Penname:Jemster23
Title: Christmas wishes and mistletoe kisses.
Rating: T
Summary: A Christmas trick leads Bella Swan to the one Christmas wish she has always wanted.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight; all respective characters belong to SMeyer.
Authors Note: Hi everyone, just a little one shot that popped into my head while I was in the festive spirit. I hope you like it :)
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It wouldn't be Christmas without another trip to the doctors. It was hardly surprising really because my trips and scraps had become legendary amongst the staff, and we often laughed as we speculated what dilemma I would get myself into next. Angela, the receptionist smiled when she spotted me making my way through the waiting room and gestured for me to take a seat while I waited to be seen by the next available doctor.
There was however, one bonus of my clumsiness; ah Edward, I sighed dreamily, thinking of the handsome doctor who had tended to my injuries many times before.
Being something of a Greek god with his chiselled features, pretty pout and ruffled hair, you would have to have been both blind and stupid not to be attracted to him, and I only had to look around the waiting room and see the envious dreamy states of those around me, to realise that I wasn't alone in my pining.
Though my attraction was slightly more extreme than most. You see, I had been crushing on Edward Cullen ever since I moved to Forks in my senior year, which was pretty pathetic considering how long had passed since my high school days.
The first time I saw Edward, I was fascinated by him and who wouldn't be; He was the silent, mysterious, brooding type, not to mention irresistibly handsome. We had very little to do with each other in high school and the only interaction we had was in the one class we shared together, biology. Thanks to my arrival mid term, the only spare seat was next to Edward, so we were lab partners and consequently I spent most my time trying not to say anything ridiculous or do anything too embarrassing.
In fact, the only time we spoke was when we worked together on an assignment and though it was nothing mind blowing or earth shattering, he was always kind and pleasant, but I was always too nervous to interact with him outside of class and I usually tried to avoid him if possible.
It didn't help matters that Edward and his whole family were keen outdoorsy types, who were always out on hikes or adventures, which explained his frequent visits to Newtons Outdoor Superstore where I had worked at the weekends.
Unfortunately, whenever I worked up the courage to ask him if he needed any assistance, Mike Dickhead Newton always stuck his big fat head in the way before I'd even reached him. It was probably a good thing because the one time I finally worked up the courage to approach Edward, I was so nervous that I managed to trip and knock straight into him. I was mortified and while Edward was gracious about my blunder, his elder brother Emmett, thought it was hilarious. Emmett and I actually worked together at the local high school, where I taught English and Emmett was the soccer coach. Still to this day he hasn't let me live that incident down.
Edward was always my unattainable crush, so you cant imagine how distraught I was after graduation, when he moved away to Alaska of all places. His parents weren't exactly short of a few bucks, so he could afford to attend whichever college he wanted. However, with my minimum wage at Newtons and Charlie's average salary at the station, it wasn't like I could afford a swanky college, so I had attended the local community college as I trained to become a teacher.
I spent all of my summer and Christmas vacations in Florida to see my Mom, so I hadn't seen Edward at all during our college years, so it was a massive surprise when he returned to forks straight out of medical school and started working at his fathers practice.
Seeing a man you'd worshipped throughout high school was risky because after all those years Edward could have quite easily been bald, ugly and fat. Fortunately, that wasn't the case and my feelings resurfaced the second I laid eyes on him. Time hadn't altered his perfection, in fact, he was even more attractive than I remembered him to be.
I shouldn't have been surprised really; it was genetic. Did I mention that his entire family were impossibly perfect too? Both his parents were a contradiction to the ageing process and though they were in their 50s, they could have easily passed for their late 30's- early 40's. Edward's mother, Esme, was a caring, sweet soul, who I'd met countless times through the fund-raisers she had organised at school. She and Carlisle were a perfect couple and he and I were on a first name basis thanks to my accident prone nature.
Then there was their eldest son, Emmett, who I mentioned earlier. He was married to Rosalie, who had the looks any supermodel would be envious of and despite the fact that her beauty could dent the self worth of even the most secure of people, she was always nice and friendly.
