Author's Final Notes and Reader AU's
First off, this tale has been nominated for the poll for Top 10 fics completed in January on www . twifanfictionrecs . com So fun and such an honor. I love this fandom for its fantastically engaged readership and all the lovely people who put together such opportunities for stories to be read and shared. For any who have recommended this tale or voted for it, thank you so very much! I'm still amazed that this is read by anyone and so encouraged to find it is not only read but enjoyed. That makes my literary heart skip a beat and makes me so very happy.
As promised, I wanted to include a section for alternate plots for this story that have been sent in by readers. However, I was mulling over this pair of stories and wanted to give some final thoughts on it before I jump into the AU's. If you aren't up for nerdy author notes, then skin straight to the AU's, since they are way more entertaining. If you like nerdy author notes, then enjoy.
Final Author Notes:
Well, the original germ for this second story was a picture of a pair of humans surrounded by an ocean of vampires trapped in an underground fortress. They were only able to escape due to the treasonous actions of a rogue vampire who, in honor of the human woman his queen ordered killed, he defies his tyrant queen and helps the pair escape.
Technically, that is still the story we got… and I suppose I'm still trying to figure out just how we ended up so far from that beginning while still following it exactly (or how it grew from 5,000 words to over 200,000). That pretty much sums up this pair of stories, though. The trees we grew seem a far cry from the seeds I started with. Then again, this pair of stories is basically the same story, told twice, yet, somehow, they are still completely different stories.
How many times do we see "Edward" cradling "Bella" in his arms? Yet, despite invoking nearly identical images, the meanings negate the symbols and turns them on their heads. In the Remnants Edward, this is more often a vampire coddling a corpse as his beloved. From the beginning to end, Edward is always carrying Bella's dead body - though the timbre of this image shifts when it is an exhumed Badiyah versus a soon-to-be-discarded Bella. In SG, we start off the same. John carries the body of Tiger Lily in his arms…but so does Peter…. Yet Peter's action is of an entirely different tenor than John or Edward, despite being, in essence, the exact same action. Bell's rescue finally sees a live version of Bella cradled in the arms of both Peter and Michael and brought to safety. It is not until our epilogue that it is Peter cradling the body of a live Darling that this image is finally inverted in on itself and made complete.
Similarly, our first introduction to Darling sees her carrying a cup of blood to pour out for Edward like a drink offering… and that image continues through both stories, yet with entirely different meanings. How different the Queen of Neverland's libation for an innocent yearling versus the Volturi's captive and her tortured, starved John? Or Darling handing medicine to a grieving Peter versus flooding a tyrannical "Master Pan." We still have the same image: Darling with her cup of blood, pouring it out for a version of Edward, and yet the meaning changes. This contrasts with John forcing blood down Darling's throat or Peter throwing his bottle against the wall. Then, in our final image, we do not see Darling feeding "Edward" but Peter bottle feeding Darling, their roles finally inverted and the cycle finally broken.
Then again, when Edward declares to Badiyah that "You are mine," it has an entirely different tenor than when it is John who says it to a "captive" Darling. Not even John's declaration can remain unchanged. He uses the same words, but as "Master Pan" the words cannot be the same as those of the imprisoned John. By the time the same words are used by Peter, we have come so far, it's hard to even remember them being used by the broken, tragic vampire of The Remnants to his rebellious human creation.
Yet, each version of "Bella" refuses to accept his claim of ownership. "No, I'm not," she says, again and again (in different ways and forms), until we finally have Darling surrender and accept that yes, she is Peter's – but only because Peter's meaning is so vastly different than Edward's ever was.
In both stories, "Bella" began as Pygmalion's statue - an object of worship, a created object, which had to cast off layers of carved marble and gold to embrace flesh in all its broken and beautiful humanness. The statue came to life, but as a woman, not a goddess. Darling embodied the epitome of Edward's dreams- her endless fountain of blood, her rapt attention to his every need and whim. She became the embodiment of his greatest desires- and yet he never saw its fulfillment…and if he had? Would he see her as that fulfillment? Maybe it was she who was the ultimate portrait of Dorian Gray. Perhaps she was his greatest accomplishment… or his worst. Perhaps it was she who was Frankenstein's monster. Yet, even Frankenstein's monster wished for a bride – a companion, a place to belong.
