Ch 52 - Something Like You

Something happens when you look at me I forget to speak
Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak
Could it be true is this what God has meant for me?
Cuz baby I can't believe...that something like you could happen to me

“Something Like You” – Nsync

“Why do we have to get a tree, Edward? It’s not like we’ll even be here,” I grumbled as he pulled me along through the rows of evergreens. It was December 23rd, and tomorrow morning we were heading for Forks to spend Christmas with our families.

“Because it’s our first Christmas together, Bella,” Edward said with a shrug. I sighed but smiled—it was illogical to go out and spend $30 for a tree we wouldn’t even be looking at, but I couldn’t deny his reasoning was sweet.

It was cold—colder than it had been in a long time. I was wrapped up from head to toe and the chilliness still filtered through to my skin, giving me goose bumps. My hand was particularly cold, the mixture of the cold air and Edwards chilly hand grasping mine made it feel borderline frostbitten, but I didn’t say anything. Things had gotten so comfortable between us that it seemed like he occasionally forgot our biological differences. He kept up his hunting regularly, so the bloodlust wasn’t that big of a problem anymore. I didn’t fool myself into thinking he was immune to me or my blood, I’d thankfully not bled around him recently to spur any reactions, but it seemed he had become slightly desensitized.

“So which one do you like?” Edward asked. I glanced around at the trees questioningly. They all looked the same to me.

I shrugged. “This one’s fine,” I said, pointing at the tree closest to us. Edward smiled. Some man came over and chopped it down for us and helped Edward grab it back to the car. They used rope and strapped it on top of the car. I watched with surprise, quite shocked that Edward would allow his precious Volvo to be abused in such a way.

“We could’ve brought my car, ya know,” I said as we climbed in. “I mean, it still has the big ass dent on the top of it anyway so a tree couldn’t have hurt it too much.”

Edward narrowed his eyes at me, glaring playfully. “I keep forgetting to get that fixed.”

I smiled and shrugged. “It’s not like we drive it anywhere, anyway.”

“We can start driving it more, if you want. We can take it to Forks,” Edward offered.

“No, it’s fine. I know you’re more comfortable in this.”

Edward nodded. We arrived back at the apartment and he glanced around quickly, making sure no one was around, and undid the tree and hauled it across the street with one hand. I laughed and followed him, amazed as he pulled it along as if it were no big deal. We got it into the apartment and Edward set it up quickly in the tree stand he had purchased earlier. I had come home from work that afternoon to find half the apartment decorated and a box of tree ornaments sitting in the living room.

Edward started to put the lights on the tree and I stood back, watching. He looked adorable, doing something so ordinary. After he got the lights on I started grabbing ornaments from the box and hanging them on the tree.

After we finished decorating the tree, I went into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate and then we settled onto the couch together to watch TV. I put on “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Edward smiled.

“You know I’ve watched this movie every year since it came out,” he said.

“And how many years is that?”

“60 or so,” he said with a shrug. I was slightly taken back, as I usually was when Edward reminded me of his true age. It was easy to forget he’d been walking the earth for over a century.

When the movie ended I forced myself off the couch and headed to bed. I changed quickly and slid under the covers. Edward walked into the room after a moment and slipped his clothes off, throwing on a T-shirt but not bothering with pants since he had boxers on. He slipped into bed beside me and nuzzled up to me, humming with contentment.

“I turned the heat up so I don’t freeze you,” he said softly. I smiled and thanked him, wrapping my arms around him trying to get closer. I drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep quickly.

I awoke the next morning and sat up. I glanced around the room and gasped when my eyes fell on the window. There were thick white flakes coming down. I jumped up and ran to the window, groaning loudly. The ground was covered.

“Problem?” Edward asked. I swung around and saw him leaning up against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. I nearly lost my breath at the sight of him. He had a golden colored sweater on that perfectly matched the color of his eyes and brought out the bronze hue of his hair. He had on a pair of black slacks and black shoes. He was absolutely stunning and the gorgeous crooked grin on his face was enough to dazzle me.

“Bella?” Edward said after a moment of me gaping at him. I blinked and shook my head to clear it.

“Sorry,” I muttered, blushing. “You just look amazing.”

Edward chuckled. “Thank you.”

I smiled and nodded. I walked over to the closet and gazed inside, trying to find something halfway decent to match up to how gorgeous Edward looked.

“You’ll look amazing in anything you wear,” Edward said softly, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. “We’ll need to get going soon, since it’s snowing.”

I smiled and nodded. He leaned in and kissed my neck softly before letting go of me.

“I’ll start putting the stuff in the car, you get ready.”

Edward walked out and I went and hopped into the shower quickly. After my shower I walked back into the bedroom and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans. I forced them on and threw on a brown belt. I pulled on some knee-high brown boots and put on a white tank top, grabbing one of Edward’s white button down oxford shirts and throwing it on over top. I walked back to the bathroom to fix my hair and throw on a bit of makeup when Edward walked back in the apartment.

