Hello, all you lovely people! Who's ready for some PilotWard?

The prologue and first two chapters of this were included in the Fanfic Fundraiser For Jenny Rarden compilation at the end of 2020. If you've read this there, you'll want to read these early chapters again, as I've made some small changes.

I'm several chapters into writing this, so I hope to be able to keep up my weekly updates on Tuesdays, beginning next week. If that changes, I will let you know.

A giant thank you goes out to my team of amazing ladies: jayhawkbb for editing, and to my wonderful prereaders who, at this point, deserve a medal or something for putting up with my constantly changing mind, 2brown-eyes, aushapasha, BitterHarpy, Lizzie Paige, Maplestyle, and Driving Edward, without whom this would never have gotten off the ground. Her life as a USAF wife has been a wealth of information and anecdotes. I love each and every one of you ladies. Xo

I'm going to be posting a playlist on YouTube if you're interested. Just search for Sunshine1220, and you should be able to find it.

Song:

"First Love," Adele

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.

A Soft Place to Land

Prologue

As a child, you believe in magic. You believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-afters. You answer adults with a smile when they ask what you want to be when you grow up, and you absolutely believe it's possible to be a ballerina and an astronaut. But then you find out the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny aren't real, and Santa was just smelly Uncle Mike dressed in an itchy, red suit.

In your teens, feeling like you can conquer the world, you allow youthful ignorance to plan the future. You get caught up in trends and trying to get an "in" with popular, pretty people. You plan out the perfect after-graduation road trip, culminating in arriving on campus as a freshman to party away the next four years.

A reality check confirms you'll never be able to afford the road trip, and as a small-town cop and school teacher, your parents can only help pay for tuition at a community college, like they did for your sister. So, you swallow your silly dreams and smile, thanking them for helping at all.

When your sister introduces you to her boyfriend's younger brother, whose laugh makes your insides warm, you start to make new plans ... plans that include him. You finish a two-year degree, hoping against all hope you can find a job that pays enough to afford half the rent for a small apartment and half the ramen noodles.

You think it's love—soul-warming, bone-deep love—and hold on with both hands. You get caught up in the whirlwind and promise forever. And when he wants to start a family, you're swept away by the idea of a little person who's half him and half you but completely perfect.

But when the dream becomes a reality, it's different. It's harder than you thought it would be, more expensive when you factor in day care, even more so when there are two children. So you decide to stay home, be the wife and mother your own mother wanted to be. You work hard to make a small, rented house a home. You cheer on your husband, happy for his successes and become a sounding board for him when the weight of expectations is too heavy for him to carry.

As the years pass, you think that things will begin to get easier, finances will finally work out and you'll have breathing room. But it doesn't happen. Instead, the kisses stop, the affection is nonexistent, and one day you realize you haven't had sex in almost a year. Reflection turns to heartbreak when the man you gave fifteen years of your life to says he's not happy, that he hasn't been for a long time ... and he's in love with someone else.

It's then you find yourself a thirty-five-year-old, not-quite-divorcee with nothing but a few personal possessions and the love of your sons. It's then that you find yourself in need of a soft place to land.

A/N: So, what do we think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The regular chapters will be considerably longer, and most will be in Bella's point of view. I am planning an EPOV chapter or two down the road, but we will see. I'm currently working on chapter 11. And at this point, I don't know how long the story will be.

The best way to stay up to date with what I'm up to, join in the discussion, and to see weekly teaser pics and what my posting schedule is, check out my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. I'd love if you all could join us. I'm also on Twitter at CSunshine1220.

"See" you Tuesday!

Be kind.
Stay safe.
Stay well.

Lots of love
~Sunshine