HOST NOTE: So sorry for the posting confusion. I had a blond moment. That's the only excuse I have.

All countdown related postings will take place on this profile. I will remove it from my personal FF account this weekend after you all, hopefully, read the note and found us here.

Thank you to Breath-of-Twilight for including me in her Christmas Countdown – A Magical Twist. I was truly honored to be a part of such a wonderful group of authors and had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful holiday season and don't forget to guess what fairytale I twisted.

AN: I do not own Twilight

Author: Isannah

You Came Back

Christmas Eve.

Bella stood in the basement looking at the sad box of Christmas decorations sitting on the shelf. She had avoided it all December, but now that the day was actually here she was contemplating going through with it and setting out some the treasured items that had once brought her so much joy. It was something she and Charlie did together every year without fail. Just looking at the dilapidated box that had been taped back together a thousand times made her chest ache. After staring at them for ten minutes she said fuck it and turned her back on them without another glance.

What's the point? No one but me will see them.

She had barely reached the top of the basement stairs when she heard a knock on the door. She wanted to ignore it, as she had for the better part of half a year. People had come knocking to offer their sympathy, bring frozen casseroles, or simply just gawk at the girl who had been even more of a recluse sine her father had died. When she finally had enough she just stopped answering the door. But it was Christmas Eve and the slight hope that miracles did happen propelled her towards the front door. Her heart deflated a bit when she saw that it was Jake, but since he had seen her too she knew she couldn't not answer it.

"Hi, Jacob." It was all she could offer to her ex-boyfriend slash estranged best friend.

"Hey, Bella." His hand were stuffed in his pockets, a sign that he was nervous. She couldn't possible imagine what he was doing here.

"Can I do something for you?" Bella stood in the doorway, protecting it with arms folded across her chest and a disapproving scowl. Jacob could have just pushed his way in but they both know he wouldn't. He lost the right to be in the Swan house long ago.

"Uh, Dad wanted me to invite you to Christmas dinner." She noticed how Jacob didn't add that he wanted her at the Black's holiday feast. I'm sure he didn't, especially since his new girlfriend was bound to be there. "He didn't know if you had, uh, anywhere to go. Since Charlie's..." He couldn't even finish his sentence.

Bella prickled with annoyance. She was sick and tired of this fucking pity party that everyone in this goddamn town felt the need put on for her. It had been almost six months since Charlie died of a heart attack while filling out paper work at the station. It made her anxiety skyrocket off the charts just thinking about it. She wanted to get past the hurt of losing yet another important person in her life but no one would let her. People came out of the woodwork with their dinners, their condolence's, their pitiful looks, and yes, their invitations to Christmas dinner at the fucking ex-boyfriend's house. She just wanted to be left alone.

"I'm fine." Bella said, tight lipped with her arms wrapped around her middle a little tighter. Jacob had seen this closed off stance before. It defined their entire relationship.

"Yeah, you really seem fine." She knew she looked awful but that was no concern of his. At least not anymore. "C'mon. Why don't you just come have dinner with us?"

"Spare me your fucking charity, Jake. I know you don't want me there so don't even try to pretend. Billy may have put you up to this but don't act like you are enjoying it." Jacob's face started getting red and his hands clenched at his side but he kept it together.

"You know what…" He stopped his thought before he could finish it. "Never mind. Merry Christmas, Bella." He stormed off the porch towards his car. Bella might not be with Jake anymore, but she knew when something was up with him.

"There's something else you wanted to say. What is it?" Jacob stopped but didn't turn around. His shoulders sagged in defeat as he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"I shouldn't tell you this but you're going to find it out eventually. They're back." Those two words jolted Bella out of a fog that she felt she had been in for the last five years.

"What do you mean they're back?" She knew what he meant. She just had to hear it from him. Yet Jake wasn't taking the bait. He truly felt malice towards them and Bella, well Bella broke his heart. He wasn't about to let her off easy for it.

"I think you know what I mean." He said before getting into his car and slamming the door. Bella watched him peel out of the driveway still in shock over what he said.

"They're back." She muttered to herself while shutting the door on the world once more.

She should be overjoyed with the news. It was what she had been waiting for. Five years had gone by since Edward had told her he didn't love her anymore and he and his family took off without another word. She had been devastated to the point where nothing came easy to her. She became thin because the thought of eating repulsed her. Her grades dropped. She became withdrawn and introverted and finally alone as her friends had all given up trying to reach her. When she should have been making plans for her future, the thought of leaving Forks for college and not being there if and when Edward returned caused debilitating panic attacks. Charlie had made her promise that she would eventually think of going to school, but every time the discussion headed in that direction Bella would begin to hyperventilate.

It was when Charlie started saying talking about doctors and getting help that she decided to give Jacob a chance and agreed to become his girlfriend during their senior year. They had been friends and she found it easy to spend time with him. She even went so far as to give him her virginity, not really valuing it as she once had. Jacob had done everything right. He made is special with candles and flowers and soft music. He whispered terms of endearment and then how sorry he was for hurting her when he saw her cry, assuming it was the pain of her first time. Little did he know that they were tears of guilt for wishing it was someone else that was inside of her.

