A/N: So, basically, last Christmas my friend on this site, Hersheygal,gave me a Christmas present by writing a Christmas Twilight fic and dedicating it to me. So this year, I decided to return the favor with a two-part Christmas fic. :) Merry Christmas, Hershey!

Please review. It's the holidays. ;)

This is a little AU, because I kind of want this to take place in the setting of Twilight but I don't think that, following the timeline of the book, this would really work. So the use of an imagination might be required. ;)

Bella's POV

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the film "It's A Wonderful Life"

I carefully adjusted my dark blue blouse and wondered if I should tie my hair up or leave it down. Edward had invited me to an evening at the Cullen house for some kind of Christmas event and I didn't want to look like a mess. Especially when I knew all of them would be looking so perfect.

I decided to just give it up and went downstairs with Charlie to wait for Edward to officially come get me for our 'date'. When I arrived downstairs, Charlie actually looked up from the television show he was watching to look me over suspiciously. I froze at the foot of the steps.

"Esmé and Carlisle will be there?" he asked. I smiled when I realized his concern and nodded.

"Yes, of course they're going to be there. Apparently this is something that they do every Christmas. A Cullen tradition," I explained.

"Good, good," Charlie sighed. He seemed to be convinced.

A knock at the door cut off any other attempt at questioning Charlie would come up with and I gratefully answered the door. He certainly knew when was a good enough time to put me out of an awkward situation, though I think he enjoyed drawing it out a little longer.

When I opened the door, Edward Cullen was on my doorstep looking just as dazzling as he always did. I never failed to notice the snow caught in his hair and how it added to the image of him. I fought to keep my breath from running away.

"Hello," he greeted softly and stepped inside.

"Hi," I replied, smiling up at him and tried to keep my thoughts coherent. It shouldn't be legal for someone to look so good in a thick, lined coat and dark casual pants. He could cause some serious damage to someone like me.

"Hello, Officer Swan," Edward added when he saw Charlie stand up from the chair he had been sitting in. As if he didn't already know that Charlie intended to talk to him.

"Hey there, Edward," my Dad answered in a friendly enough tone. I was glad he was warming up to the idea of Edward. "Cold outside?"

"Freezing," Edward affirmed, shivering for effect. "Esmé actually made a fire this year."

"Bells, you'd better go get a bigger coat," Charlie told me, scrutinizing the coat I had selected to wear over my outfit. I felt large and uncomfortable as it was in this coat because it was so heavily padded. I dreaded the idea of getting a bigger coat and making a real spectacle of myself. I did appreciate the concern, however.

"I'll be all right in this one," I disagreed quickly, pulling on Edward's elbow before he could agree with Charlie. "Come on, we don't want to keep your parents waiting."

"Have fun," Charlie offered, clearly realizing he wouldn't win the coat fight. "Be home at a reasonable time."

"Of course," I promised over my shoulder. "Remember that there's some dinner for you in the fridge that I made this afternoon." I shut the door quickly behind me.

"You really should get a bigger coat," Edward said once outside and he frowned down at me. "I can get you another one from your room."

"Don't worry about it," I assured him hastily, walking to the car. "I'll be fine. We're just going to your house anyway, not on a walk." I was surprised when Edward relented. He walked over without a fight and unlocked his car and opened the door for me. Once I was safely inside, he walked at a human pace to the driver side to open his own door. I knew Charlie must be watching us if Edward was taking the time to be normal tonight.

"Here," he said and pulled a blanket from the back seat. "Wear this on the way."

I gaped at the thick blanket he gave me in disbelief. "Do you plan for everything?" I pulled the blanket on regardless, deciding that a compromise was better than nothing.

"When it comes to your well-being, yes." He flashed his teeth at me in a grin and turned heater in the car up as far as it would go. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Just get us to the house," I muttered. "I'm sure Alice will have a panic attack if I don't get over there to see her decorations in the very near future." Edward chuckled and backed out of the driveway, making sure to keep the car at a reasonable speed until we were out of Charlie's sight.

……………………………………

The house looked gorgeous. Suddenly the attempts at decorating that Charlie and I made seemed pathetic compared to the efforts of the Cullens. The lights were strung around the roof of the gigantic house in a perfect, straight line and every single red and green bulb was functional. The snow was lying perfectly on the ground to make it seem as if they had spread fake snow across the property and the pathway was lit up with merry, twinkling lights. I could see that any plants around the yard also were strung with lights and tinsel, taking away the usually foreboding appearance of the home. And this was just the front yard.

"Wow," I gasped, looking at the house from the car.

"Just wait until you get inside," Edward warned me as he opened my door. "They went a little crazy when they found out you were coming this year."

I shook my head and smiled. "Of course. I'm the fresh blood to your family." Immediately, I blushed at the slip-up. I knew it made Edward uncomfortable to talk about the blood situation and I tensed for a bad reaction.

The holidays must be good for his spirits. He simply laughed at the statement as if it was a well-timed joke and helped me outside of the car.

