AN: Another year and another holiday season are upon us! This has been a crazy and busy year. I hope it has been good to you and yours. For this holiday fic, I wanted to also give readers a great opportunity to give back this season, so if you have the ability, please consider donating to The Marine Toys for Tots Native American Program, Alex's Lemonade Stand, or Saving Innocence. Toys for Tots is a great cause and this particular part of the program directly helps kids from Native American tribes in California. Alex's Lemonade Stand helps fund childhood cancer research and Saving Innocence aids in the hard work of stopping human trafficking. These are great causes and can help make the holiday season even more amazing for those in need. Just google the cause you want to donate to or PM me for more information. If you do donate, feel free to send me a copy or receipt verifying the donation through PM along with your address and I will send you something special next year as thanks for donating in honor of the Twilight community. Without further ado, here is the next installment in the Choice Series. Enjoy!

~Emmettroselover

Chapter 1

Connell chuckled as Alice gleefully skipped out of the jewelry store swinging a shopping bag. She pulled out a long, slender box and sighed happily.

"Tia is going to love this. It is a bit lavish for your usual Christmas gifts though," said Alice.

"Yes, well I want to make sure she knows just how much I love her. You are sure she will like it?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I am sure! Besides, you need to stop worrying. She knows you are sorry for everything that happened with Caelen and that it wasn't your fault. You have to learn to forgive yourself, Connell. The rest of us already have," assured Alice.

"I know. I am lucky to have such wonderful people in this existence, even a wee one like you."

"I will take that as a compliment even though it is about to be wiped out by the next part of our conversation. No, this does not count as my Christmas gift and how dare you think that it does," she scolded and he groaned.

"I brought you to Ireland so you could shop with me and boss me around. That is the perfect present for you."

"No, that's called an ordinary day in the fabulous life of Alice Cullen. The holidays are special and I demand a proper gift! No, not that one….yes….well I suppose it will do."

"What are you talking about? I haven't even decided yet."

"Sure you have. We just settled on that scarf. I like the color. You can get it for me today. I promise to still act surprised when you hand it to me on Christmas."

"Why even bother going through the motions of…."

"Get into the holiday spirit, Connell! My goodness, you make everything so complicated. You are worse than Edward sometimes. Let's go get my present and then you can take me home so I can spend some time with my mate. He should be back from the hunting trip by the time we are done."

"You are quite bossy, you know that?"

"And Christmas is in December, why are we stating the obvious?" Connell chuckled and wrapped an arm around her tiny frame.

"You are one of a kind, wee one," he conceded.

"I know," she giggled and hugged him before continuing down the block to their next shopping destination.

Zach tenderly kissed the top of Allie's head as they snuggled up close by the fire in their bedroom. It was a frigid winter night on the island and the crackling of the fireplace was a stark contrast to the crackle of ice outside as the ground began to freeze. Allie sighed contently and closed her eyes as she relished in the moment with her mate.

"Have I told you lately how happy you make me," asked Allie and Zach grinned.

"Not this week, no," he teased as he nuzzled her neck.

"You make me extremely happy, Mr. McCarty Cullen."

"So do you, Mrs. McCarty Cullen." Their lips meshed together as they became lost in one another, but Allie pulled away when she heard someone outside. Zach groaned as she sat up.

"She is fine. Give her some space and stay in bed with me," he pouted and Allie smiled adoringly at him.

"You know I want to and I promise to make it up to you, but this has got to stop. She even has your poor Uncle Jasper high strung over the past few days."

"He is always high strung. Come back to bed, it is late," he suggested. She kissed him sweetly and gave him a wink.

"It's not late for people that don't sleep," she reminded.

"Who said anything about sleeping," he quipped and she giggled.

"I will be back soon and will be sure to make it up to you.

"Promise," he asked as he crossed his arms to continue pouting.

"I promise I will be back in newlywed bliss with you soon. I just need to be a good friend first," said Allie as she quickly got dressed. He grumbled to himself as she darted out of the room. It did not take her long to find Natalie, who was sitting by the cliff watching the waves crash into the rocks below. Allie sat down by her friend and gave a sympathetic smile.

