Hello guys!

So here's my Christmas special oneshot (crossover of Twilight and Vampire Academy), made extra early for you guys. It was posted today because I'd be gone during the 24th and 25th.

Hope you enjoy and have a happy holiday!

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy.

Christmases When You Were Gone

(Bella Cullen's POV)

Two hours…

Two hours before it was officially Christmas.

I couldn't be happy…I couldn't be excited, because he wasn't here.

I was staring at the white ceiling of our room as I listened to the jolly music and laughter downstairs. A few tears left my eyes and I felt that gaping hole in my chest again when I realized that he wouldn't be able to be with us…with me again this Christmas. It had been three years since he last spent Christmas with me. He was going home during summers but for only a week, and a week was never enough for me. It broke my heart whenever I watch him leave me and go back to med school in Harvard. And no matter how many video calls we had, it was never the same when he was here.

He was supposed to go home this year, but fate's too cruel to us. It was really snowing hard since this morning and his flight was earlier this afternoon. Actually, there was a blizzard outside and if ever he decides to go out, I'm sure he'd freeze or worse, he'd die.

I shook my head. I really didn't want to think of that. The thought just saddened me more. I had been crying since this afternoon when I learned that he couldn't make it. Everyone seemed to respect my decision that I wanted to be alone for a while. I must look like crap now. Ugh, hell do I care. There was no one to impress anyway.

I buried my face on the fluffy pillow that we purchased last summer. They were in a set and they were on sale. They looked so comfortable so we decided to buy them. I hugged it tightly and wished that it was Edward. I was going insane and I didn't care.

I was about to fall asleep when my phone vibrated on the nightstand. I grabbed it and looked at the screen. What I saw was Edward's picture. He was smiling crookedly, his signature smile. That picture was the one he sent to me three days ago. We send each other photos of ourselves and sometimes I send him photos of the family so that he could be updated of the happenings here in the house and vice versa.

I finally read the text.

Love, I know you are not well right now. I'm really sorry that I can't be there with you. What I wouldn't do to just be with you tonight. Please don't be sad, just enjoy tonight and join the others. Remember, I'm only a phone call away. I miss you so much and I love you forever.

I wish I can be there.

-E

And then I was crying even harder than before. His message made me miss him even more.

I texted him back quickly.

You don't know how much I miss you too. Can't you be home soon?"

-B

I fought the urge to call him, because once I hear his voice, it would be more difficult for me to survive this night…or the days that he would be gone. I waited for two minutes before his reply came.

Not until summer.

-E

I choked a sob and I placed my hands on my chest, because it hurt. I couldn't breathe properly anymore. I have to wait for six more painful months again. I didn't know if I could do that.

A knock on the door took me away from my thoughts. Maybe I had been missing for so long. Maybe I should really join them.

"Bella?" Esme called with her sweet motherly voice.

I knew what she wanted to know and ask so I spoke before she could again.

"I'm going to be out in a few, I'll just change," I said a little too loudly so that she could hear my hoarse voice.

I texted him for the last time, saying that I needed to join the family before it's twelve. He didn't reply so I headed to the bathroom to wash my face and wished that my bloodshot eyes would come back to normal. There was no hope. My eyes were so puffy and the dark circles around my eyes seemed to darken.

I even applied concealer in attempt to make my face look less sick and tired, but it lessened it to the slightest. I applied a bit make-up and I pulled my hair into a lazy bun. I changed into the dress that Alice bought two weeks ago. I was really looking forward to Edward's homecoming then so we decided to buy a slightly sexy dress.

The dress was light blue, its length was just above my knees and it was sleeveless. It was body fit so that all my curves could be seen. Too bad, the person that I wanted to see it the most was not here.

I wasn't wearing many accessories, just the pearl necklace with a heart pendant that Esme gave to me during my last birthday. And of course, our wedding band. It was just a simple golden band with a few diamonds encrusted on it. The gold that was used in our wedding rings was from his grandparent's old ones. They were genuine gold, and it had been very old. I think it was also what made our ring extra special and unique.

"Mommy?" my little girl called innocently.

Looked like I left the door open that was why she was able to enter. There was no way that she was able to reach the door knob, she was just three and small.

When she saw me, a smile lifted on her face and she ran towards me. She hugged my leg and then she raised her two fat arms, a signal that she wanted me to carry her. And I did.