Last but by no means least was Edward's younger cousin, Alice. She had been living with the Cullen's since her parents were tragically killed in a car accident when she was just ten years old and despite her heartache, Alice was one of the most cheerful and upbeat people you could ever meet. She was extra chirpy now that she had her favourite cousin back in town.
Edward had only been back in town for a few months, but I had seen him numerous times already in the surgery. Thankfully, I was no longer the shy, pathetic excuse of a human being that I had been all those years ago and we actually spoke more in that first visit than we had in our entire senior year of high school.
Okay, so I will admit that I was still a little distracted when I was near him, but this was Edward Cullen we were talking to for crying out loud. Any human being would be jittery when faced with such perfection. You'd be forgiven for thinking that I was exaggerating, but trust me, you only had to see the guy to understand my fascination.
However, the annoying thing was that now we were sort of friends, I had fallen even deeper in love with Edward. While in the past I was quick to pass off my feelings as a harmless crush, deep down I always knew my feelings for Edward ran much deeper than that. For one thing, it explained why my love life was so pathetic. I hadn't exactly got the best track record when it came to dating and though I went out on a few dates in college, nothing ever came from them. At the time I thought that I just wasn't the relationship type, but the truth was that I was always comparing them to the impossible.
But instead of dwelling on the past, I grabbed a magazine from the nearby table and started flicking through it while I waited to be seen. I had only been waiting a few minutes when my favourite velvety voice beckoned me and set off the fluttering in my chest simultaneously.
"Isabella swan."
His voice was the sexiest thing I had ever heard and when I looked up, I got lost in his shining emerald eyes, and despite my resolve to no longer be effected by him, one tiny smile from Edward could turn me into my 18 year old former self.
I stared dreamily before my sanity prevailed and I stood as graceful as I could manage. Of course, I stumbled and blushed furiously, but when I looked up to meet Edward's gaze, his crooked smile made my embarrassment worthwhile.
I must have been stood gaping for a few moments because he raised an amused eyebrow at me before prompting, "If you'd like to follow me."
"Oh, sure," I replied, quickly pulling myself together as I went over to join him, all the while aware of knives that were stabbing me in the back as we made our way down the corridor towards Edward's office.
I knew my way thanks to my numerous visits. Bizarrely, Edward always saw me first and that fact didn't go down well with his many other admirers. But at least I was efficient in causing myself pain, I thought as I caught sight of Edward's greatest admirer, Jessica, sitting in the waiting room glaring at me, with not a scratch or sign of illness on her. She was like a terrier with a bone when it came to getting what she wanted, and she definitely had her sights set firmly on Edward. I had to admire her persistence, even if it was making me want to throttle her.
"We seem to be making a habit of this, don't you think?" Edward said breaking me from my reverie.
Glancing back at him, I was too distracted by the teasing little smile that tugged at his lips to respond.
"I wondered how long it would be before your next appearance," he continued, his eyes sparkling with amusment.
He lowered his face to mine slightly and it was only then that I realised I had been shamelessly gawking at him again. I tilted my face slightly because the proximity of his face was making me blush. I had never been able to talk to him without blushing
When we reached Edward's office he held the door open for me and I quickly made myself comfortable inside.
"So what do we have this time?" he asked, looking me over speculatively.
I raised my arm before explaining that I had fallen off some ladders at work, to which Edward shook his head disapprovingly and asked, "Will you never learn?"
And miss out on moments like these, I don't think so, I thought, trying to suppress my smile, but I was quickly distracted when Edward began rolling up the shirt sleeve of the offending arm. Any pain and discomfort I may have felt from the fall was long forgotten when his hands gently touched my heated skin.
"It was your brothers fault anyway," I said as a distraction.
"What's Emmett been up to now?" Edward asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"He was meant to be helping put up the Christmas lights in the main hall, but he dropped out at the last minute, so I was stuck with the honours," I explained, noticing a small smile playing on his luscious lips.