"It must be hard having a mate that needs to sleep when you do not," said Allie and Natalie shrugged.

"It doesn't bother me. I like how he will hold me while he sleeps. It is peaceful, but tonight I cannot seem to find any peace."

"What's going on, Nat?"

"I am not looking forward to attending another party with the Volturi."

"Look, I know last time got a bit out of hand thanks to Connell's sister, but this time…."

"A bit out of hand? Josh could have been killed. That isn't my main concern though. The Volturi will always have threats against them. I just don't understand why the Cullens must be so friendly with them."

"Natalie, we have been over this. You can trust the Volturi. I thought you were over your past. That version of the Volturi is dead."

"Then why are Marcus and Didyme holding onto it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was in Aro's warped experiment, he took a liking to me. He showed me many of the notebooks he kept on other vampires around the world. Marcus and Didyme still have Aro's books."

"They gave you the notes that Aro kept on…."

"There were other books, Allie. I didn't know for sure before because at the time, I didn't know about the Cullens. I knew of a powerful coven that Aro saw as a threat, but I didn't know them. I do now and I remember seeing a book with that name in it."

"You are being a bit paranoid…"

"I am serious. You don't think it is a bit suspicious that the Volturi are keeping the notes of a madman, a madman that wanted every Cullen dead?"

"I am sure they keep it as a reminder of what not to be."

"Or a reminder of how not to lose this time around, Marcus was with the Volturi for centuries and Didyme was Aro's sister. Are you seriously saying they couldn't be capable of betraying this family?"

"Aro killed Didyme and Marcus killed Aro for it. He is not seen as a good man to either one of them, so let this go, Nat. You are using this as an excuse to distract yourself from whatever else is bothering you."

"I have you know that I can focus on more than one thing at once. I have every reason to be suspicious of the Volturi."

"And they have proven that they can be trusted by you, what else is going on," questioned Allie and Natalie bit her lip nervously.

"My snooping may have gotten me into a bit of a situation," confessed Natalie and Allie groaned.

"What did you do now?"

"Now, you say that like I am a troublemaker or something!"

"How many nuclear warheads does one have to hack before they are categorized as a troublemaker?"

"Cute, but it is nothing like that. I just….well, I snoop when I am nervous and I was nervous about yet another holiday party with the Volturi. How many parties can a family have before it is just overkill? And why with the Volturi? Don't they have an entire vampire world to run and…."

"Nat, the point," asked Allie and Natalie gulped as she pulled a black box out of her pocket. Allie's eyes widened when she recognized it.

"Wait, is that what I think it is?"

"If you think it is the ring Josh bought and hid poorly from me, then yes." Allie snatched it from her and Natalie covered her eyes as Allie opened the box.

"I don't want to see the ring. I am sure it is bad luck or something," said Natalie and Allie smirked.

"I'm sure stealing it from your soon-to-be fiancé doesn't help anything."

"I am not stealing it. I am going to return it before he wakes up. I just saw it and freaked out."

"So you snatched it? We have to work on your coping mechanisms. This is great news! I can't wait to see his face when you say yes. Wait, you are going to say yes right? Natalie, I swear if you hurt Josh because of your Aro issues…."

"Will you calm down? I am not going to hurt Josh. I am just a bit surprised that he already has the ring."

"Why, Josh has been all in since the beginning."

"But saying you are all in and actually having a ring are two different things."

"So, are you going to say yes? You are going to say yes, right?"

"I….I don't know," confessed Natalie and Allie placed her face in her hands.

"Of course you aren't, that would be too simple and make life too easy on you!"

"Allie…."

"What is it with your aversion to happiness? You have a great guy that wants to spend eternity with you. He wants to give you a home and family and friends, but that isn't enough for you, is it? Nope, my name is Natalie. I just mope around and sabotage my happiness and….this is the part where you are supposed to cut in," exclaimed Allie, but Natalie looked down at her hands in silence. Allie sighed and placed the closed ring box into her friend's hands.