"You're so pretty, Mommy," Renesmee said in that cute voice of hers. Her words were not that clear yet since she had only started talking a year ago. Anyway, I love the way that she talks, she was all sorts of adorable.

"Thank you. You look very pretty too, Nessie. Did your Aunt Alice dress you up?" I asked, faking an enthusiastic tone.

"Yup," she answered quickly and then she nuzzled her face on my neck.

It was an indication that she was already worn out. She was already sleepy. Esme told me that she would have her nap this afternoon, but looks like Emmett stole her again so that they could play. I'm afraid that she wouldn't be up during the midnight.

"You tired?" I asked lowly.

She nodded and then she shut her big brown eyes.

"Is Daddy going home?" she asked, muffling a yawn.

"No," I told her sadly.

She never said anything more after that. She was fast asleep in my arms in a matter of minutes. I wish I could just be as peaceful and as innocent as her. But I hope she wouldn't have to get through all of this. I wish she weren't far away from her father. I wish Edward could watch her grow up each day, because it was really fascinating. Her first word, first step, he never witnessed any of it.

Every time that I would think of that, I would just remind myself that the sacrifice that he was doing was for his dreams and for our bright future together. I would just have to wait for a few years and we would be living together, and hopefully, we would be happy. He would be working here at Seattle alongside with Carlisle. We would finally be able to live in our own house.

We had bought a house six months after we had gotten married. We didn't have that much of money at that time, but Carlisle and Esme helped us. It was a bit thwarting at first because we were going to use their money, buy they assured us that they were doing it for me, for Edward and our future family. Besides, they were not strangers, they were our family.

After Edward had entered the med school, the house seemed colder and ten times larger. Renesmee was just a year old then. We were the only ones in that big house, and it didn't felt home without him. Soon, I became open to the idea of living with the Cullens again because I had lived with them before while our house was being built. Esme offered me to stay with them since she could notice that I was being a little bit sadder in Edward's absence. I accepted it because I thought it would also be for the best, maybe while I was with them, it would be easier and I wouldn't get too bored.

At first, I was better, but as time passes, it became harder to forget about him being away. When I talk to him through the phone, it only causes me to miss him even more; it was the same when I wasn't talking to him. There was nothing that I could do to alleviate the pain of his absence, because let's face the truth; I was never complete without him by my side.

I laid Nessie's sleeping form on our bed and I tucked her in. I kissed her forehead softly before leaving the room with the lights opened of course. My little girl was a bit afraid from the dark, which I think, she got from me. It was just hilarious when I notice the traits that she got from me and from Edward. They were the ones that you would least expect.

Outside my little space, everything and everyone looked happy and festive. The house was heavily decorated with Christmas decors and in the living room was a very tall Christmas tree that Esme purchased. I could remember last two weeks when we decorated it. I was really excited and hopeful with Edward coming home. Now all my excitement and eagerness for Christmas went out the window. Christmas was never the same without him.

They were singing Christmas carols when I entered the living room where they were all staying. What I saw made me want to cry again. Carlisle and Esme were standing nearly beside the tree with his arm around her waist. They looked genuinely happy and in love after all the years of their marriage. I wonder what if my parents were still together up to this moment, would they be like them? I'd never know. Alice was sitting in Jasper's lap while she was singing merrily and clapping her hands; Jasper was singing and clapping as well. Rosalie was playing the piano while Emmett was beside her, his arm wrapped around her small frame. It was just me who had no one this moment. I felt cold and empty although I shouldn't because I know that Edward misses me as much as I miss him right now.

When they felt my presence, Rosalie pressed the wrong key and they all felt silent. It was like they had seen a ghost. Do I really look like that crappy for them to have that kind of reaction?

"Hey," I breathed, breaking the ice.

"Bella," Esme acknowledged and then asked thoughtfully, "Are you hungry, dear? You haven't eaten anything since dinner last night."

"I'm fine. I will just eat later," I replied even though I didn't have any appetite at all.

They all tried to humor me, make a conversation with me, but none of them actually succeeded. I faked a laugh, a smile, an enthusiasm whenever I needed to. All of them seemed to believe my little charade except from Jasper. He knew what I was doing because he could read a person a little too well. He was a psychiatrist and it helped him to know a person's behavior even more. I thought he was going to confront me about it because he looked a bit irritated, but he shoved the thought away. Two hours passed painfully slow, but I survived it.

