(Leah POV)
Waking up in a household that did not require much sleep was more of a task than I had realized.
Edythe went without saying. She was a vampire. Sleep had not been on her schedule for a very long time.
Thomas was different.
Since he had been bitten during the big fight, he did not need much sleep either. Not that he had ever been one to laze around in bed before that. Thomas had always had a routine. He liked being useful too much to stay still for long.
Now, most mornings, he stayed in bed for me.
Just so I would not wake up alone.
It was more thoughtful than I ever thought I would deserve.
When we had Nancy and Harry tucked in with us, it used to mean full nights and all-around cuddles. A pile of blankets, small elbows, warm breathing, and at least one child sleeping sideways for reasons no one could explain.
Now even they had stopped sleeping as much as I did.
How was a girl supposed to get her wonderful seven hours when even her kids only needed two?
Thank God for Edythe, or I would have been driven mad.
Thomas's arms tightened around me, warm and careful, and I knew he had felt me wake.
"Merry Christmas, my love."
Mmm.
His morning voice was low and slow.
It gave a girl ideas.
Ideas that died very quickly when I remembered I was in a house with zero privacy, surrounded by people who could hear a whisper from a hundred yards away.
I could not wait to get my husband and wife home.
Our home.
With the cork walls.
For privacy.
Thanks to my vampire mother-in-law.
I still did not know if Esme had suggested those because Alice had seen something embarrassing in our future or if that was just a normal vampire-family concern. With the Cullens, either explanation made sense.
Alice.
The thought hurt more than I expected.
The little ball of energy had been missed these last few days. Immensely. I had not realized how much of the Cullen house ran on Alice until she was not there to run it. Apparently, she was a holy terror around big holidays. Esme kept turning like she was about to ask the missing sprite a question about decorations, only to remember halfway through the movement that Alice was gone.
Not gone.
Away.
There was a difference.
I kept reminding myself of that.
Holidays had been different at my house before all this. We had started to grow out of the big celebrating phase. Seth had finally accepted that Santa was not real and that the gifts came from our parents. After that, Christmas had become less magic and more food, family, and everyone pretending not to know where Mom hid the presents.
But obviously, things had changed again.
There was no way we were not celebrating the kids' first Christmas.
Even with everything going on.
Especially with everything going on.
I realized I had been lost in thought and still had not answered Thomas.
A little heat crept into my face. "Sorry, love. I was thinking. How did you sleep?"
"Good."
I turned enough to see his face. "Good?"
His smile was soft and sleepy, even though I knew he did not need the sleep. "Spent most of the night watching you."
That should have sounded creepy.
It did not.
Not from him.
A smile pulled at my mouth. "Are the kids up?"
"Edythe said she put them down about two hours ago, so they should be waking soon."
Only in my life did that sentence make sense.
"What about everyone else?"
"Most of the Denalis went to hunt," he said. "Garrett went with them."
I raised an eyebrow. "Garrett went hunting with the Denalis?"
"Apparently."
"Probably likes the challenge of trying the vegetarian diet for a while."
Thomas laughed quietly. "Probably."
"No," I said, smiling now. "He wants to impress Kate while finding out if he can handle her lifestyle."
"Yeah," Thomas said. "That sounds more accurate."
Before I could answer, the door burst open.
Harry launched himself onto the bed like he had been fired from a cannon.
"Wake up! It's present time!"
Nancy followed him in, much quieter. She stepped inside, closed the door behind her like a civilized person, and waited with both hands tucked into the sleeves of her pajama top.
I looked at Harry sprawled across the blanket.
Then at Nancy.
Then back at Harry.
"I don't know," I said. "Have you been good enough for presents?"
His face turned serious immediately. "I haven't broken anything in three days, and I only did one thing Uncle Emmett told me to."
That was not the defense he thought it was.
"Oh? And what was that?"
"I kept a little metal circle in my pocket. The one he handed me that said 10 mm on it."
Thomas pressed his lips together.
I closed my eyes.
"Harry," I said carefully, "isn't that what Aunt Rose was looking for most of the day yesterday?"
"Nope." He shook his head. "She was looking for something called a socket. Not a circle."
Thomas made a strangled sound behind me.
