AN: Sorry that I don't quite have the second chapter of "Jagged Edges Heal" done yet. Hopefully this will make up for it. Merry Christmas.

"Christmas Present"

I just love Bella and Jared, so I couldn't resist going back to them for this one-shot. It is AU, and unrelated to, my story "The Wolf and His Girl".

Jared POV

I opened the door to my car, tossed my backpack onto the rear seat, and got in. A turn of the key, and the engine started. I flipped the heat on and let my head fall back against the headrest. Jacksonville was in the middle of a cold snap atypical for a Florida winter, and while I didn't technically need the heat the way a human would I wanted it tonight. If there was an advantage to going furry, it was not needing to bundle up in the winter anymore—alright, so going cross-country to Florida for college was another—the average temperature here in December was 63 degrees.

I let the car warm up while I decompressed from my last final exam of the semester. Exam week this time around had been brutal, so I was more than ready for forget about school for the next month. This was the next-to-last time I'd have to go through this—my girlfriend Bella and I would both graduate this coming May. Thinking of my imprint lifted my mood every bit as much as finishing my last final had done. I still wasn't quite sure how it had all happened or why, but sometimes understanding was overrated.

I'd known who she was long before I actually met her—daughter of the local police chief, and gutsy, or stupid, enough to have dated one of the local vampires for a while. We'd hated her for that—for being so cozy with our enemies, but that hadn't completely been her fault. The Cullen Coven had been in the area before she'd moved back, and she couldn't really be held to blame for being overwhelmed by the seductive and addictive nature of vampires; a nature that was responsible for the comatose state she'd been in for months after they moved away. Her cold-turkey withdrawal had left Bella in a near-comatose state for several months, until her dad, Charlie, had literally dragged her down from Forks to La Push to a holiday party thrown by his friends Harry and Sue Clearwater. The pack had been invited to that party, too, and my first glimpse of Bella had been like a bolt of lightning.

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Bella POV

I had been dashing around the apartment like a madwoman all afternoon. I'd finished my last final this morning and had spent the hours since working hard to get my surprise ready for Jared. With as much time and effort as he'd put into his exams this week, he more than deserved a treat now that he was done. I stopped for a minute, musing on how much my life had changed just from meeting him.

It had been during my senior year of high school, a few months after I'd been dumped by my jerk of a boyfriend, Edward Cullen—one of Forks, Washington's resident vampires. It had been a long hard climb for me to get out of the depressive slump he'd sent me into; a climb I'd only managed thanks to the efforts of my new boyfriend—one I'd never expected to have. I'd met Jared at the Clearwater's holiday party when my dad had dragged me from the house saying, "It's Christmas, Bella, and damn it, we're going to celebrate!" My old friend Jacob had been there with some of his friends, including Jared. One look, and it was like the earth had shifted on its axis, as if the past no longer mattered, only him. It had taken both of us getting jostled by others to break our eye-lock, and a hushed gathering in the basement to explain why. Ever since that day, we'd basically been inseparable thanks to the fact that Jared had imprinted on me. That had ended up being a good thing, since the pack had been hunting down a pair of vampires who'd been lurking in the area: Victoria and Laurent—members of a nomadic coven I'd run into one day with the Cullen's. The day those two had been run down and burnt to ashes had been a great one, ending with a bonfire and private celebrations between the imprinted pairs. Afterward, everyone had been able to start looking toward the future.

Jared and I had been among those graduating that spring, and had then faced the question, "What now?" I'd really wanted—needed—to put wet, green Forks behind me for a while, and with Jared now able to leave, we'd gone as far as we possibly could: the other side of the country to warm, sunny Florida. Renee and Phil, my mom and stepdad, had offered to let me live with them, but I opted for independence…and an apartment with Jared. Now we were both almost done with college, just one semester left. In celebration of that, as well as the anniversary of our meeting, I was planning a little surprise.

I had dinner in the slow-cooker, as I expected we might not end up eating right away. At least, not once Jared got a good look at what I was wearing. I'd done something I rarely did, and hit the local mall, specifically the Frederick's of Hollywood store.

"Bella, I'm home," Jared called as he opened the apartment door.

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Jared POV

I got home, and could already smell the dinner that Bella had cooked up.

"Bella, I'm home," I announced, before completely losing my power of speech. Bella was perched on the arm of our overstuffed chair, and—wow. She wore a long red Santa robe with white fur trim around the edges and the black belt resting just underneath her breasts. The front was almost completely open and offered me a tantalizing glimpse of a tiny excuse for black panties.

"Merry Christmas," Bella told me, accurately judging that I was incapable of saying anything.

"Are you my present?" I dropped my bag on the floor and started stalking toward my all-too-sexy girlfriend.

"Uh-huh. All ready to be unwrapped."

My finger traced the midline of her body, from the belt of her gown down to the top edge of her panties. Then I swept her into my arms and strode into our bedroom. Laying her carefully down on the mattress, I stepped back to survey my present and plan my strategy. I wanted to make this last, so I only removed my shoes and socks and my shirt.

Bella's position on the bed meant that her breasts were popping up out of the robe's neckline, so I started there, kissing every inch of her skin. She writhed against me, and the velvety fabric against my chest made me groan. "I love this robe," I murmured, my hands moving to the belt and trying to undo it.

"Just for show."

"You attached to it?"

"You can unwrap your present any way you like."

Taking that as an invitation, I took hold of the belt and tore it apart, putting Bella on full display. My mouth traced over her breasts, capturing each nipple in turn and laving with my tongue. Then I moved farther down over her stomach toward my ultimate goal. The panties met the same fate as her belt, and I inhaled deeply of the rich scent of her arousal. My face buried between her legs, tongue licking her wet folds, the cream reserved just for me. Bella's body thrashed with each swipe of my tongue, so my hands went to her hips to hold her down. As the sweet torture continued, her moans and cries increased. "Jared!" Bella screamed. But I didn't relent until after I tipped her over the edge into orgasm. Then I gave into my body's urge.

I reared up onto my knees, sliding off the bed to whip off my jeans and boxers. Then I was back on the bed, crawling up the length of her body. The tip of my cock brushed up against her thigh, leaving a trail of moisture behind before nesting in her curls. My lips claimed Bella's in a deep tongue-dueling kiss, even as my length slid inside her welcoming heat. I set a hard and fast pace, pulling back and driving deep, over and over, until we both tumbled into oblivion.

"Did you like your present?" Bella asked me, while we ate our belated dinner.

"Very much so. Are you ready for yours?" I asked, my eyes dark with promise.

"Mmhmm."

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