushing his head down.

Edward peaked over the edge of his foxhole, feeling a mix of awe and terror at the German's impressive show of firepower. The explosions slowed and after only a few antagonizing slow minutes, a silence surrounded them.

"I can't get up," heard Edward distantly, "I need my helmet. Someone help me get my helmet."

"Stay in your foxholes!" screamed their Sergeant, dogging along the foxholes. "Keep down; they're trying to bring us out. Stay ready."

"Is that Emmett?" Edward asked turning to Jasper, his face ashen.

The silence was deafening, his ears slightly ringing from the explosions.

"I can't feel my leg," called out the voice weakly.

"That's Emmett. I have to go help him. We can't just leave him out in the open," Edward struggled to stand straining against Jasper's steal grip.

"Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"He would do the same for me."

Edward broke away from his grip pulling himself out of the foxhole and running towards Emmett's voice, seeing him lying on the ground several yards in front of him.

"Shit," gasped Edward as he saw Emmett, his leg blown off and laying several feet away from him.

"Edward, I need my helmet," moaned Emmett pointing to the helmet next to him.

"Shut up Emmett, you're going to be alright. I'm getting you out of here."

Edward grabbed both of his arms and started dragging him towards the nearest foxhole, the explosions starting all over again.

Edward heard Jasper over the blasts screaming at him, looking over his shoulder to see Jasper getting up to help him.

"Stay back," waved Edward furiously, "Get back in the fucking foxhole, I got him."

An explosion went off near Edward, the dirt spraying in his face causing him to fall down. He scrambled quickly to his feet and continued dragging Emmett until he finally reached the foxhole. Edward was shaking, breathing heavily as the explosions continued to go off around him.

He thought back to his conversation with one of his Lieutenants when they first took Normandy back in June, "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier."

"You saved my life Edward," said Emmett shakily as the explosions stopped, clutching at the spot his leg used to be. Doc Newton ran up the foxhole, immediately tying off Emmett's leg to slow the bleeding.

"We need to get you to the aid station McCarty; you're going to be alright."

Edward blankly stared at both of them, his mind elsewhere as finally the shock of what happened took over him. He could have died. Of course Edward was afraid for his life; he would have been lying to himself if he didn't think day one of his men was killed, someone he'd gotten to know the last couple of years. After Normandy he decided it was best to just accept what his Lieutenant told him. The thought of his eventual death surprisingly didn't bother him as much as the thought of leaving Bella widowed back home. He swore to himself that he was going to make it through the war, to go back to her so they could finally live their life together back in Forks.

Edward was in his own little world the rest of the day, still shaken from the bombings. He didn't want to think about their attack on Foy the next day. He sat there silently in the dark, ignoring Jasper telling him to get some rest. He looked around him, seeing the light twinkling of stars above him, closing his eyes. He was sick of the war, the glory of it quickly disappearing every day. The deaths of the German's Edward killed weighed heavily on his conscious and he knew he wasn't the only one being bothered by it. Jasper was changing too both of them desperately wanting the war to be over. Edward sighed deeply. He was already at peace with himself, if it was his time to go, it was his time. He didn't regret joining the airborne, he'd never felt closer to a group of people than he did to the men in Easy Company. He wouldn't take back the experiences he had with them for the world, even if it cost him his life.

*

Edward crouched down around the map with the rest of his company as they were briefed on their mission, "You've got about an eighth of a mile of open field to cross before you get to the center of town. There's very little coverage so you've got to move quickly. I have several machine guns set up to give you cover as you make your way towards the town. Ok everyone move out, I'll see you all back here after we complete our mission."

Edward looked around at the solemn faces around him, wondering how many of them would make it out alive. He didn't have much time to contemplate this as they quickly got into formation and got to the edge of the woods.

"I'll be right behind you," said Jasper putting his hand comfortingly on Edward's shoulder, "We'll make it out of here together. We survived Bastogne, this is nothing."

They spread out as they ran towards the town, bullets raining on them. They jumped behind huge haystacks for temporary cover halfway through the field.

"We have to move forward and take the courtyard. It looks like they're going to pull back we need to connect with I-Company before they get away," screamed their commanding officer over the explosions.