I just survived another Christmas Eve without him.

(Rose Hathaway's POV)

"Merry Christmas," I said lovingly to Dimitri before handing him the gift that I had been working for months so I could afford it.

Dimitri and I were both teachers, but in different areas. He was teaching math, specifically algebra in a university in Seattle. While me, I was teaching self defense alongside with my best friend Lissa's husband, Christian.

"Merry Christmas too," he said back and handed me a small velvet box wrapped in a red lace and ribbon.

Just as he handed me the box, I knew what was about to come. He caught me off guard for the nth time.

I looked at him in awe. His eyes were shining with love and admiration, and he was prepared to say something really serious. Well, he didn't even look serious at all. He was beaming and all confident.

Wasn't that men are supposed to be nervous in moments like this? Was he that confident that I would say yes to him in an instant? What a smug boyfriend, but I couldn't help but love him even more with the way that he acted.

He looked at me in the eye, sending a wordless message, telling me to open the box. So I did.

It revealed a silver ring with very shimmery diamonds encrusted on it. It looked gorgeous, precious and very pricey. This thing surely cost him too much. He was going overboard again. I guess I couldn't do anything about it since the moment was already here.

I knew what he was about to say, but still my heart beats with excitement. Butterflies were going wild inside my stomach and I was fighting back a smile and tears of happiness as well.

And then the real thing came.

He fell down on one knee and said those words that made my heart clench with joy.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, you made me the happiest man on this earth. I'm looking forward to repaying you through the rest of my life, because you changed me in the most unimaginable way. You gave me a reason for living. You helped me a lot with everything that was happening with my life. You accepted me regardless of my dark past. You gave me second chance to live in the right path. Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?"

I guess that I had no choice anyway. My heart and my mind knew what I wanted even before this moment came.

And that was a life with him.

"Yes," I responded with a teary smile.

He slipped the ring on my finger and a tear left from my eye.

He stood up and picked me up bridal style in light speed. He kissed my lips soundly. It made my heart flutter and it made me laugh because the act was very childish.

His brown eyes shone with happiness and I know that he was seeing the same in mine's.

"Thank you," he whispered through my lips.

I just smiled before reconnecting my lips with his. We somehow made it back to the couch and I was on his lap. My arms were wounded on his neck and his hands were all over me.

From how it started, I knew where it was going to end.

But before things could escalate to the next level, we heard a frantic knocking of the door.

Who could be visiting in this hour and with the condition of the weather outside? That person surely wanted to die. Didn't he/she know how heavy the snow was outside? He must be freezing or dying out there he needed immediate help.

On the other side, this could be a burglar or even worse, a serial killer who was taking advantage because there were no cops on patrol because of the harsh weather.

This could really, really be bad.

There were the desperate knocks again.

Dimitri rushed to the front door, but I stopped him. I told him my theories, and he seem to consider it. So with baseball bats in our hands, we walked towards the front door. Dimitri unlocked and slowly opened the door.

All my assumptions were wrong.

It revealed a very heartbreaking sight. There was a young man who looked really cold and he was shaking violently. He must be looking for help. He needed to be heated up as soon as possible or he'd die because of the cold.

He was a complete stranger, but I felt like I needed to help him. I just couldn't stand seeing someone crumble like that.

I quickly asked Dimitri to pick him up and bring him to our spare room.

I rushed to our room and grabbed an old shirt and jeans of Dimitri. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

As fast as my feet could get me, I went to the spare bedroom. It was very awkward when I entered. The man who had a hair that was in a weird shade of red was only clad by the thin blanket of the bed that was hardly used. Looks like Dimitri had to get him out of his wet clothes. I handed Dimitri the shirt and jeans that I was holding before going to the laundry room to place the wet clothes of the man inside the dryer. After hanging the clothes, I took some thick warm sheets to prevent him from being cold again.

...

He had woken up at four in the morning.

Dimitri and I were there with him while he was unconscious. We were both ready to call the hospital just in case he needed to be brought for further medical care.