Similarly, John was the fulfillment of Darling's handiwork and the epitome of what she sought to create. He lived for her to torment, in every way possible, and he made it so very easy. Edward could finally be vicariously punished through him. Yet John, too, rebelled. They always rebel. Whether it is Badiyah and tomato soup or Peter and his living Tiger Lily, the creations always rebel. Yet, then there are those moments of surrender – whether it's the kiss of a dying mother against newborn heads or the last shouted cry of a dying man or the embrace of forgiveness when a wrong is finally righted- the rebels finally give way to the forces of fate they are caught up in and find a stolen breath of peace.
When Edward sneaks into Badiyah's room to watch her sleep, we see the predatory gaze- the vampire drinking in the scent of his singer. When Darling invites the Pirates in to read to her, it is her own version of this predatory gaze – the vampire drinking in the lure of the mating bond without consuming it or falling victim to its power. Yet both are ultimately ensnared by their own predation and caught up in their own traps. Darling uses Edward's own draw to his singer against him. Peter uses Darling's own draw to her mate against her. The predator is inverted and becomes prey. The balance of power shifts and the deities are toppled into the dusty floor, where they must stare into the eyes of their creation and give an account for all their actions.
Both stories end with a massacre. In The Remnants, Edward has spent his life destroying everything he ever cared about and draining life out of everyone around him until he finally ends himself. The survivors of his life are scattered, disconnected remnants – broken and isolated and lost. Shahrazad's Ghost also ends with a massacre, but it is the voluntary sacrifice of an army of Edwards who choose to give their lives to preserve the life of Darling. She lives… because she preserved Peter's life. The survivors voluntarily come back together, heal together, and create life together. Edward is finally inverted and redeemed through the character of John. Darling is resurrected and finally freed of her role as "statue" when she is taken out of her final imprisonment in a chest in Romania.
While The Remnants started with graves full of secrets, by the end of SG, Neverland has no ghosts left. They have been exorcised through the unforgiving lens of truth. Edward's "grave" and Edward's temple were both drenched in illicit secrets, Isabella's grave has all mysteries drained from it and only truth remains. All has been told - the ugly and the beautiful. There is still a grave, but it is no longer a lonely, forgotten place. It is not a mass grave of faceless, nameless bodies. Not even Isabella Swan remains anonymous. With the introduction of Leah, every generation of Bellas are accounted for and someone is present who knows their names and recognizes their humanity and breathes life back into their stories.
Throughout both tales, there is constant theme of the power of story. Whether those written in the bones of the deceased women of Barzakh or in the stones of the destroyed fortresses in Barzakh, Neverland, and Volterra; the tales read to Badiyah or Darling or Tiger Lily; the oral stories shared by the Toubou or between generations of families about their origins; or the tales told by bloodlines and unexpected "old ghosts", tales are interwoven into each successive generation of relationships, fortresses, families, identities, and conflicts.
This pair of stories begins and ends in a graveyard. Fortresses are built and fortresses are destroyed. So are families. Graves are both emptied and filled. We have spent hundreds of pages mulling over just what it means to love (I think we covered it all- eros, storge, philia, and agape). We also look at some of the myriad of ways relationships can both sustain us and destroy us.
Looking back, it seems like we needed both stories and they are only complete together. I didn't know that at the time. Stories are like that, though. They decide to be written and I never quite know what they want to say until they say it and then I have to mull over all the layers I never knew they had to try to figure out all the unanticipated stories within stories.
All that to say, thank you all so very much for embarking on this journey with me and for all the myriads of meanings and layers of symbols you have excavated from this story. You gave me new eyes to see what I never knew was here and I've loved every minute of it.
Please feel free to share future thoughts and musings- whether a day from now or a decade. There is always more to learn and mull over and ponder.
Now, onto the good stuff...