"You have got to let the past go, Nat. That ring is beautiful and you should get to see it on your finger after you say yes to Josh."

"I want to," admitted Natalie.

"Then say yes to him."

"When I was in The Program, Aro told me that trust was earned. He was insane, but he used that insanity to conquer the world. I want to be happy. I want to be so happy with Josh and when he proposes, I want to be able to say yes without any doubt in my heart."

"So how can we make that happen?"

"We need to break into Marcus's study and see what notes of Aro's he actually kept," informed Natalie and Allie hopped to her feet.

"Well that was extremely specific of you to shout out as a plan! What the hell are you talking about? How does that even help you get engaged?"

"I need to know for sure that the Volturi are not a threat to me, Josh, or anyone else before I can focus on just being a mate."

"You think the Volturi are evil and your solution is to anger them by breaking into their castle?"

"They will never even know we are there. If you are right and they have nothing to hide, then we will sneak in, sneak out, and be on our way. The holiday party is the perfect cover."

"We will not be sneaking in or out! This is insane and I am sure Alice already knows of your plan since you are telling me about it."

"Actually, she doesn't."

"I'm sorry, what," asked Allie as the newborn in her became agitated.

"I have kept my distance from Edward, which has been simple enough since he took Bella, Renesmee, and Nahuel to go see Charlie and Sue. He won't be able to read my thoughts because I will only focus on gifts I want to get Josh for Christmas when he is around, but I don't have to worry about Alice. I can cloak myself from her like I did before. I can blend into her visions. I didn't realize I was doing it before but Aro was right. I can do amazing things with my power."

"Natalie, you are playing a very dangerous game here, especially if you are taking advice from Aro."

"I am not taking his advice. Aro was insane and we all know that. It doesn't mean he didn't know how to defend against a threat. He showed me how and I am sure those books that Marcus and Didyme have will reveal all the things he thought about this family. I didn't know what threat Aro was obsessed about back then, but I do now and I know he left behind all types of information. Marcus and Didyme could use that information to harm Josh or Zach. Do you really want that?"

"Let's say for a second that I believed you, we wouldn't even be able to pull it off. Even if you found a way to block Alice and get around Edward, the Volturi's castle is a fortress. Gavin made sure of it and security is going to be even tighter after Caelen's attack."

"We can beat Gavin's security system."

"And there you go with this we business again. I am not going through with this."

"Gavin is a better hacker than me, but all hackers have a code and system. You can help me bypass it."

"Natalie, I know you have issues with the Volturi, but…."

"No, you don't," sobbed Natalie and Allie sighed as she sat back down by her friend.

"Nat…"

"Have you ever been locked up for days and not known what was going to happen to you?" Allie shook her head.

"No."

"Have you ever been starved for weeks and then had some defenseless human tossed into a room with you to feed on?"

"No."

"He took my humanity, my freedom, and my peace of mind. I want to make sure nothing from him survived. Why is that so bad," questioned Natalie and Allie slowly nodded.

"Okay, let's say I helped you do this. Do you promise it is over after this? No more late night wondering off by yourself, no more pushing Josh away, or trying to sabotage yourself by stealing your own engagement ring?" Natalie looked down at the ring box in her hand and nodded.

"I promise, but this stays between you and me until we know for sure. If you are right about the Volturi, I will be done with it. Those books are there though and I think Marcus and Didyme should have to answer why they are still around."

"We could just ask them and…."

"People lie, Allie, especially when they are up to no good," warned Natalie and Allie rolled her eyes.

"Like us," she mumbled and shook her head as Natalie darted back toward Josh's bedroom in the main house. She slipped into the room and smiled when she saw him still resting peacefully. She stealthily placed the ring box back into the drawer by his bed before getting back into bed with him. Josh rolled over in bed and reached out for her as his eyes opened.

"Go back to sleep, it is the middle of the night," she whispered as she rested on his chest.