Thank God his condition never got any worse. His temperature went back to normal after three hours. While he was sleeping, he kept mumbling incoherent words. All I could make out were 'I'm sorry I didn't make it' and 'Bella'. It must be the name of her girlfriend and maybe they were bound to meet yesterday, but disrupted by the blizzard. Poor couple. From the pain on his voice, he must not have seen her for a long time.

The man introduced himself as Edward Cullen. He told us that he was trying to go home last night, but his car broke that was why he had decided to walk. Their house was twenty blocks away from our place, but still he decided to walk regardless of the condition outside. He told us that he had promised to get home before Christmas so he had to fulfill it. He was a man who had one word. Bella was very lucky to have him, just as I was lucky with Dimitri.

Even though the weather had only been better to the slightest, we still decided to give him a ride to his house. It wasn't that far if we'd be in a car.

He truly deserves to see his family. He came all the way from Europe just to see them. He fought the bad weather as long as he could. Edward was really brave.

The real spirit of Christmas is felt by giving and helping others. This was by far the most meaningful Christmas I had ever celebrated. I got engaged and I got to save someone's life. I hope that Edward would be happy in the warm arms of Bella. May they have a very happy holiday with their daughter.

(BPOV)

He didn't call me during Christmas Eve like he usually does. I wonder why. Maybe the reception was poor here that was why he couldn't call. Nessie was waiting for him to call too, but same as me, she waited for nothing.

I was only able to sleep during the dawn because of both exhaustion and lack of sleep. My sleep was dreamless and I still felt tired when I woke up.

It was late morning when I awaken. Nessie was playing with Emmett so I was able to do anything I desired for a few hours. I decided to open the gifts that I wasn't able to last night. They were only few. They were the ones from Phil, Mom, Charlie, Jake and some other friends from Forks. Their gifts were pretty simple compared to what I received from the Cullens, but I appreciate them more since most of them were handmade. I remember making a deal with Mom, Dad, and Jake, that if ever they wanted to give me a gift for any occasion, it should be handmade. I was glad that they still remember that even many years had passed.

After I had opened all my gifts and threw all the torn gift wrappers, I thought that a bath would be a good idea. I needed something to relax me even if it was only permanent.

The warm water didn't fail me. I felt more rested than ever after half an hour in the bathtub. I was sleepy at the same time, so I drifted to sleep.

...

I woke up with familiar warm arms around me.

But it was impossible. He couldn't be here.

I was sure that I was either dreaming or hallucinating. I was losing my mind.

I could feel his lips ghosting my shoulder. I shivered...in a good way. He got to be real or else I was really going insane.

"Edward," I whispered, hoping that he would respond.

"Yes, love?" he whispered in my ear.

When I heard those words, my arms were instantly wrapped around his neck.

So many questions were running through my mind, so many that I wanted to ask. I was craving badly for the questions, but I asked first the most important one.

"How are you here? Isn't there's a storm outside?" I asked frantically.

"Actually, I arrived here during the 23rd, but I wasn't able to find a rental car since the storm was already beginning at that time. Yesterday, I had bought a second hand car in the hopes that it could bring me here, but it broke a few blocks away from here.

"So I decided to just walk. Too bad I caught hypothermia. I was so lucky that a couple helped me. We should visit them some time. They were truly kind to me and they took good care of me."

I couldn't say anything. By the time I was sulking, he was struggling to get home. I should have known better and not acted immaturely. I should have been like him; he'd been very brave and optimistic.

"You could've died with what you did," I cried.

Using his soothing fingers, he wiped away my tears. He kissed my forehead and then he assured me that he wouldn't let it happen to him because it would kill him to be away from me. It was the same with me. I couldn't imagine a life without him.

"Next Christmas, I wouldn't need to leave. We would be together in our house with Nessie. And we'll have lots and lots of babies as you always wanted," he said brightly and I couldn't help but laugh.

His green orbs were full of hope and love. I held on to his promises just like I always do because I know that he would never break them.

"Merry Christmas," I told him in the most cheerful way that I could.

"Merry Christmas too, my love," he said adoringly before pressing his lips to mine.

I realized, he was the greatest gift that God had ever given to me and I was very thankful to Him for that.

And by the way, I need to thank that couple for saving his life.

So, what do you think?

Love it? Hate it?

Reviews will be a very good Christmas gift.

May you all have a magical Christmas!

-Ishi :)