“You look spectacular,” he said, smiling. I rolled my eyes and playfully pushed him. He grabbed our coats and slipped his on for show, as he didn’t truly need a coat since the coldness didn’t faze him. He watched as I bundled up, and when he was satisfied that I would be warm enough, he grabbed my hand and led me out of the apartment.

We slipped into the Volvo quickly. Edward set out immediately, driving slower than usual because of the weather. His visibility was fine and he would’ve been okay driving faster, but I figured he was doing it simply to try to make me more comfortable. He knew how I felt about snow and ice.

Edward babbled a lot during the drive, I imagine trying to keep my attention occupied so I wouldn’t dwell on what we were about to do. Charlie was working on Christmas and then they were eating on the reservation so him and Sue were doing their Christmas celebration this evening with us. I was beyond nervous, already having been informed that Sue’s children and Billy and Jacob were all invited. Edward was acting calm and nonchalant about the entire thing but I could tell from his eyes that he was a bit worried about the situation.

He drove straight to the Cullen’s house when we arrived in Forks. Esme was the only one home. Carlisle was at work and Alice had taken Jasper hunting in preparation for me being in the house—it was a precaution Jasper insisted on when I visited. Esme didn’t verbalize where Rose and Emmett were, but I guessed from Edward’s reaction to Esme’s thoughts on the subject that it had something to do with Rose not liking me.

We hung around for a few hours before Edward hauled me back to the car, stating it was time to go see my dad. I tried to talk him out of it, nearly panicking and proclaiming we were making a fatal mistake, but Edward merely smiled and ignored me.

Edward pulled up in front of Charlie’s house and I took a deep breath to calm myself. He smiled at me and leaned over to give me a kiss.

“Relax,” he whispered, his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and moaned as I inhaled his intoxicating scent. He chuckled, pulling away from me and getting out. He was at my door instantly, opening it to help me out.

Edward grabbed a bag from the trunk that had presents in it and we walked up the driveway to Charlie’s front door. Edward groaned as we approached. I opened my mouth to question why he reacted that way but I hit a patch of ice and lost my balance. Edward caught me quickly before I could slam into the ground.

“Nice catch,” my dad’s voice said from the porch. Edward pulled me back to my feet and we glanced up to see Charlie watching us.

“Police Chief Swan,” Edward said courteously with a nod.

“Edward,” Charlie grumbled. “I hope you haven’t been speeding anymore, especially not in this weather.”

I rolled my eyes but Edward merely smiled. “No sir, especially not with such precious cargo,” he said in response, pulling me to him. I blushed.

“Hey dad,” I mumbled.

“Hey Bells. Why don’t you two come on it and get out of the cold,” Charlie said. Edward grasped my hand, squeezing it lightly while leading me to the door. Charlie entered and we walked in behind him. All talked immediately ceased when we entered, everyone’s eyes falling upon us.

“Hey Bella… uh… Edward,” Sue said nervously, glancing up at Edward. My heart was beating wildly as I was extremely nervous, but Edward seemed completely composed, their reaction not fazing him.

“Ma’am,” Edward said politely, nodding in greeting. “Thank you for inviting us.” Sue looked at him with shock, her eyes widening. I realized at that moment that Sue had never really had any personal interaction with any of the Cullen’s before, therefore she had honestly no idea what to expect. She knew they were vampires and essentially the Quileute’s enemies, so I imagine she didn’t expect such manners.

“Uh, you’re welcome,” Sue said after a moment. Edward smiled sweetly at her; it was a smile I was familiar with. It was the one he used to dazzle humans and he made sure not so show any teeth so not to remind her of his true nature. Her shock didn’t wear off--she remained gaping at him.

“Merry Christmas Bella, Edward,” Billy said, wheeling himself in our direction. I said hello quickly and Edward smiled.

“Merry Christmas to you also, Mr. Black.”

Billy laughed lightly. “Call me Billy, please. Mr. Black was my father.”

Edward smiled. “Okay, Billy.”

I glanced up and noticed Seth, Leah, and Jacob were sitting at the table, as far away from us as possible. Seth smiled at us and I waved, but Leah kicked him under the table and his smile fell as his eyes drifted down to gaze at the tabletop. I sighed loudly and Edward turned his head to look at me. He shrugged lightly, smiling sadly.

“You kids have a seat!” Charlie said. I glanced at him and saw he had a beer in his hand—Sue was finally letting him drink again. “Can I get you something to drink?”

I glanced at Edward. He chuckled and nodded. “That would be great sir, just some water please.”

I smiled and nodded. “For me, too.”

Sue walked over to the table and whispered something to her kids. Leah glared at her mom incredulously but Seth smiled. He got up and walked over in our direction.