Edward nodded his head looking over the side of the haystack before rushing forward with everyone else. He heard bullet's whizzing by, keeping his head low as he aimed for the building in front of him.

Edward heard it before he saw it, the hissing of a bullet going by his head and the thudding sound of it hitting its target. He turned around quickly, seeing the look of shock and pain on Jasper's face as the bullet went right through the side of his neck.

"Jasper!" screamed Edward stopping and turning back, the bullets flying around him.

"Edward," sputtered out Jasper coughing up blood.

"Shit shit," said Edward covering the gaping wound on Jasper's neck, his hand instantly warming as Jasper's blood pulsed around his fingers.

"Medic!" Edward screamed again and again, ripping off part of his sleeve and holding up Jasper's head to wrap the piece of fabric tightly around his neck.

"Edward, if I don't make it," croaked out Jasper grabbing his arm and reaching into his coat, "I want you to give Alice this letter, tell her I love her."

"You're not giving up on me," choked out Edward looking up and around him, "Medic! Where the fuck is Newton?"

"Please, just take it," he held up the letter, his hand shaking with the effort.

"No, you're not going to die on me Jasper. We came too far together for it to end this way."

Edward stood up quickly grabbing Jasper by his hands and dragging him along the ground, "Medic! Med-" his scream cut off by the bullet that went straight through his chest, causing him to fall on the ground next to Jasper.

Edward gasped numbly bringing his hand up to his chest and bringing it up to his face. Tears came to his eyes as she looked at the fresh blood on his hands mixed with Jaspers. His blood. Edward gasped for air but he couldn't breathe, the bullet piercing his lung.

He distantly registered someone coming up to him the voice fading in his ears, "Cullen, breathe god damn it. Don't give up on me. What am I going to do around here without you constantly talking about that gorgeous wife of yours?"

Bella. Edward smiled thinking of his beautiful Bella the last time he saw her, tears flowing down her face as she stood next to Alice, waving him goodbye from the side of the road as he drove off in the bus on the way to training. She didn't hold it against him that he signed up for the Airborne, taking everything in stride and accepting that Edward wanted to fight for his country.

"Edward stay with me!" he heard Mike screaming, the way he was to Jasper moments before. He felt a bit of pressure on his shoulder, looking down to see Mike throw a syringe to the side.

"Jasper," he managed to gasp looking desperately over to the side to look at Jasper.

"He'll be fine, the bullet went clean through it missed his artery. We got him pulled to the side. Shit I can't locate where the bleeding's coming from. Help me; we need to move him away from the front line. "

Another loud boom went off as another bomb was dropped nearby the ground shaking around them. Edward could hear the sounds of the gunfire going off but it was getting dimmer. He could already feel his body weakening from the loss of blood, feeling light headed from the lack of oxygen due to his punctured lung. He felt Mike and someone else each grab one of his arms and throw it around their neck as they lifted him up off the ground.

"Edward keep your eyes open. Stay with me. Are you in pain? Tell me about Bella. What do you think she's doing right now?"

Edward shook his head, he couldn't feel anything. His body was in shock, trembling slightly as the blood slowly spread a circle of red on his uniform, "I thought you were sick of me talking about Bella, "he choked out.

His mind flashed back to the USO dance they attended before he was shipped off to training camp. He could see Bella now, full of life, laughing and spinning around on the dance floor; her eyes shining with pride at Edward dressed in his uniform. He could remember the day like it was yesterday. His fingers twitched as he could almost feel the smooth texture of the fabric of her dress as his hand pressed softly in her back. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck as she rested his head on her shoulder as they danced slowly to the band.

He couldn't help remembering that last night they were together as husband and wife, her body trembling slightly in anticipation as he slowly unzipped her dress, the fabric sliding down her body falling into a small pile on the floor. He took his time, memorizing every inch of her body with his hands and his mouth, Bella crying out in ecstasy as he slid in her. Their bodies fit perfectly together, and they moved in unison working slowly savoring every feeling, not knowing when they'd be able to be like this together again. A sense of urgency overtook them, Bella digging her nails in Edward's back as he picked up his pace, screaming his name as she came. Edward held out as long as he could but the sight of his beautiful Bella unraveling below him, her face flushed and damp with sweat made him lose control. Edward clutched Bella's hand beside her head kissing her up and down her neck. "I love you," he whispered into her neck as they laid there awake until dawn, not wanting to waste the last hours they had together.

