I just randomly felt like writing a bit of EdwardXBella fluff, which is unusual for me; I normally don't like writing about them. It's their first Christmas together (after all the Volturi mess in BD). Some spoilers for BD. It's either going to be a oneshot. Canon. Enjoy, and please review.
"Alice, what am I getting him for Christmas?" I pleaded of my sister-in-law for the millionth time. I even had my hands clasped in front of me in the unanimous signal of a plea. "Tell me!"
She smiled her dazzling smile and zipped her lips, tossing the imaginary key over her shoulder. "Sorry, Bella, but you need to figure this one out yourself," she said lightly. I glared slightly at her, but I didn't need to be physic to know that she wasn't going to tell me.
Sighing, I relented, saying, "Okay, Ali, but can't you at least tell me what he's getting me?" I looked at her hopefully.
She laughed beautifully and shook her head, her short black hair bobbing from side to side. I exhaled in frustration. "I can tell you when he's getting home from getting your present," she offered. Before I could demand that she did, she had already continued with, "He and the boys will be home in exactly a minute and thirteen and three fourths seconds."
"Great, thanks," I said absentmindedly, glancing at the clock on the white wall. It was a new house—we had moved in over Thanksgiving to a house Esme owned outside of Chicago. Carlisle had finally decided that we couldn't stay any longer in Forks, especially with Reneesme growing like a bullet; someone was bound to notice and question. Jacob had moved with us, giving up his life and his pack for Reneesme. Although that irritated me, it also made me smile slightly. He was completely hooked.
Only fifteen seconds left. I jumped to my feet in one fluid, graceful movement and was by the door to the garage in the next second. Alice was right behind me, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, probably having just seen what Jasper bought her for Christmas. I pulled the door open in the same second that Edward pulled in, driving his new silver Volvo—it was that year's version of his old model. By the time his door was open, I had my arms around him and was on my toes to reach his lips. He kissed me back—a little too eagerly—and I pulled away with a small smirk.
"Hi," I said breathlessly. Emmett gagged as he climbed out of the car.
"Get a room," he advised us snidely. I glared at him.
"You're one to talk," Edward retorted smoothly. Turning to me, he said, "You can't look. It needs to be a surprise. Go back inside." I pouted, and he laughed, kissing my puffed lower lip. "Go, Bella." Rolling my eyes, I did as he said and went to sit on the beige couch in the living room, staring at the large flat screen TV on the wall. I could hear Edward's quick, light footsteps up the stairs, and the sound of a door opening—our bedroom door, judging from the area where it came from.
"Hey, Bells," Emmett said as he plopped down beside me, flipping on the TV and turning it to a football game. I looked at him with one eyebrow raised—I had spent hours in front of a mirror to perfect that. He laughed at my look. "It's the Patriots," he said in a 'duh' tone. "I was like their biggest fan when I was human. I guess it never died." He shrugged and focused back on the screen.
I rolled my eyes. "What'd you get Rosalie?" I asked, changing the subject.
He grinned. "Don't tell her," he warned, granting me the privilege of eye contact. I made the 'cross my heart' symbol, causing him to chuckle again. "A flower—a cross between a lily, a rose, and an apple blossom. Some hybrid. It's new, and it's named after her. I got her an entire bouquet of them, plus a perfume. They started a new line of the perfume scent in her name."
"Wow," I said simply, impressed. Not meaning that I would want that from Edward, but that I knew Rosalie ought to love it. "She'll love it." And she definitely would.
"Hey," Edward said softly as he rapidly approached from behind, jumping over the back of the couch, landing perfectly beside me with his legs stretched out and cupping my cheek gently all at the same time. "What time are Jacob, Carlisle, Renesmee and Esme getting back?" he asked, his lips close to my ear. He took the opportunity to kiss my neck playfully.
"I think Carlisle said at four," I told him. I think everyone but me had gotten their spouse a Christmas present. But how could I get Edward something? He had everything—and I wasn't accustomed to spending the millions of Cullen money on things yet. I couldn't think of anything I could possibly get for him that he didn't already have. Last Christmas, we hadn't really celebrated, because of the mess with the Vulturi, and I didn't have to face this dilemma before; we didn't celebrate human birthdays.
"What are you thinking?" he asked lowly, nuzzling my hair. Emmett coughed conspicuously and purposely dropped the TV remote. It clattered loudly on the floor, but it didn't break Edward's focus.