Nancy looked at Harry with the patient disappointment of an older sister who had already decided he was hopeless.
I took a breath.
"Okay, honey. Why don't you go give the circle to Aunt Rose and tell her Uncle Emmett asked you to hold on to it for her."
Harry brightened. "Then presents?"
"Then I get dressed. Then we do the presents here. Then we all go to Charlie's for lunch and the presents Grandma Sue and Charlie are holding for you."
Harry scrambled off the bed.
Nancy stepped aside before he could crash into her.
At the doorway, he stopped and looked back. "Will Aunt Rose be mad?"
"Yes," Thomas said.
I smacked his arm lightly.
Thomas smiled at the ceiling.
I looked back at Harry. "Not at you."
Harry nodded, satisfied.
Then he ran.
Nancy watched him go.
After a second, she looked at me. "Aunt Rose will be mad at Uncle Emmett."
"Yes," I said.
Nancy considered this.
"Good."
Then she followed her brother out.
Thomas finally laughed.
I rolled onto my back and stared up at him. "Merry Christmas to us."
He kissed my forehead. "Merry Christmas, my love."
By the time I got dressed and made it downstairs, Harry had already completed his mission.
I knew because Rosalie was standing near the living room entrance with a ten-millimeter socket held between two fingers, looking down at it like it had personally insulted her.
Harry stood in front of her, hands folded behind his back.
"Uncle Emmett said I was supposed to hold it," he explained. "Mom said to give it to you."
Rosalie's eyes lifted.
Emmett, who had been halfway across the room, immediately turned and ran out the back door.
Harry just shrugged and turned towards the Christmas tree and the wrapped presents under it.
The living room had already been half-converted into Christmas morning. The tree glowed in the corner, Nancy's silver star still sitting too low because she had decided the top was too far away. Harry's wooden animals remained gathered at the bottom in what looked like a very serious meeting. There were gifts beneath the branches, stockings arranged along the mantle, and enough ribbon in Esme's hands to restrain a large animal.
But what caught my attention was the table.
Edythe was setting it.
Not for everyone.
For the living.
That was how my brain labeled it before I could stop myself.
Three full plates were already arranged for Thomas, Harry, and me. A smaller plate sat where Nancy usually chose to sit, and another had been set aside for Renesmee whenever Bella and Edward brought her over from their place. There was bacon, eggs, toast, fruit, and a stack of pancakes high enough that I suspected Emmett had influenced the portion size before fleeing for his life.
Edythe placed a glass of juice beside Harry's plate, then looked at me.
"Too much?" she asked.
I stared at the table.
Thomas came up behind me, warm and solid, and rested one hand lightly at my back.
"No," I said, though my voice came out rougher than I wanted. "It's good."
Edythe's expression softened, but she was smart enough not to make a moment out of it.
"Breakfast first," she said. "Then presents."
Harry stopped dead. "Before presents?"
"Yes."
He sighed but accepted in good humor. Like his dad and I, he enjoyed a good meal. Nancy, however, looked at the table like I used to look at Brussels sprouts. She, like Renesmee, preferred the liquid diet. Fortunately, she wasn't stubborn enough to put up a fight, preferring to see how little she could get away with eating.
Just before we started eating, Bella brought Ren to the table and placed her next to Nancy. The two girls made a game of how little they could eat in as long a time as possible and still look like they ate a full meal.
Once breakfast was over, all three kids made their way to the tree and started locating their presents.
Carlisle handed out the presents while Esme took pictures at a rate Alice would have envied. Most of the gifts were clothing, but each child had a few specific gifts that were for their enjoyment. Nancy got a couple of picture puzzles as well as some logic puzzles. Harry got a ball-and-glove set. Renesmee got some jewelry Bella had seen in a shop one day. All around, the kids were happy with what they got.
We knew that Charlie and Mom would be purchasing toys enough for all of them that these practical gifts were perfect.
When it came time to load up to head to Charlie's, a good bit of the day had gone by. Edward loaded Bella and Ren in his car, while the rest of us packed into the truck. The drive wasn't far, but it was more than far enough for a tickle war to break out in the back seat that had Harry laughing like he was about to lose control of his bladder. Edythe even got a few shrieks from Nancy before we turned into Charlie's driveway.