Reader AUs:
Here we have creative alternate plot lines and ideas from some of you wonderful readers (and I threw in some of my bunny trails, because they were there). I love all the brilliant ideas you all have had. If any of you are inspired with other rabbit trails for this particular universe, send them along and I'll update this section. There is always, always room for more.
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AU 1: The Resurrection of Edward Cullen
LRK860: Is Darling trying to find HER Edward? Is that why she makes so many and couldn't care less about the fate of most? She's created a cult following of vampire and human Edwards.
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AU 2: The Lost Boys (and Girls) of Neverland
Amokitty: For a while I thought Darling was making an army of shields to go with her telepaths, but now it looks as though I'm mistaken. I thought perhaps her manipulation of the Edward clones would be what kept the Bella clones in line.
Does it have anything to do with Edward? Does Darling even know Edward is actually dead? Does she know that it was Alice who set the temple (and Edward) ablaze? Or perhaps Darling returned to find it abandoned and thought Edward simply left? If this is true, does she want to FIND him?
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AU 3: The Battle of Cullen Castle
TheRugbymom: I'd like to see Darling bring Peter and her army of Edwards to rescue the Cullens (plus Michael, Bell, ), and fight off the Volturi. Alice and Rosalie could be overwhelmed with all kinds of "feels" when surrounded by so many Edwards! Maybe it could end with the bulk of them somehow redeeming the original Edward and giving Carlisle some peace of mind.
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AU 4: The Escape of the Baby Incubators
Melissa Moyer: Since darling was already a vampire and wouldn't be a able to have a child of her own would she be tempted to created more Bella's to get them?
Maybe after all this time Darling realizes she wants a baby with Edward, her Edward but much like the clones of Bella while they all have the potential to be the "mate" some will have a personality she doesn't like. So she turns one and chains him (I'd assume by this point in the future there is some material strong enough to contain a vampire even in the newborn year). She clones and farms Bella's to feed him and do her experiments while still Cloning Edwards to find her perfect match personality wise. And decides the Bellas can be incubators for her future child. I imagine the first few she tries with will die because they won't have the right nutrition, or are physically too weak, etc. so to maximize her chances she starts using more than one at a time. When she doesn't feel the maternal connection with the first couple she has a Bella (the one who eventually escapes) look after Them and study them for her so she will know exactly what to do when her "child" is born.
That Bella notices that the children are gifted as well (Darling wasn't aware Edward was a telepath as far as I remember, and I don't think she discovered she was gifted either because she hid from other vampires). So she discovers her own gift (remember no two minds are the same so while someone might be genetically predisposed to have a certain type of gift it isn't going to turn out exactly the same for each person) including how to expand it. One of the times she does this is when one of the Edward clones is trying to use his gift, which unlike the original can, not just read others thoughts, but mentally communicate as well, just one at a time though. Thus they start their romance. And their plan to over throw Darling and escape. Though realizing that she is much stronger than they are, they know they'll have to change before they can do it. I would think as a mad scientist like Darling has turned into that she'd have venom stored for when she finds her Edward. And she probably has her helper euthanize the Edwards she doesn't find compatible. Momma Bear Bella could use venom instead and say she put him down and disposed of him, darling wouldn't know. I think it'd be too hard for her to be around when this is done so she'd go out of the compound. I don't think she'd have more than one matured Edward (chained one not withstanding at a time) that was part of the first Edwards downfall, too many Bella's.
Let's see you've got a vampire Edward chained up so it's possible that she used him for his sperm which she could then use to fertilize comatose "clones". But she'd need at least one or two Bella's to look after the incubators till she got the one she wanted. I can see at least one momma bear clone fall in love with an Edward clone and figure out how to transform themselves and in their newborn strength overpower and kill Darling. Perhaps they don't know that in the bowels of the compound is the chained Edward. So he gets over looked when they rampage through and destroy everything, they go off on their merry way with a bunch of little ones they take to a remote area to raise in secret. Over time those kids would mingle with regular humans and bring back mates marketing a whole new species of quarterlings. With of course their leaders who would be the escaped pair of full vampires.