This time it was my turn to question him, "Why are you smiling?"
"I bet you volunteered didn't you?" he replied, laughing heartedly.
"Someone had to get the decorations up," I justified with a shrug.
"That someone doesn't always have to be you, Bella. You do too much," he said, before quickly changing the conversation towards the festive period. "So are you doing anything special over the holidays this year?"
I stared back dumbstruck and got lost in those magnificent eyes.
"Bella?" he said and once again offered me the crooked smile that left me drooling.
"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks flushing at my inability to act naturally in front of him.
"Not a lot really, just the usual overeating, over indulging and spending time with Charlie, maybe even some of the other la push gang too. I usually visit my Mom and her husband, Phil. He's a minor league baseball player, but this year he's busy taking part in a tournament around the state, so I decided to stay in Forks." My ramblings came to a halt when I realised I was twittering on and I tried to calm down.
"It should be a change being in the cold and the rain, rather than sunny Florida. I bet Charlie's pleased to have you home. You haven't had a Christmas in Forks since senior year," Edward commented and I was elated that he'd even noticed that I wasn't in town at Christmas.
"What?" he asked, noticing my surprised state.
"You noticed that I went to Florida?" I asked, astounded.
He looked away quickly and an uncomfortable silence settled between the two of us as Edward focused on my arm before he eventually replied,
"I always notice when you're not around, Bella," he said, still not quite meeting my eyes.
"Really?" I didn't mean to sound so disbelieving, but I did.
Finally his gaze lifted to mine and a playful smile tugged at his lips.
"Yeah, my dad used to joke about a major fall in attendance," he teased.
"How about you? Any plans for over the holidays?" I asked.
"I'm working here until Xmas eve and then I will be helping out at the orphanage," he replied casually.
It was a good job I was sat down, otherwise I may have swooned. You see, every Christmas eve, Edward and his family volunteered at the local children's home.
"That's really nice of you," I lamely replied.
"It's nothing," he was quick to brush off his good deed, but that was Edward for you. No matter how ridiculously attractive he was, he was never one to like attention. Honestly, he was the type of guy romance novels were made of.
"Besides, it's nice to spend Christmas eve with those not so fortunate as yourself. It makes you more thankful. What about you? I imagine you have your own Christmas eve traditions," he speculated.
"Not exactly. Charlie's actually spending Xmas eve with Sue. They invited me, but it's their fist Christmas together so I wanted to give them some space," I explained, leaving out the part about Sue wanting to play matchmaker with me and Jacob Black, a boy I knew from the reservation. Jacob had asked me out a few times when we were younger, but I always put him off because while he was pleasant enough, he just wasn't my type. He was too beefy and butch, like he had an unhealthy obsession with both steroids and fake tan.
"So it's just me, some cheesy Christmas TV and a ready meal," I added in a small voice, feeling very pathetic. Why did I just say that? Could I have sounded any more like a loser?
"You shouldn't be on your own at Christmas," Edward said with a frown. "You should come to the orphanage if you want to. It's a lot of fun and Esme is always looking for volunteers."
Great, he probably felt sorry for me.
"I would like to see you there," he added, as if reading my concerns and he sent me a hopeful smile.
I couldn't refuse that and when I agreed a breathtaking smile lit up his flawless face.
"Excellent," he beamed before adding, "it's only a little swollen."
"Excuse me?"
"Your arm," he clarified. "You know the drill, some ice and rest and it will be as good as new."
"Thanks," I replied and jumped up and out of my seat, but in my haste, I stumbled. Was there no end to my humiliation?
I would have surely ended up in a rather unflattering heap on the floor if it wasn't for Edward, who sprung into action quickly, wrapping his arms around around my waist as he pulled me up against him. My cheeks burned and his low, amused chuckle filled my ears.
He looked down at me, an unreadable look plastered across his features and suddenly he was too close, too distracting for me to think straight. I blushed again, causing his smile to widen and me to blush redder still.
