Chapter 1

Age of Edward Contest, 2012
Pennname: Emmamama88
Title: The Harvest of Avarice
Great Depression/WWII Era Edward
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Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.
I own my original characters and original story.
Thanks to pixiekat7 for her fabulous beta work on this! She is awesome and I adore her!
Anyone who is a fan of Virgins & Villains will recognize this story title. The story itself is based on the movie that 'Actor' Edward is filming while dating Bella in V&V. I hope you enjoy it!
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1944

When I opened my eyes, the beams of bright sunlight forced me to shut them again.

"Ah, there he is." a quiet voice sounded from beside me.

I blinked open my eyes a second time, turning my head in the direction of the voice and tried to focus. I was surprised to behold an elderly gentleman sitting on the grass smoking a pipe, as if we weren't in the middle of a war zone.

Chapter 2

It was hard to believe that things could get any worse, but they did. Papa didn't even pretend to be looking for work anymore; he spent his waking hours drinking and yelling at us. My little sister had grown so fearful of his outbursts that she stopped speaking altogether; knowing that the sound of her voice could set him off.

Mama found work at a bakery, and I did what I could to help; selling newspapers on the corner and running errands for Mama's boss.

Chapter 3

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Almost there now," Teddy answered. "So the next few months were spent in South Carolina?"

"Yes," I ran my hand roughly through my hair as I thought about that year. "Bella and I wrote to one another constantly, but now the letters were different. We were more than just girlfriend and boyfriend; we were planning a future together."

Chapter 4

**** Flashback ***** Edward/21-22years ****

"Masen, is that you?" I turned toward the voice, and found two fellows staring at me.

"Well I'll be damned, it is you," One of them stated before they both smiled widely.

I watched them curiously before remembering two very similar smiles from years before. The sight of those smiles brought to mind memories of my childhood in St. Louis.

Chapter 5

The final chapter. Enjoy!
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When I arrived at the book shop the next afternoon, Bella was already there waiting. My breath caught in my throat when I saw her in a beautiful dress, carrying a picnic basket, her hair falling in waves around her shoulders as the sun's rays reflected off of it. I took the basket and wordlessly followed her to a little stretch of lawn beside a church where we had our picnic.

Outtake and Epilogue

OUTTAKE – on the way back from New York

Margaret Masen eyed the young woman sitting across from her on the train with a contemplative eye. To everyone who had known Margaret since childhood, she had become quite an enigma.

The sweet carefree girl who had grown into a beautiful young woman, and was subsequently swept off of her feet by the dashing Edward Masen, was not recognizable any more. The trusting girl who had listened as Edward had professed his undying love, and had agreed to marry a man ten years her senior was a far cry from the woman she was now.