"About how I have no idea what to get you for Christmas," I confessed, feeling slightly embarrassed. Every one else had no issues with shopping for Edward—was I the only one who didn't know what to get my husband?
"Don't worry about it," he told me softly, golden eyes warm. "I don't need a present."
"But I want to get you something," I protested. "I just have no idea what to get."
"No pressure; Christmas is only the day after tomorrow," Emmett said snidely. I glowered at him, and Edward growled.
"Emmett, relax, don't get prissy," Alice sang as she danced into the room with Jasper in her wake, smiling contentedly. She clasped her hands together excitedly. "Bella, you're going to love what Renesmee is getting you! I can't really see her buying it—of course—but I can see you grinning as you open it."
I groaned. "You just have to say that to make the suspense worse." Edward chuckled in my ear as he pulled me onto his lap.
"You will," he promised, having just witnessed Alice's vision through her thoughts. I sighed.
"Alice, can't you just tell me what I'm getting Edward?" I grumbled grouchily, crossing my arms. I honestly had no idea of what to do about that simple but so important issue of Edward's Christmas present.
"Nope." She popped the 'p.'
"You'll do just fine, Bella," Jasper told me soothingly, probably picking up on my anxiety.
"No, I won't," I groaned. "Christmas is less than two days away." I placed my head in my hands, shaking my head form side to side, aggravated.
I sighed, exasperated, as I left the twenty-first store in the mall, still having had no luck with my present for Edward. Christmas was only twelve hours away—we were going to start celebrating at midnight. I had managed to find or make presents for everyone else—even Jacob, who was also hard to shop for. Eventually, I had given up on his present in stores, and had settled for making one.
I passed by an antiques shop, and I have no idea what drew me in, but the next second I was in the antiques shop, gathering the attention of the two customers and one clerk in there. I guess I looked out of place—an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, alone, in an antiques shop. The clerk looked at me oddly before approaching.
"Can I help you?" she asked rather rudely.
"I'll just look around, thanks," I said dismissively and turned my back on her, walking towards a glass cabinet. Inside the cabinet, on the shelves, were rows and rows of… old coins. That was odd. Everywhere else, there were old-fashioned or just old furniture.
One copper penny caught my eye. It was shiny, almost as if it had never really been used, and the year read 1901. I was instantly captivated, and looked at it closely, my cool breath not casting any fog upon the glass.
"Its $75. Never been in use," the clerk said from behind me.
I nodded. "I'll take it." Before the clerk could reply or even blink, I had four twenties out and shoved the money into the clerk's hands. She looked shocked but accepted the money and pulled out a key, unlocking the cabinet and pulling the penny out. I took it from her hand, called a "Keep the change," over my shoulder and left the store, probably so fast that no one's eyes could track my movement.
I made one more stop at a jewelry store and then I was back in my car, speeding home at a speed that I had always chastised Edward for driving at.
"Merry Christmas!" Alice cried exactly at midnight, throwing a handful of confetti into the air, grinning happily. The next second she was crouched in front of the presents ecstatically, her enthusiasm matched only by Renesmee, who was already picking her presents out from under the tree.
"Mom, this is yours," she called out, tossing a box to me. I caught it midair, pleased by my impeccable hand-eye coordination.
"Honey, slow down," I told my physically-thirteen year old daughter. "Let Jacob pass out the presents in an orderly fashion." My best friend grinned doggishly.
"Open it, Bells," he retorted. I rolled my eyes, tearing at the pink wrapping paper, already knowing that it was from Alice. I balled up the paper and threw it lightheartedly at Jacob before opening the small box. I stared at the contents, speechless.
"You're welcome," Alice sang, giggling. I could only gape at the picture.
It was from Edward's and my prom. It had obviously been taken when we weren't paying attention. We were dancing—his arms were around me, holding me up, and his face was bent close to mine. My hair and dress were splayed about—like the picture had been taken during a whirl. Even better, my cast was cut out of the picture so well that you couldn't tell that I had broken it. She had custom-framed it; the wooden frame said "Bella and Edward" at the bottom.
"It's beautiful," I managed to say. I hugged the picture to my chest. "I love it." Edward hugged my waist, kissing my cheek as he gazed down at me lovingly.