“Seth,” Edward said as he approached. Seth smiled.

“Nice to see you both,” Seth said casually. I saw his nose wrinkle somewhat as he approached and glanced over to see Edward’s do the same. I couldn’t help but laugh at their similar natural reaction.

Charlie walked back in with two bottles of water. He handed them to us and then held out a plate of cookies. “You have got to try Sue’s snickerdoodles, they’re incredible.”

Before I could make up some excuse for Edward, he grabbed a cookie and thanked Charlie. I took one myself and watched Edward warily. I’d seen him eat before and knew he could but I also knew he despised it and it wasn’t very comfortable for him.

I noticed everyone else was watching him also and immediately felt bad. He was doing this solely for my benefit and it was torture for him. Charlie was just watching because he was obviously proud of her cookies, but everyone else was watching because they were well aware he didn’t eat human food. They probably thought as I once had—that he couldn’t. I then felt even worse, knowing I’d watched him with the same morbid interest and I once allowed him to eat solely to satisfy that curiosity.

Edward took a bite of the cookie and chewed, swallowing it quickly. I smiled lightly at him and glanced around to see shock on their face—I imagine the same expression I held when I watched him eat pizza.

Edward took another bite of the cookie and swallowed before opening the water to take a drink. I took that as my cue to eat my cookie. I moaned as I took a bite, as it was warm and chewy and cinnamon and absolutely perfect. Edward groaned when I moaned and shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth.

Edward was able to avoid eating and drinking anymore during the visit. After a few beers Charlie warmed up to Edward and eventually shoved another cookie at him, but I snuck it from him and ate it quickly. Edward smiled and thanked me softly.

We gave Charlie and Sue their presents. Edward had picked out some ridiculously expensive gadget that’s used for fishing, I honestly had no idea what it did but Charlie was ecstatic about it and thanked us profusely. I wasn’t sure about giving Sue a present, not entirely sure how she’d feel about it, but Edward insisted. We got her a new digital camera and she gasped, taken back when she opened it. She thanked Edward and I, and seemed genuinely grateful.

Charlie and Sue gave Edward and I theatre tickets to go see a production of “Romeo & Juliet” in Seattle in January. I was shocked and overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of it, but Charlie waved it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

We were talking to Seth and Billy, whom had both been quite receptive to Edward during the visit, when Charlie called for Edward from upstairs. Edward smiled at me reassuringly and got up, heading toward the stairs. I watched as he glanced at Jake along the way and Jake narrowed his eyes at him. Edward stopped in his tracks and they stared at each other menacingly for a moment. I watched warily as Edwards lips trembled, pulling back slightly to bare teeth. I was about to jump up, about to panic, when Edward turned and disappeared. I glanced around and noticed Billy and Sue scowling at Jacob, who was smirking now.

Edward stayed gone for about 10 minutes and I started to get a little concerned, the two of them alone. I had no idea what Charlie wanted or what they were talking about and I was worried Charlie was lecturing him. I knew Edward well enough that he’d take any type of verbal abuse Charlie dished out. I excused myself and quietly ascended the stairs. I reached the top and paused, hearing voices from my old bedroom. I approached quietly, wondering what they were doing.

“Thank you, son. I appreciate you doing that,” I heard Charlie say. Edward told him he was welcome and the door swung open. I gasped, startled. Edward stood in front of me, an eyebrow cocked.

“Didn’t realize you were so nosey,” he said playfully.

“I didn’t hear anything—I was too late,” I mumbled, blushing from having been caught. Edward smiled.

Charlie walked out of the room and smiled at me. He retreated down the stairs and Edward laughed lightly.

“I know, I heard you approaching. Did you really think you could sneak up on me? I can pick your heartbeat out a mile away Bella, you can’t move an inch without me knowing.”

I shrugged. “I was worried. I thought maybe Charlie was torturing you.”

Edward smiled. “He wanted to talk about you, make sure I was treating you well. He did chastise me a bit at the beginning but I think I got off easy, considering its Christmas and he’s a bit intoxicated.”

I laughed. “Yeah. So why did Charlie thank you?”

He smiled. “If you were only a few seconds earlier you’d know,” he said playfully. He turned and walked back into the room. I followed behind him and glanced around, a little stunned to be back in my old bedroom. It looked exactly the same as it always had, all of my belongings still there.

“He hasn’t touched a single thing in here since you left,” Edward said. He walked over beside my bed and squatted down. He tugged on a floorboard, pulling it loose, and reached inside. He pulled out a pile of things and handed them to me, putting the floorboard back in place. I smiled and thanked him as I gazed down at my belongings.

Edward and I went back downstairs and stayed about another hour. Much to my surprise there hadn’t been a single altercation or hostile comment the entire time, excluding the brief stare down between Edward and Jake.

I don’t know how she did it, but Sue was truly a miracle worker.