"Thanks," I mumbled against his chest.
"Any time, Bella," he said softly.
I was unnerved by his closeness and started to move away from him, just as there was a sharp knock on the door. We both sprung apart like we had been caught in an inappropriate position when Angela, poked her head around the door.
"Sorry to interrupt Doctor Cullen," she apologised, "but your 3 O'clock is here and Miss Stanley is very adamant."
I heard Edward sigh. "Tell miss Stanley I will be with her shortly," he sounded irritated, but smiled when he turned to face me.
"I'll walk you out," he offered and he led me down the corridor.
Straight away I spotted Jess in waiting room. She gave me an evil look when Edward opened the door for me.
"See you Saturday," he said on my way out the door, but just as I turned to walk away, his hand caught my wrist.
"Oh and Bella, do try and stay out of trouble," he said, winking at me playfully.
Saturday couldn't come fast enough...
{*}
When Xmas eve finally arrived, I spent a little longer than usual getting ready and apparently it showed.
"You look nice," Sue said with a smile when I headed downstairs. I blushed, hoping it wasn't too obvious that I had tried to make an effort for a certain person.
After grabbing some breakfast, I left the house and headed to my old but reliable truck. It was early in the morning and there weren't that many cars on the road, so I arrived at the orphanage in good time. As soon as I entered the building I spotted Esme busy with a group of children. She came over and welcomed me with a warm smile and a light hug and straight after, Alice ran over to join us. She was dressed as a fairy, complete with a sparkly glittery dress, wings and a magic wand.
"Thanks for being here, Bella," she beamed and just then I spotted Edward across the room.
Edward was always impossible to miss, even with that ridiculous scruffy beard and a rather large pot belly, that I suspected was a pillow he was unmissable. But I would know those dreamy eyes and that crooked grin anywhere. I tried to keep a straight face, but as he came closer I couldn't contain my amusement and laughed out loud at his festive attire.
"It's not nice to laugh," Edward faked annoyance. "You wont get any presents this year."
"I'm sorry," I said, biting my lip to contain my laughter.
"I'm glad you could make it Bella," Edward smiled. "I have to go play Santa now, but I will leave you in Alice's capable hands," he smiled and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaning over to kiss my cheek. I felt myself blush, but I hoped that the heat of the room would justify it.
While Edward was busy keeping the children entertained with his best Santa impersonation, I stayed with Alice and helped her prepare for story time. I was happy with Alice; she was fun and confident and her enthusiasm for life was infectious.
It was a shame the same couldn't be said for one of the other helpers. Unfortunately Jessica was there too, though she had been throwing me dirty looks ever since I arrived. Alice notice too and she brushed over Jessica's behaviour.
"Ignore her. She's just jealous," she said, flashing me her irrepressible grin, but I want convinced. Whatever reason did Jessica have to be jealous of me?
While I was with Alice, I couldn't help stealing a few glances across at Edward as he happily handed out the presents to the children. Happiness swept over me, as I watched him at perfect ease with the children. I heard an amused chuckle besides me and realised I had been caught staring.
"He's so good with them," I said, trying to cover my fixation.
"Yeah, he is," Alice answered. "I'm glad to see you and Edward are getting along. I always used to think it was so adorable how shy you were around him in high school."
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at her bluntness.
"You've fancied him rotten since high school, right?" she pressed, and my embarrassment increased. I was pretty sure I was as red as a tomato, not to mention mortified. Was I really that obvious?
"Oh don't worry, Bella. I wont say anything to Edward," Alice said, no doubt trying to reassure me. She failed, miserably.
"Now come with me, it's story time," she announced, sounding as excited as the children.
Just like Edward, Alice was really good with the kids. She put on all sorts of voices and kept the children entertained with her quirky personality. The best I could do was sit quietly, but one little girl in particular didn't seem to mind my presence. She sat curled against my side as Alice's story came to it's conclusion. I had prepared myself to be overwhelmed by sadness, but Edward was right, and after the days festivities I felt hopeful and glad of what I had.