"Oh, what do you know, it's for me," Jacob said, picking up another present and feigning surprise, as if he hadn't purposely picked up his own gift. My daughter rolled her eyes, looking very much like a teenager.
He opened his gift—which was from me—and opened the box eagerly. I knew what he would be happy and surprised to find—the wooden charm that I had carved for him, just like the one he had carved for my eighteenth birthday. It was, instead of a wolf, was heart-shaped. He smiled up at me, knowing that it was from me. The happy grin—which I used to call 'my Jacob's grin,' was more than any thanks he could have given me.
"Here, Nessie," Jacob said, passing my daughter a box wrapped in pink paper. He smiled softly at her, besotted, and she grinned back at him with her little school-girl crush. I had to glower my disapproval at the both of them.
"Thanks, Aunt Alice," Nessie said happily as she lifted up the newest iPhone, completed with an iHome, portable speakers, a case, and a wall charger. I rolled my eyes. Alice did go all out, but I was somewhat surprised that she didn't get clothes.
The present-opening continued with extreme enthusiasm and amusement—especially when Jacob opened his present from Rosalie. It was tickets to some game, but it was wrapped in wrapping paper from PetSmart, which cracked everyone up. Alice was right; I love my gift from Renesmee. It was a simple painting she had drawn of herself and me, but she had drawn it better than any artist I had seen before. Of course, because I was her mother, I was extremely biased, but biased or not, it was an excellent sketch. Eventually, there were only a few presents left under the tree—my to Edward, his to me, and Edward's to Jacob. The third of which I was immensely curious about.
"Bells," Jacob called, tossing me a thin box wrapped in golden paper.
I curiously ripped open the paper, and my grin somewhat faded when I saw the box from Tiffany's. I glowered at Edward slightly. "You spent money," I accused him. "A lot of money," I added as I opened the box, staring open-mouthed at the large, heart-shaped topaz pendent hanging from a slender golden chain.
"I have something else for you later," Edward told me, ignoring my complaints about price.
"Ooh," said Emmett suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.
I clamped my hands over Renesmee's ears. "Keep it PG, Emmett," I warned. He laughed it off along with everyone else.
"Oh, and this one's mine," Jacob said, opening his tiny, square box. He pulled out a pair of keys. "Edward, what're these for?" he asked, dangling the keys in front of his face.
"A Harley-Davidson, which is currently parked in the garage." Jacob's face lit up and he looked at the keys fervently. "But you are absolutely not allowed to drive my daughter on that thing," my husband warned protectively. My best friend rolled his eyes, not pointing out the obvious—that Renesmee wasn't in any danger from a motorcycle—and tossed me the last present.
"And last but not least, Edward," he said, still beaming from the motorcycle gift.
He tore into my present to him eagerly. He had probably been dying of suspense the past few days, wondering what I would get him. He popped open the lid and stared at the gift inside, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he understood what the meaning of it was. A 1901 penny hanging from a bronze chain. A penny for your thoughts.
I smiled slightly at him. "A penny for your thoughts, you know? So when you wonder what I'm thinking, you can use this against me."
He kissed me gently, his lips moving softly against my mouth before he pulled away too soon. "I love it. I love you," he whispered, holding the chain and kissing me again.
"Merry Christmas!" Esme cried, holding Carlisle's hand happily.
"Merry Christmas!" everyone repeated.
"Merry Christmas," Edward murmured huskily, pulling himself away from my lips just enough to form coherent speech. I didn't reply; I just grabbed at the back of his head and kissed him again.
A few hours later, Edward took me up into our room, and shut the door tightly behind me. "Your other present," he reminded me, touching my cheek gently, his darkened eyes smoldering. I nodded, and he sat at the piano that resided in the middle of out large bedroom. I slid in next to him on the bench and he began to play.
It was a new piece, something I hadn't heard him play before. His fingers slid over the keys perfectly, gracefully, the melody of the song washed over me. I closed my eyes and savored the sound of it. His love for me flowed through every harmonizing note, his ecstasy at our new life together was portrayed throughout every bar. It was the most beautiful piece of music I had ever heard. Better than all the famous composers.
"I love you," I whispered.
"And I you," he murmured back, not stopping or slowing in his playing.
A bit longer than normal, for a oneshot. Oh well, I'm sure no one is complaining. Thanks for reading, and I would really appreciate reviews. Have a great night.
Mel.