As we walked down the lit path, I could see the huge ornate wreath that hung on the door. When we actually reached the door I wiped the snow off of my shoes on a 'Merry Christmas!' doormat. "Festive," I commented lightly and Edward chuckled next to me.

Once inside an overly excited Alice, who was eager to show me each decoration, bombarded me. "Bella!" she squealed and embraced me. "Merry Christmas! I'm so glad you're here."

"Merry Christmas," I laughed. "The house looks great." I quickly looked over the heavily decorated tree that was positioned by the piano and the various elaborate stockings over a fireplace. The Cullens didn't need the warmth, but a fire was crackling in the fireplace this evening.

While I was admiring the interior, Edward suddenly glanced sharply at Alice. "Don't make her do that."

Alice pouted at Edward but it seemed that she was easy to win over tonight. "Oh well, it's all just for show anyway," she conceded, shrugging her slim shoulders. To me, she said, "I won't give you a tour of the decorations after all."

I sighed in relief and shot Edward a grateful look. Suddenly, I heard an amused chuckle and Jasper was at Alice's side. His attempt at seeming comfortable in my presence meant more to me than he would probably know. "Unfortunately, she's already given a practice tour for all of us. It's too bad you didn't get to see the final result, Bella."

Alice swatted at him playfully. "You liked it."

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, noticing that there were no other vampires to come and greet us.

"You mean you didn't tell her yet?" Alice accused, looking directly at Edward. Edward pursed his lips at her, trying to look annoyed by her accusation but instead looked as if he was holding back a smile at her expense.

"It was going to be a surprise."

I blinked, looking between the two in confusion. "A surprise?" I asked fearfully, expecting the worst. A surprise that came with Christmas couldn't be anything good.

Edward smiled at me. "We have the house to ourselves tonight," he explained. "The rest couldn't be here."

"I'm only here because I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas," Alice explained, beaming at me. "Since school is out and Edward monopolizes all of your free time, I was afraid I would never be able to." I smiled. And even though she or Jasper didn't say it, I knew the only reason Jasper was still hanging around was because Alice was going to.

"Well, Merry Christmas Alice," I said. Then I turned to Edward, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, I knew Charlie would ask you if my parents would be home," Edward grinned, "And you're a terrible a liar. I thought it might be easier if you genuinely didn't know."

I scowled at him but a blush colored my cheeks, as I knew the truth of the statement. "It always comes down to my lying abilities." Edward offered his hand to me and I began to shrug out of my coat to give to him before he would do it for me.

"Or lack thereof," Alice chirped helpfully from the side.

"Alice, we should go," Jasper murmured from his position rather far away from me. Alice turned to look at him and nodded with a smile.

"We have a date too," she explained and a coat I didn't know she had was lifted up over her shoulders. "See you later." Suddenly, she gave us a knowing look and added, "I know you'll have fun." Alice moved swiftly, and with a dancer's grace, to the door while Jasper followed, smiling tightly at me before leaving as well.

Once the door was closed, Edward pulled me to the couch and I willingly followed, still surprised we had an evening to ourselves. "I love that you're wearing that blouse, by the way." I blushed again and tucked some hair nervously back behind my ear.

"Thanks," I whispered and took a seat on the couch next to him. I told myself to breathe. "So, is this Cullen tradition usually done with only two people?" I asked, finding my voice again. "With one who is not a Cullen and another one who is?"

Edward smirked. "There's no Cullen Christmas tradition," he replied bluntly. "We barely even celebrate Christmas, we just put lights up each year to keep up appearances." I must have looked surprised because Edward continued to elaborate for me. "When you live forever and every day is a routine, it's not likely that you add another routine to your life," he explained.

"Oh," I stammered, "Was that for the lying thing too then?"

"Yes," Edward affirmed with a smile. "Sorry, love. I did want it to be a surprise for you."

"No, that's fine," I assured him. I carefully slipped my hand into his icy one and smiled up at him. "I don't mind this kind of surprise."

Edward chuckled and didn't take his hand away like I feared he might. "Besides, I wouldn't mind making a tradition if it involved you in it." My heart hammered and he seemed to be highly amused by this reaction. I blushed and fought to bring it back to a manageable level to regain some of my dignity.

"What did you have in mind?" I finally managed to ask once my heartbeat slowed.

He stood up then, regretfully unlinking our hands, and in an instant produced a worn looking movie case. "Have you ever seen 'It's A Wonderful Life'?"

I smiled with a guilty expression, a blush once more returning. "No. Reneé hates it and so I never was able to watch it."

Edward grinned at me and placed the DVD into its player. He was smiling more tonight than I had seen in a long time. It made me smile more too. "Well, I was hoping we could watch a movie."

"You can sit still long enough for that?" I teased, remembering the few times I'd tried to watch a movie with him before and failed.

"Of course," he brushed away the answer. "This is my favorite Christmas movie."

"Well, I'm flattered." Edward smiled again and sat close to me and entwined our hands together again.

"You'll like it," he promised into my ear, sending chills up my spine. I didn't say anything else but I was suddenly looking forward to the movie.