I didn't notice Edward leave his position as Santa, but when he came back to join us after we had finished cleaning, he had changed out of that ridiculous Santa costume and back into his regular jeans and jumper, which thankfully wasn't one of those hideous reindeer knitted numbers that most people used Xmas as an excuse to bring out of their closet.
"You have a fan there," he said, nodding across the room towards Bree, the little girl from story time.
"She's sweet," I replied, watching her run around playing with the other children.
When my gaze returned to Edward, he was doing that unnerving starry thing again that I'd sometimes noticed he did from time to time.
"Look Bella, now that we have a moment of quiet, I was wondering …" he paused, looking nervous before he continued. "I was wondering if maybe..."
Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because a gently tugging on my legs caught my attention. Edward and I both looked down and noticed Bree impatiently glaring up at us.
Edward scooped her into his arms so that she was rested upon his hip and though it was really wrong and completely inappropriate, I was incredibly turned on at the sight of him looking so content with the little girl in his arms. Bree however, didn't look so happy and frantically pulled at his jumper.
"I want Bella, she almost demanded," and Edward laughed.
"Second best now I see," he faked mock annoyance, before handing her over to me.
"What did I tell you?" he whispered in my ear. After Bree had her cuddle she went back to join the other children, who were busy making paper chains, leaving me and Edward alone.
I could see that he was nervous and unsure as he started rubbing the back of his neck, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Jessica's shrill voice broke the moment.
"Edward!" she sqwarked impatiently, but he continued to look at me and ignored her protests. Jessica was obviously not satisfied, and sunk to an all time low by using the children as bait.
"The children want help putting up their decorations now," she persisted.
Edward clearly wasn't amused, he fisted a hand in his hair, in the process making it stick out more usual before announcing, "I'd better go."
While he was gone, I felt a flash of exasperation when Jessica came over again, only this time to bark some more orders at me, insisting that I must make a start on cleaning up the mess that she had created. I swear I must have done something to her in a past life by the way she was ordering me around like her personal slave. She wasn't even in charge, and Esme soon put her right when she saw me tidying up Jess' mess.
"Leave that Bella. Come help me. Jessica is more than capable of cleaning up, isn't that right?" Esme asked.
"Of course, Mrs Cullen," Jessica said sweetly, but threw me a dirty look when Esme's back was turned.
While I was helping Esme prepare the children's afternoon snacks, it was easier said than done concentrating on the job at hand when Edward was around. His presence alone was too distracting, but having been caught numerous times already today,I promised myself I wouldn't look at him again.
Shortly after Emmett and Rosalie made an appearance too. I met the two of them as I made my way back from the toilets.
"Merry Christmas, Bells," Emmett said before hugging me tightly.
"Merry Christmas guys," I replied to Emmett before turning my attention to Rosalie who was stood besides him. Rosalie was six months pregnant and it really suited her; she was glowing with health.
"You look great Rose. How are you doing," I said indicating towards her bump.
"We are great thanks for asking," she replied, rubbing over her expanded stomach. It wasn't a secret how desperate she and Emmett had been to start a family and after all the trouble they had gone through in conceiving, I doubted anything would dampen their joy.
"Oh, Edward was looking for you," Emmett said with a smirk.
"He was?" I asked, confused as to why he found that so amusing.
"Yeah, we saw him by the entrance," he sniggered, until Rosalie gave him a playful shove.
"Okay, I'll go look for him," I replied, eager to get away from the slightly strange atmosphere.
I went off in search of Edward, and it wasn't long before I found him stood in the exact spot where Emmett had said.
"Emmett said you were looking for me," I said when I reached him, but he looked back at me with a confused expression.
"That's strange, he told me you were looking for me," he said sounding puzzled, and it was only then that I suddenly became aware that all eyes in the room were focussed on the two of us. I tried to ignore it, but when the giggling and whispering continued, I was fairly certain that I was a permanent shade of red, not to mention utterly confused. Did I have toilet paper on my shoe or something?
