She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
Christmas Eve
BPOV
Edward and I were exchanging gifts alone this evening. He'd insisted I not dress up, which was good because I hadn't found time to buy anything to wear anyway. I pulled on a red sweater with my leggings, and ran into the kitchen to make sure I didn't forget to pull the chicken from the oven. I'd volunteered to cook our dinner, and wound up throwing a whole chicken in the oven so I wouldn't have to do too much fussing.
I burnt the back of my finger on the rack when I reached in to grab the roasting pan. Throwing the pan and the hot pad on top of the stove, I popped my knuckle into my mouth, letting out a stream of curses around it.
"Wow, are you okay?" I heard from behind me, along with a deep chuckle. I was already exasperated, and I didn't find it funny.
"No. I burned my fucking finger, I barely even got my clothes on, and you're early." I scowled at him, but he just came around the minuscule island and took my finger out of my mouth. Towing me to the fridge, he opened the door to the freezer, and keeping his eyes on me the entire time, dug out an ice cube and stuck it in his mouth. Helplessly, I stared at his lips as he brought my finger up to them, running his cold tongue out and over my knuckle. When he pulled the tip of my finger in using the suction of his lips, I felt my knees go weak. The ice was cold against the burn, but his mouth was hot, quickly melting the cube and my insides.
"I-I'm sorry I snapped at you," I murmured. My stomach muscles fluttered.
He ignored me, laving my finger with his tongue before pulling it out, winding my arm over his shoulder to pull me closer to him. Wrapping his hands around my hips, he pulled them flush to his thighs. I could tell that I wasn't the only one turned on, considering the hardness pressed into my navel. "No one here minds if you forget to get dressed," he said huskily. "I appreciate you making dinner, but I didn't want you to stress over it." He swayed a little, moving gently back and forth like we were slow dancing.
"I wasn't going to stress. Hence the whole chicken." I had to stop talking and remember how to breathe when his heated green eyes burned into mine. "I just can't help it. I wanted everything to be perfect for tonight." I have to remember that you don't expect perfection like my ex.
"It already is perfect." He leaned in, glancing at my lips, then back to my eyes. His gaze dropped to my lips again before he finally touched them as gentle as a feather with his soft, warm lips.
"Oh, fuck it." I grabbed the back of his head and smashed my mouth to his, stroking my tongue against his insistently. My head tilted as I strained on my toes to kiss him as deeply as I could. Feeling his hands on my ass, I wasn't terribly surprised when he lifted me, pressing my back to the refrigerator door. I wondered if I would ever not want him this way. I didn't think it was possible, nor did I care.
After showing each other a very merry Christmas, we sat at the island in my kitchen, sharing the cold chicken directly out of the pan. All my stressing had been for nothing, just as he'd told me. It was comfortable with him, it always was. He didn't expect anything from me; I was the one always aiming for perfection and stressing when I knew it wasn't going to happen.
"Well, do you want to see what I have for you?" Edward's eyes were lit up like he was the proverbial kid on Christmas morning. He was practically bouncing in his seat as he waited for my reply.
"Oh, okay." I had to swallow the chicken I'd just put in my mouth, then I got a sip of my drink to wash it down. Wiping my hands on my napkin, I watched him reach over to the coat hanging on the back of a chair and withdraw a silver wrapped package. I took it, nervously staring at the small rectangular shape. I didn't do well with gifts; there was nothing I could equally return.
"Okay, either open it or hand it back and let me open it." I could hear the impatience in his voice.
"Sorry," I mumbled, slipping my finger under the edge of the paper and unwrapping it. I turned the dark velvet box over in my hands, finding the opening to the clamshell. It creaked quietly as I opened it. Inside was a gold locket, with an elaborate infinity symbol standing out in relief down the front.
"It's an antique," Edward spoke up. He took the box from me, lifting the delicate chain from it and showing me the locket. "It dates from 1901. The Edwardian period," he stated wryly. He thought it amusing that I was drawn to the time period named after King Edward VII, since that very name has been passed down throughout his family. "I figured we could pick a picture together to put in it." He gestured for me to turn, and he draped the necklace on my throat, pulling the chain around and fastening it, lifting my hair to place the clasp against the back of my neck. I felt a kiss placed to my nape and my hair dropped heavily back down. Ever the romantic. He rested his chin on my shoulder, then kissed my cheek.
"I got you something, too," I said huskily. I cleared my throat. "It's under the tree." I walked over to my little three foot artificial tree with twinkle lights, retrieving his cubed box. Christmas had always been my favorite holiday, and I loved to decorate, even if it was just a small tree and some wreaths. I'd lived out a little fantasy helping out at the lodge the month before; grand scale Christmas decorating had been a blast.
I returned, nervously, with his gift. Alice had given me the idea, but I had picked the style. He looked a bit curious as he peeled off the burgundy paper. There was a black box, and he lifted the lid to reveal a watch.
