"Through the Flames" by SparklingTwilight

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Firefighters are held in the utmost esteem in our society; our modern-day heroes ready to put their lives on the line to protect any living thing in harm’s way. Lieutenant Edward Cullen is one of these men - the eldest son in a family of firefighters, along with his two younger brothers and his father who is the Fire Chief. At a glance, this family is the epitome of pillars of the community, but as we get a closer look behind the scenes, we find a highly dysfunctional group of members instead. Edward has always been the hard-working, responsible one and everyone in the family automatically has the highest expectations of him; they look to him to solve all their problems or pick up their slack and put way too much pressure on him. Carlisle expects him to run the station in his absence, pick up extra shifts and lays the heavy responsibility of watching out for the safety of his irresponsible brothers on his shift. The brothers turn to Edward for financial help when they haven’t managed their money or gambled it away and Edward bails them out. Yet, they never express gratitude or offer to pay him back. Not one of them put his needs before their own. That is, until the night he ran into a complete structure fire against orders to search for and rescue one young lady named Bella, who was reported missing according to her friends. 

Struggling against the flames and collapsing building, he finally locates her, unconscious from smoke inhalation, gives her his oxygen mask and jacket and almost makes it back to the entrance when he feels the floor begin to give way under him. In a last ditch effort to save her, he throws her towards the door yelling, “Grab her!” as he plummets into the basement's darkness and the building collapses on him. When Bella regains consciousness in the hospital, the events of her accident replay back in her mind and she immediately wants to go see the firefighter that risked his life for her, especially since Edward remains unconscious in the ICU. Someone needs to be there for him to help shoulder the weight of the pain he suffers from constantly, the hardships of adjusting to being dependent and needing physical therapy, the fear of the possibility of being permanently disabled, and that person would be her because in her mind she owed him a debt of gratitude. His bravery had given her the chance to live out her life and find happiness, and with any luck, she would be able to give him the same chance. 

TtF comes with heart fail and multiple tissue warnings, yet a wonderfully developed and mind-blowing plot. SparklingTwilight superbly depicts how the selfless but near-fatal act of one brave firefighter choosing someone else's life over his own, brings one troubled family to their knees; but how that event is a catalyst for changes and healing for both Edward and his family members. The author takes you on an intense journey of a man who had achieving his goals within reach, but because of who he is and a split second decision, he agonizingly almost lost it all. Will he ever be able to walk again after his back injury? Will he ever think beyond his own pain and difficulties to see the sacrifices Bella makes; how she is always there to meet his every need, calm his fears and offer words of encouragement? TtF is indeed a slow agonizing burn, but so worth it in the end. Don't miss out on this compelling story, but maybe have a box of tissues handy! 

Through the Flames has 41 chapters with 200,140 words. The story is rated M for themes, language and sexual situations. 

COMPLETE

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