Seth was already waiting on the porch with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets and a grin on his face like he had been standing there just long enough to enjoy himself.
"You made it," he said.
I climbed out of the car. "Were we supposed to get lost?"
"Charlie was half afraid that was why you weren't here yet." He laughed.
As if he had heard us talking about him, Charlie opened the door with a wide smile on his face.
By the time I helped Harry out of his child seat, Renesmee was in Charlie's left arm, and his right was wrapped around Bella.
"Merry Christmas, kiddo."
Thomas, now carrying Harry and Nancy, made his way up the stairs. "Merry Christmas, Charlie."
"Thanks, Thomas." A rare bit of emotion showed itself on Charlie's face. "Well, let's get everyone inside. No need to heat the neighborhood with my furnace."
When I stepped inside, I was transported to memories of my old house. Turkey, potatoes, bread, coffee, sugar, and enough food to feed the entire pack twice.
In other words, Mom had cooked.
Charlie had almost definitely been chased out of his own kitchen before he could hurt anything. Charlie's cooking (Or lack thereof) was legendary in the surrounding area.
I could only smile as he surrounded himself with the kids, listening to each one as if they held the secrets of the universe and answering every question he could with the same focus he had on the bank of a stream with a line in the water.
Leaving the front room, I moved to the kitchen. I hadn't even made it fully inside before I had a bowl shoved into my arms, "Stir."
"Merry Christmas to you too."
"You came into my kitchen." Came my mother's retort.
"Your kitchen, huh? That sounds territorial."
I stirred.
For a minute, we worked in a silence that was not uncomfortable. Mom moved around Charlie's kitchen like she belonged there. She knew which drawer stuck, which cabinet held the serving dishes, and exactly how hard to bump the oven door to make it close all the way.
I watched her do it.
She noticed, because she always noticed.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"Leah."
I smiled. "You know your way around Charlie's kitchen."
Her shoulders stiffened by half an inch.
There it was.
Not guilt exactly.
Something quieter.
Mom turned back toward the counter and reached for a spoon she did not need. "I cooked here today."
"And last week?"
"He had questions about the kids."
"And the week before?"
"Charlie had a cold."
"Uh-huh."
Mom gave me a warning look. "Careful."
"I am being careful. This is me being subtle."
"You do not know how to be subtle."
"I learned from you."
Her mouth twitched, but the smile faded almost as quickly as it came. Through the doorway, Charlie laughed at something Harry said, and Mom's eyes moved toward the sound before she could stop them.
That was when I understood.
She was not worried about Charlie.
She was worried about Dad.
About whether smiling in another man's kitchen meant she was moving on too fast from the man whose name still lived in every quiet corner of our family.
I set the bowl down. "Mom."
"Don't," she said softly.
"I wasn't going to."
She looked at me.
I shrugged, uncomfortable in my own skin. "You're allowed to have something good."
Her face changed.
Not much.
Enough.
"I loved your father," she said.
"I know."
"I still do."
"I know that too."
For a moment, we stood there with Charlie's house warm around us and the kids laughing in the next room.
Then Mom took a breath and handed me another bowl.
"Stir."
I took it. "You are using emotional vulnerability to make me work."
"I am efficient."
"You are terrifying."
"I raised you."
"Fair."
Lunch was loud, crowded, and exactly what the kids needed.
Or maybe it was dinner. With the amount of food Mom had made, the time of day stopped mattering. There was turkey, potatoes, rolls, vegetables, pie, and enough leftovers already waiting on the counter to prove she had planned for Jacob before he ever arrived.
Thomas, Harry, and Jacob were the big eaters, which pleased Mom and concerned Charlie in equal measure. Nancy and Renesmee sat together and treated their plates like a negotiation. Renesmee watched Nancy take the smallest possible bites, then copied her with the sort of solemn focus that made Bella hide a smile behind her hand.
After the meal came presents, and Charlie had clearly lost his mind.
The kids opened the smaller things first: more books for Nancy, a box of Hot Wheels for Harry, and a music box for Renesmee. Then Charlie dragged one last box from behind the couch and set it in front of all three of them with the awkward pride of a man pretending he had not spent far too much money.
Harry tore the paper first.