"Christ Edward, you've been holding out on us."

Edward didn't realize that he was thinking out loud, blinking up at the humored look on Mikes face. He saw rather than felt himself being lowered to the ground, Mike quickly using scissors to cut across his uniform exposing his bare chest to the elements to help locate the bullet wound.

Edward couldn't help smiling trying to imagine how embarrassed Bella would be that he told someone about their personal intimate moments. He could see the blush spread across her cheeks tears coming to his eyes as he realized he was never going to see her again it again. He would never be able to hear her voice or touch her and feel the warmth of her skin beneath his ever again. His breath became ragged as he felt his vision start to fade, the explosions breaking the darkness momentarily, the bullets leaving little flashes of light in the corner of his eye before it slowed to stand still. He closed his eyes thinking of only the love of his life as he fell out of consciousness.

*

Bella stood up quickly her hands shaking as she grabbed the phone hanging on the wall, dialing the first number that came to mind.

"Hello?"

"Esme?" cracked out Bella the sobs still wracking her body.

"Bella is that you? Is everything ok honey?"

"Esme, its Edward," she heard her mother-in-law gasp in the background. She had to say it out loud. Hearing the words come out of her mouth for someone else to hear would make it more real.

"Esme, I just got a telegram. Its Edward… he's alive. He's coming home. Esme, our boy is coming home."

*

Bella held her breath as she watched the soldiers slowly walking down the terminal toward her. She was shaking slightly scanning each face for Edward. She smiled nervously at Esme and Carlisle next to her before pushing forward with Alice through the crowd; she could feel herself being drawn to him. She craned around past the people, hearing the crying and cheers as people found who they were looking for.

"Bella, Bella Cullen?" She looked down to see a husky man in a wheelchair smiling up at her.

"Yes," she answered cautiously not wanting to be rude, but also not wanting to miss the chance to see Edward.

"Sorry ma'am, I've just heard so much about you I forgot that I don't even know you. I'm Emmett McCarty. Don't mind me saying this but you look more beautiful in person than you do in that picture Cullen's been carrying around the past two years."

"You know Edward? Where is he? He is on this transport right?"

"Yes, he's helping Jasper out of the gate, he'll be here soon. It's so nice to meet you. I owe your husband my life, he's a good man."

Bella didn't know what to say, awkwardly taking Emmett's outspread hand and shaking it.

She watched him as he was wheeled over to a gorgeous blond, the girl crying and throwing herself at him, burying her face in the side of his neck. Tears came to her eyes as she watched their reunion, her heart swelling for the couple.

"And here I expected you'd be happy to see me." Bella spun around quickly. She knew that voice anywhere, the voice that had been in her dreams from the first day she met him. She was unable to check the tears as they spilled down her face.

"Edward," she choked out throwing her arms around his neck. Her whole body shook with her sobs as she clung to him for dear life.

"You came back to me," she cried over and over as he peppered kisses all over her face.

"It was going to take more than 500,000 Germans to keep me away from you Bella. You're the only reason I made it through it. I survived the past two years all for this moment, for me to be back in your arms again." He kissed her passionately, Bella pressing up against him still unable to believe that he was back. Edward winced pulling away a little.

"Remember, chest wound?" Edward chuckled as Bella gasped stepping away from him and carefully place her hand on his chest.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's healing up nicely, nothing too serious. It'll probably leave a scar though, sorry about that."

"You would apologize for getting shot."

Edward pulled back wiping the tears away from Bella's eyes, "God I missed you. I thought about you every second of everyday. "

Bella couldn't do anything other than nod, looking into his eyes and running her hands through his hair. He was really here, her husband, the love of her life was alive and back where he belonged by her side.

"We made it baby, everything's going be ok now. Everything's going be ok."