The baby Isabella who ended up with the Cullens wouldn't be able to fall in love with the chained Edward, DNA wise that's her genetic father, but the two of them could go search out the escaped pair and the children. I'd imagine since he's an Edward clone he still have some sort of telepathy. while they didn't realize he was there, he'd have known about the babies and them.
I'm not crazy about Darling or the Edward from the original so I think she should end up with the same fate he had. I didn't say it should be Darling that gets an HEA. Lol
Though I'm wildly tempted to say you should throw in some more sci fi and have them escape to some remote planet (it should be far enough into the future from us to be a Star Trek esque AU) or maybe they try to blend in as an alien race. Or maybe I've had too much coffee tonight ;)
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AU 4: Frankenstein's Bride (Or Darling's Children)
Maembe13: "Peter" is exposed to human "Tiger Lily" as a bribe before sending him to Volterra as a spy. Darling promises he can have her as a reward, only after he does all she asks. She dangled a carrot he couldn't refuse and knew that the scent of her blood would drive his newborn senses to distraction.
All day and night, that scent clung to his nostrils, haunted his memory, and sang to his soul. Aro hoped Chelsea's bond would be enough to keep him, but he had not counted on one factor. His new pet already had a mate. When Peter heard this from Marcus, he was dumbstruck. Years with the Volturi taught him well the power of the mating instinct. He returned to Barzakh - not to claim his meal but claim his mate.
On his return, Darling picked his mind for all he had learned. Then she released him into an empty room inhabited only by a bedraggled, wild creature. She could neither speak nor could he read her thoughts. She cowered in fear in a corner of the room, hiding away from him by instinct. At first her scent nearly overpowered him, but years in the Volturi taught him the value of self-control. He stopped breathing and tried to speak to her. In ten different languages, he tried. Her brown eyes stared back at him curiously. He finally crouched on the floor beside her, removed his grey Volturi cloak, and wrapped her shivering form in its warmth.
"What are you doing?" Darling asked him. "Why haven't you eaten her?"
His eyes grew wide. "You said if I did as you wished, she would be mine. You never specified for what purpose. What is it to you if I choose to keep her alive or to kill her?"
Darling's eyes grew fierce with a jealous glow. There would only be one queen of Barzakh. "A misunderstanding, I assure you. Play with her, if you wish, but do not get attached. She will not survive long and do not bother turning her. If you try, I will end her before the fire subsides."
Darling "accidentally " leaves the room unlocked and sends in three newborns. Peter fights them all off and removes her to his own quarters. He keeps her hidden, brings her food and what he can find, and he teaches her to speak. Her fear is replaced by beautiful warmth and affection and he glows in her adoration. She conquers his heart and soul.
Tragically, she dies in childbirth. Darling steals the baby, absolutely delighted to have a child of her own. Peter goes mad with grief. Darling chains him to a wall, force-feeding him on singer's blood to make him do as she wishes and to make him dependent on her. He is frenetic and wild and barely cogent most of the time, decrying against Darling for trying to kill him, trying to destroy him.
She raises the child in Barzakh and he becomes her world. She is paranoid the Volturi will discover her secrets so decides to overthrow them first. She decides she wants another baby. She creates "Michael" and "Bell" and throws them in together. Peter, knowing what will happen, helps them escape. Darling is furious and locks him up for good. After Barzakh falls to the Volturi, Peter is released and goes to rescue Darling. She expects him to kill her in retribution for all she has done. He doesn't.
"I can't ever kill you. Why can't you understand that?" he cries.
AU 5: The Perfect Pair
Maembe13: Darling realizes she can make a killing through the sale of clones. She sells perfectly mated pairs of Edward/Bella clones to whichever covens are willing to pay. This entirely undermines Volterra's power and influence in the vampire world as each coven has its own shield and telepath to both predict dangers and shield from possible attacks. When combined with the sale of singer's blood, Darling becomes the most powerful vampire in the world.
At a complete loss of what to do, Aro begs the Cullen coven for assistance. After all, they have received their own mated pair of clones when the pair escaped. Now it is up to Bell and Michael to take on Darling and her empire, but is it Aro they should be assisting? Or Darling?