"California Dreamin'" by chocaholic123

Posted by Anonymous

The year is 1967 and the heat is blistering in the small town of Wentworth, CA. Bella Swan and her best friend Angela have just graduated from High School and enjoy their last summer before starting college. They spend their time hanging out at the lake, listening to The Beattles and Sergeant Pepper, and gossiping about Jessica Stanley's unexpected pregnancy. They are also very much involved in the anti-Vietnam-war-protests, which makes them go on a daytrip to San Francisco, where Angela wants to listen to a speech held by one of Martin Luther King's staff. The girls are joined by four friends: Angela's boyfriend Ben and his three buddies Eric, Tyler, and Edward. Due to the limited space in the car, Bella spends the whole journey to Frisco on Edward's lap and feels strongly attracted to him...

Edward is a pre-med student, who is supposed to follow the footsteps of his father, congressman Carlise Cullen, and his brother Emmett, even though he has no interest in politics whatsoever. He has also been drafted to go to Vietnam and will leave town soon to start basic training. Falling in love with a lovely girl was the last thing he intended to do, but it happens nonetheless. He enjoys every minute he spends with Bella on their trip and stays in contact with her once they get back home. The two become a couple and Bella loses her virginity to Edward - just a day before he leaves for training. With promises to come back to her, Edward starts his journey that is the Vietnam war and, surrounded by bombs, blood, and death, loses himself and what he thought he had...

This story is both incredibly wonderful and heart-breaking. Edward and Bella fall quick and hard and when the time comes to say goodbye, the reader is just as devastated as they are. Edward starts writing her sweet yet also horrible letters; describing how much he misses her and her warmth and telling her about the horrors of war. I have to admit, I had a few tears in my eyes when I finished each letter, which were written with immense honesty and love. After leaving Bella to receive training, the two meet two more times, each and every time Edward comes back more broken than before. The war in Vietnam, a war that he never believed in in the first place, is taking its toll on him and Bella isn't only one "thing" he uses to ease the pain. It's incredibly sad to see him fall apart like that, becoming a shell of the charming young man he once was. Yet despite it being an angsty story, it DOES have a happy ending. An ending that leaves you dreaming about their wonderful future together! The story is completely written from Bella's POV and Jasper, Alice, Rose, and Emmett are not mentioned at all or play just very small roles. Read it, it's worth it!

California Dreamin' consists of 23 chapters and 93,809 words. The story is rated MA for profanities, angst, drug use, and lemons.

COMPLETE

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Note: The wonderful Edward/Bella manip was made by our very own Mysty1234!