"Did you go for a hunt," he mumbled as his eyes fell closed again.

"No, just needed to talk to Allie for a minute."

"Do you need something? You know you don't have to stay in here with me when I sleep if you do not want to. I am sure you are bored."

"Actually, I quite like the peace and quiet. It is strange being in here with you with so many of your family members knowing that I am."

"They don't care. Besides, soon you and I will have our own place. I already talked to Esme about it."

"You did? When?"

"When you agreed to give us a chance, I knew you would see what we have and want to stay. Soon, we will have a cottage by Z and Al's. We can always go stay in La Push too. I have very fond memories of that cabin we rented," he teased and she giggled as she stroked his hair.

"I love you, Josh. I always want you happy and safe."

"I love you too," he whispered as he fell back asleep. She watched him sleep as she thought about the Volturi and the danger she believed they posed.

Rosalie shook her head in amusement as she helped Esme and Seth in the kitchen of the main house. Seth grabbed another Christmas cookie and sighed happily as he ate it. Esme nudged him playfully.

"That batch is not for you," she warned and he huffed.

"I only ate one. I still think three batches won't hold me over since you are adamant about making so many cookies for the party here."

"I still do not understand why we are having a holiday party here after the party in Volterra. Why not just have one party for everyone," asked Rosalie and Seth smirked.

"And why have it there? The last party we went to wasn't exactly a good time had by all and it happened like a month ago. I usually like to space out my near death experiences," said Seth.

"It is important to Marcus and Didyme that we feel safe in Volterra. The party will be fun. We are having our own festive gathering because it will be more for our friends and family. The gathering in Volterra is more of a formal occasion that vampires from all over the world will attend. We promised to be in attendance," explained Esme.

"Well, I am looking forward to partying on the island. Volterra gives me the creeps sometimes. Even though The Guard believes in our diet, it is weird to see Marcus and Didyme invite vampires that do not believe in it," admitted Seth as he ate another cookie.

"I know, but it is the way most of our kind believes in. Where is Kaya? She can usually distract you enough to get you to stop eating so many cookies," said Rosalie as she pushed his hands away from another cookie.

"She is asleep. I already miss her though. I should go check on her soon."

"You know you don't have to stay to entertain us, right," asked Esme.

"He wanted to make sure his batches of cookies were properly set aside," teased Rosalie and Seth stuck out his tongue at her.

"It is important," said Seth and Esme giggled.

"You know I always take care of you," said Esme.

"That wasn't the only reason though, he also was being territorial," said Rosalie and Seth rolled his eyes.

"I am not being territorial. It is just that making cookies is the thing I do with Esme, especially during the holidays, and I wanted to make sure I did….and no one else did," grumbled Seth as Esme frowned in confusion.

"What am I missing," questioned Esme.

"He is a bit jealous of Evan," informed Rosalie and Seth scoffed.

"I am not jealous of Evan. I mean, if I was, it would be because he is walking around like he is the favorite wolf or something and we all know that isn't true because I am the favorite, obviously."

"Obviously," giggled Rosalie and Esme shook her head in amusement.

"Seth, you always have a place in my heart. There is no need for you to be jealous of Evan. Besides, he is spending time with Callista. The two of them have become inseparable and I am happy for him. We will see them at our party once we return from Volterra."

"Yes, so don't worry, Seth. You will get plenty of attention," cooed Rosalie and he smirked.

"Keep making fun of me, Rose, and I will stop helping you in the garage," warned Seth and it was time for Rosalie to smirk.

"Fine, I will just get Zach to…."

"Fine, you win. Geez, Rose, you can at least act like I am not replaceable," he muttered and she kissed his cheek.

"You, Seth Clearwater, are one of a kind. I can't constantly remind you of that though. It will go straight to your head," she informed with a wink and he hugged her.

"You know, Esme, you should make me one more batch of cookies. I know there will be food in Volterra, but I should have rations just in case," he assured and she pulled out another bowl with a smile as they got to work on more of his favorite cookies.