……………………………….

We both were still, except for Edward who was running his fingers absently through my hair, and absorbed in the ending of the film,. I tried not to be distracted by Edward and kept my focus on the film.

"This is really your favorite Christmas movie?" I asked suddenly, still not looking away from the screen.

Edward didn't pause in his stroking of my hair. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's a really good movie," I told him and turned to face him with a smile. "It's just that, this movie is so hopeful about the necessity of existence and all that. It doesn't seem like you."

Edward smiled grimly at me, pausing his hands in my hair. He seemed to consider his answer for a moment. "Well, even a vampire can hope this time of year, right?"

I was slightly dissatisfied with that answer but let it go. "Right," I agreed, moving up closer to him.

"So did you like it?" he asked, resuming running his fingers through my hair. I sighed.

"I really loved it." I laughed suddenly, "This really does seem like a film Reneé wouldn't like though. I bet she doesn't like how perfectly things work out in the end."

"A minor flaw," Edward agreed with a nod of his head.

I frowned. "Don't you believe in happy endings?" I asked, thinking of how he had intertwined our hands once more now that my hand had warmed up again.

Edward looked my face over carefully, reading my mind in the only way he knew how. I knew that I was like an open book expression wise, so it wasn't hard for him to come up with an explanation for my distress. "I would very much like to." He then brushed the hand that had previously been in my hair carefully across my face and then it rested on my neck. I couldn't help but wish that he would have more faith in us. Suddenly, he stood as if he were bothered by the conversation and changed the subject. "Do you want something to drink? Esmé made eggnog."

His statement only sunk in when he was halfway to the kitchen. "Wait, Esmé made eggnog for me?"

"Yes," Edward chuckled and he returned quickly with a glass filled with eggnog. "She was dissatisfied with the quality at the stores, so she just made some."

"Unbelievable," I muttered but took the glass. When I took a sip, it tasted perfect and far better than the carton that Charlie brought home from the store. "Please thank her for me, I can't believe she would go through all of that trouble."

"It's no trouble at all for her," Edward insisted. After a moment he asked, "Is it any good?" and resumed his seat next to me.

"Of course." I set the glass down and moved closer to him. "So were we just going to watch a movie tonight?"

Edward shrugged. "What would you want to do now?"

I gaped at him in mock surprise. "You mean that you actually didn't plan this far ahead?" I teased, smirking at him. Edward replied with a soft smile.

"Actually, if you must know, I did have something else in mind. But I wouldn't mind hearing what you would want to do." He gave me another smile and I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him. If he hadn't looked so beautiful in that moment, I probably would have.

"Hmm." I thought about what I liked to do at Christmastime. Living in Phoenix didn't give me much background on the typical holiday events, however. It almost never truly felt like Christmas over there in the heat.

Then, I remembered Mike telling me about something he and some other kids at school were doing for a club. It was a fundraiser of some sort and it was going on all of break. It came back in a rush when I remembered that the streets of Forks had been strung with lights last weekend and that coachmen had to be hired, setting the club quite a bit back.

"There are sleigh rides going on in town," I offered. "That could be fun."

Edward paused and seemed to consider. "I remember seeing that advertised. It seemed like a good idea."

I grinned. "What time did Charlie have in mind for me to come home tonight?"

"Eleven," he promptly answered. "We have plenty of time if you really want to."

I hesitated. "Do you want to?"

Edward smiled at me and I once again noticed how often he was smiling tonight. It suited him. "Of course I want to. I want to go wherever you want to go." I was satisfied and somewhat flattered by this answer.

"Great," I breathed, still somewhat in awe for the passion that Edward seemed to show toward me. "Should we go now, then?"

"Sure," Edward murmured but he looked like he was in thought about something. He was looking at me so intensely that I felt my stomach drop a little and I bit my lip self-consciously. I recognized that look, and I half expected him to ask my permission. He surprised me, however, when he promptly slid closer to me and carefully pressed his lips to mine. I held as still as I could bear, but I couldn't help but also lean forward and grab a hold of his shoulder in an attempt to pull him closer. He relented ever so slightly and I rejoiced in the fact that he did. He pulled away after a moment and I let him. It would seem that I was getting better at the whole control thing. When I looked at his face that was still tantalizingly close to mine, I noticed that the frustration that I knew was in my eyes was mirrored in his as well.

"How about now?" I asked stupidly, my head still spinning a bit from the suddenness of his affections. Edward laughed at my flustered expression but he wasn't much more composed than me.

"Yes," he agreed and went to grab my coat as I stood up from the couch. I smiled as he brought it back to me before I even took a step away from the couch. I would probably never fully get used to the speed he used when we were in private. I dutifully pulled the coat on and Edward un-tucked some hair that had gotten caught in the hood of the coat for me as I did so.

Once the coat was secure, buttoned, and zipped Edward looked me over carefully. "You really should have brought a bigger coat." I didn't know why he would still be worried. After the kiss he gave me, my entire body was warm.

A/N: So, there's one more chapter after this. :) I'm having a little too much fun with this story.