"Alice said you were tired of your old watch. I didn't think a stuffy business style suited you, even though you work in a very suit and tie kind of office-"
I was cut off when he leaned over and kissed me. "I love how you ramble when you're nervous." He lifted the watch out of the box and fastened it on his wrist. It was a wide black leather cuff with black studs detailing overlaid leather. The watch face was sleek and black with a digital readout that lit up when you pushed a button. "It's absolutely perfect. I like the way it looks. Thank you very much." He kissed me until I forgot my own name, then made us some hot chocolate and settled us on the couch under a blanket, where we made out like teenagers until we admitted it was time to go to bed. We were getting up early to drive to Forks in the morning.
oOo
Christmas Day
The drive was smooth in the morning, mostly due to the early as hell hour. I was the one who'd insisted we stay at my place instead of driving to Forks the night before. I'd wanted the time to ourselves, just the two of us for our first Christmas. It was going to be a quiet morning, one of the side effects of being an only child. It was such a contrast from the Cullen household where there were always friends that were like family.
The house smelled amazing as we let ourselves in, like cinnamon and butter. I figured Mom must be making French toast for our breakfast since it was my favorite. Edward piled our gifts under the tree in the living room, a tree that made that room seem so much smaller as it took up space the house didn't have to give.
"Dad? Mom?" I headed into the kitchen from the living room and stopped short. My parents were fooling around in front of the stove. I turned to Edward, blushing furiously but grinning like a fool. He smiled back at me and kissed my temple.
"That's going to burn," Edward said mildly.
Mom squeaked and jumped away from Dad, who dropped the hand he'd had up her shirt. His face was crimson all the way to the tips of his ears, and he kept clearing his throat, finally moving into a cough. Renee just flipped the toast, humming a tune like not a thing was wrong.
"We didn't hear you come in," Dad said halfheartedly.
"Yeah, Dad, I kinda figured." I crossed the floor to wrap my arms around him. I was not unused to them acting that way, but it had been some time since I'd walked in on them now that I didn't live there anymore. "Merry Christmas. We brought our gifts in."
"Good, good." He cleared his throat again. "Ah, your mother's making you some French toast," he gestured to the stove as though I couldn't see for myself what Mom was doing.
"It's good to see you, Charlie," Edward stepped up to greet my dad, and I went to the fridge to get some juice out. Distraction was what Dad needed.
"Let's set the table, Dad." I worked on getting the plates and silverware, and Dad set everything out. We had a pleasant breakfast once Renee was done with the cooking, and Edward and I cleaned up the kitchen while my parents divided the presents into piles.
After all the gifts were opened, I saw Edward in the kitchen talking to my Dad, though I couldn't hear what they were discussing. They were too far away and Mom was gushing about her new sweater. Dad looked a little teary-eyed at whatever was said, and he hugged Edward before stepping outside. I was confused by their exchange, but Edward said it was nothing when I asked him.
~~~oOo~~~
We made it to the Cullens' in time for a late lunch, and we were greeted by everyone in the foyer. It was very festive, with a different atmosphere than my family home. There were carols playing in the other room, and hugs passed around to each person. It smelled like a mixture of roasting meat and cinnamon, wax and woodsmoke. Esme and Alice had gone all out with the tree, and I learned that Carlisle still cut down a tree from their property each year. Then on Easter day they planted a new one to honor the one they cut down. That seemed like a special tradition that I would be happy to participate in.
Lunch was fairly traditional; Esme had a ham and plenty of things to go on the side. We all talked loudly over each other, laughing at jokes told across the table. No one minded that it was a bit chaotic and noisy. There was plenty of laughter, and I felt warm, comfortable. I felt like I belonged.
Rose was friendly, which was nice. It was good to know she didn't have to be drunk to be nice to me, but I noticed she was actually drinking. Emmett started calling me little sis, and laughed when Jasper told him I was "Sunshine". Emmett and Jasper had bonded nicely, and Jasper and Alice announced that he was moving in with her. We all cozied up around the fireplace after lunch, sprawling on the couches and chairs, with Alice opting to sit on the floor at Jasper's feet.
Presents were handed out, and I was surprised at how many there were. We had agreed at Thanksgiving that we weren't exchanging with everyone, but picking names. As I looked at the labels, I realized Esme and Carlisle had their names on the majority of the "From" sections of the tags.
Edward caught me looking and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "They like to spoil, but there's nothing too outrageous in there." I just quirked an eyebrow at him. He knew how I felt about gifts. I didn't want anybody feeling obligated to spend money on me. Pushing aside those feelings the best I could, I focused instead on the time spent with the family.
When the last of the wrapping paper was gathered up for the trash, Edward settled at the baby grand piano in the corner of the living room. He'd promised me I could hear him play, and I was so excited that he was finally sharing this piece of himself with me. When he started on the first song, I felt a pang in my chest. The song was haunting, the chords complicated and heartbreaking. It was sweet and romantic in the middle, moving into a crescendo before coming to an end. I found myself wiping away tears.
I relaxed when he moved into light-hearted Christmas carols, and we all joined in. I was a bit jealous that Rosalie had a gorgeous singing voice. It seemed unfair that she had yet one more talent.
Overall, I was very glad to have split the holidays with my two families, which was exactly what it felt like. My family had grown to include all of these people.
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