"Miss Bella." I recognised Bree's voice.
"Yes Bree."
Braking my gaze away from Edward, I looked down at Bree and saw the mischievous smile on her face before she pointed above the two of us. I looked up confused, as did Edward and we both let out a shared gasp when we noticed the single sprig of mistletoe that was directly above our heads.
I blushed instantly and when I caught Edward's heated gaze my cheeks reddened still.
"Well it is tradition,"he said, his own cheeks a slightly rosy hue.
Edward smiled and ran a hand through his unruly hair before moving in to frame my face in his hands. I stayed silent as he leaned down painfully slowly towards me. I thought he was going to kiss my cheek but before I could understand what was happening, his lips gently brushed across mine. When I didn't pull away, he pressed his lips more firmly to mine and my heart rate soared. If I only got one kiss with Edward Cullen, then I was going to make the most of it. His lips were soft, warm and perfect on mine. Nothing else existed but him and I was so caught up in the moment, that I forgot where we were until a chorus of ahh's and eww's echoed through the room. When I came to, I remembered that we were no longer alone and embarrassment flooded me.
For a moment I couldn't speak and Edward and I just stood there gazing at each other for a few moments. When I eventually dragged my eyes away from Edward, I focussed on the floor as I heard Alice's chirpy voice exclaim, "okay children, time for some fun in the snow!"
Cheerful screams filled the room before the stampede made their way outside.
"Bella," Edward said softly.
I kept my gaze focussed intently on the floor, until I felt his fingers on my chin, gently encouraging me to look at him.
I submitted and when I did, he smiled down at me before placing a light kiss on my forehead.
"Edward," It was all I could say, but before I could say anything more, his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close, with a possessiveness that didn't make me feel at all imprisoned, and before I knew it, his lips found mine again.
It felt like I was dreaming and I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him even closer towards me. He ran his tongue against my lower lip and I eagerly obliged. As we came to the end of our feverish kissing session we were both breathing heavily, but gradually we steadied our movements and stabilized our breathing.
"I've been wanting to do that for a while," Edward confessed. My shock must have shown on my face because he added,
"Bella, I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you out since senior year," he professed, while I was distracted by the gentle way he was caressing my cheek.
"Why didn't you then?" I asked.
"Believe me, I wanted to but you showed no signs of feeling the same way."
"I did," I started to protest, but Edward's fingers on my lips cut off my protest.
"What about all those times in biology when I tried to talk to you and you were so quiet? Or the way you avoided me in the hallway?" he asked.
Suddenly I realised how my aloofness had come across and all of those looks and gestures that Edward had sent my way, which I had been so quick to brush off in the past now made sense.
"I'm sorry, I never knew," I apologised, but Edward shushed my efforts.
"It was my fault as much as yours. I should have manned up and asked you out a long time ago instead of wasting all this time," he sighed "but enough of that, lets go out and enjoy the snow."
For the rest of the afternoon, Edward wouldn't let me go, not that I was complaining, especially when we managed to sneak in a few brief kisses when nobody else was looking.
The others were also thrilled by our closeness, Alice in particular couldn't keep the stupid grin off her face, and while Emmett teased and made me blush at any possible opportunity, I was too happy to care or feel embarrassed. I actually felt disappointed when the party wound down and everyone started disappearing home and the time came for me to head home too.
"Come to my house this evening," Edward said as he took my arm and walked with me towards my car. "We have room for one more."
"I don't want to impose," I replied, I didn't want his family to think I was too needy.
"Nonsense, I want you there. Please," he pleaded.
"Edward," I started, but he cut me off with a tender kiss. He pulled away smiling and I got the feeling that he wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Okay?" he asked, knowing he already had me where he wanted me.
"Okay," I sighed in agreement, in what turned out to be the first of many Christmas' at the Cullen household.
Merry Christmas all.