Then froze.
Nancy leaned closer.
Renesmee's eyes widened.
"A gaming system?" Harry breathed.
Charlie cleared his throat. "Figured they might need something to do when it rains."
I stared at him. "Charlie, it rains all the time."
"Exactly."
Harry looked like Charlie had just handed him the moon. Nancy looked skeptical until she saw the puzzle game. Renesmee found the adventure game with animals on the front and immediately touched Bella's hand to show her.
Bella's face softened.
Edward looked amused. "That was generous, Charlie."
Charlie shrugged, uncomfortable with gratitude as always. "Kids need kid stuff."
That shut me up faster than I liked.
The adults exchanged gifts after that, much more quietly.
Thomas gave Charlie a new fishing reel, and Charlie held it with the focus of a man receiving sacred equipment.
"This is a good reel," he said.
Thomas smiled. "That was the idea."
Edward's gift was smaller, but Charlie's eyes sharpened the second he opened it.
"A fish finder?" Charlie said.
Bella smiled. "Edward thought you might like it."
Charlie looked from the box to Edward. "This is too much."
Edward's expression stayed mild. "It seemed practical."
"It is practical," Charlie said immediately, as if defending the gift from his own objection. "Very practical."
Jacob leaned over. "You have no idea how it works, do you?"
Charlie tucked the box closer to himself. "I can read instructions."
"That was not a yes."
"It was an answer."
Mom received a heavy blue casserole dish from Thomas and me, the kind she would actually use instead of putting away for special occasions that never came. The kids had picked out a set of painted wooden spoons to go with it, each handle a different color. Nancy had chosen red. Harry had chosen green. Renesmee had chosen blue and then looked very pleased when Mom said it matched the dish.
Bella and Edward gave her a soft gray wrap, warm enough for cold mornings but nice enough that Mom immediately said it was too pretty for everyday use.
"You will use it every day," I said.
Mom looked at me. "Will I?"
"Yes."
Charlie, who had been studying the fish finder box, said without looking up, "Looks good on you."
Mom went very still.
I looked at her.
She ignored me beautifully.
"Thank you," she said, and folded the wrap carefully over the back of a chair like it mattered.
No one dragged the afternoon out after that.
Mom packed leftovers. Jacob claimed the pie container like it had been assigned to him by treaty. Harry hugged Charlie before we left. Nancy hugged Mom first, then Charlie, which made him freeze for half a second before patting her back carefully. Renesmee hugged him last, then touched his cheek.
Charlie swallowed and nodded.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too."
Bella looked away.
Edward took her hand.
Seth stayed behind to help Mom clean up, though from the look of him on the couch with another slice already in hand, his definition of help was flexible.
Charlie remained at the kitchen table, reading the instruction booklet for his new fish finder with the focus of a man studying ancient law.
"Do you even have a place to use that right now?" I asked from the doorway.
Charlie did not look up. "Spring comes every year."
Mom, happily cleaning up after her grandchildren, smiled at him like that answer made perfect sense.
I looked between them.
Then decided, for once, to let them have it.
"Merry Christmas," I said.
Mom looked over her shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Leah."
Charlie lifted the instruction booklet without looking up. "Merry Christmas."
We left them like that.
Charlie studying his fish finder.
Mom humming softly in his kitchen.
The living room still messy with proof that children had been there.
It was a good place to leave Christmas.
For a little while.
The drive back to the Cullen house was quieter than the drive to Charlie's.
Moments after we parked in the Cullen driveway, the front door opened. I assumed Esme was coming to help with the kids as always. But when I glanced up, I saw her looking at the shaded tree line that was getting dark with the twilight.
A small figure stepped into the light.
Alice.
For one second, nobody moved.
Then Esme crossed the porch so fast I barely saw her as she caught Alice in her arms.
Alice laughed, but even from the driveway I could hear the break in it.
Jasper stood behind her, tall and quiet and tired in a way I had never seen on his face before. Edward was out of the other car before Bella's door had fully opened.
Bella followed, Renesmee close beside her.
I should have felt relieved.
I did.
But not only relieved.
Because Alice and Jasper were not alone.
Four strangers stood behind them near the tree line.
A man and three women.
Too still to be human.