They stayed together for almost a year, even making it through graduation. Jacob tried everything to win her broken heart until he finally gave up knowing that she would never be his, not in the sense that he wanted her. Bella would never marry him or want to have his children, not when she was still holding out for if and when Edward Cullen ever decided to come back. When he broke up with her he explained all of this to Bella. She feebly tried to deny it but in the end she let him go. He wanted a family and that was something Bella would never be able to give him. There was no use prolonging something that was never going to be.

Charlie was concerned that without Jacob's support Bella would go back to her old ways but she was determined not to give him any reason to push her towards a doctor or even worse, back to Florida to her mother.

She was not leaving Forks.

Bella tried to act as normal and happy as possible. She threw herself into her job at the local public library earning more hours and responsibility. She still took care of the house and did all of the cooking. She made small talk with Charlie in between his shifts at the police department. From the outside she seemed okay, smiling at the right time and acting like she had moved on. But Charlie saw the ever lingering sadness in her eyes and the lack of passion from the rest of her. It worried him and in the end may have been one of the nails that led to his early demise.

Charlie's death had left Bella all alone and it shattered her already broken heart. Once the funeral was over she left the house as little as possible. She still went to work and to the grocery, but this town loved Charlie and it hurt to hear over and over again how great a man he was and how he was in a better place. It was too much to bear and made her want to shut the world out even more than she had.

But now it was Christmas, her first Christmas without Charlie. Her fifth Christmas without Edward. She was utterly alone and had made an uneasy peace with it. She had plans to dive into a new book and read the day away, forgetting it was different from any other day. That was now that was impossible. Jacob's announcement had rocked her to her core and now the house seemed so small and suffocating. She needed to get out. She needed to see for herself.

Not even bothering with a jacket Bella grabbed her keys, got into her car and started to drive. She didn't even think as she made lefts and rights to the edge of town and beyond. The car seemed to know the way on its own. It was only when she pulled into the driveway that her heart began to race and her breathing hitched. She sucked in a long, shaky breath as she looked up at the place she had once felt as comfortable in as her own home.

The Cullen's house.

She had been there a million times but not once since the day after they left when she desperately had to see for herself that they were truly gone. Now she was here for a different reason. If they were back, they would be staying at this house. She needed to find out if it were true. She needed answers.

From the outside, the house still looked desolate. But Bella knew that when it came to vampires rarely anything was as it seemed. She slowly made her way up the porch and stood at the front door.

Did she knock?

A rare and involuntary chuckle bubbled up out of her. That was stupid. If they were inside surely they already knew she was here. All of a sudden this seemed like a bad idea and Bella was just about to get back into her car and never come back. But the need to know was intense. If she left she would always wonder and that would eat away at her. She reached for the door handle and twisted. It was unlocked.

Of course it was.

Hesitantly she opened the door all the way and entered the house that she had once thought of as her second home.

"Hello, anyone home?" She called out immediately regretting it. If anyone had been here they would know she was here and wouldn't need her to yell the greeting. She could whisper it and they would magically appear out of thin air.

Now that Bella was inside there was no going back. She wanted to know for sure exactly who was back, why, and how long they planned on staying. The only way to do that was to see what was going on in this house. She walked up the stairs to the main level and took a look around. Everything looked normal. When they left they hadn't taken anything but personal items with them. The crumpled pile of sheets on the floor led her to believe that the furniture had been covered but was now not. She picked up one of the sheets and could feel the dust from years of just sitting. This led her to believe that Esme wasn't here. There was no way she would let a pile of dusty sheets lie around for even a second. No, a man had to have pulled the sheets and given no thought as to how it made the room look. She knew as she had lived with Charlie for several years.

Esme had been so kind to Bella. At one time she regarded her as more of a mother than her own absentee one. Thoughts of her warmed her insides and that alone made Bella take the sheets one by one and fold them and stack them neatly into a pile. They still needed to be washed but at least they were no longer an eyesore and in the way.

Moving towards the kitchen, she scanned the counters for any signs of life.

You idiot, she thought. They're on a special diet. Bella smiled as she remembered how Edward had so desperately tried to conceal what they were as he was explaining to her why he didn't eat regular food. She had been surprised when she was invited to the Cullen's for the first time and the entire fridge had been stocked to the gills. Keeping up with appearances they had said.

That got her thinking.

Bella walked purposely over to the refrigerator and swung open the door. Sure enough there was enough food to feed an army. A human army. She took a water bottle from the shelf and gulped down half of it within seconds of opening it. It was looking more and more like the Cullens were back. The thought caused a war within her mind.

She was mad. No. She was fucking pissed. How dare they leave so abruptly, for reasons she did not understand. He deserted her. They all did. And now they were back? For what exact fucking reason? And they obviously had been here long enough to settle in. They sure as hell had a lot of nerve.

On the other hand, the part of her that had learned over the last five years that she would love no one other than Edward was hopeful, anxious, and eager all at the same time. She had waited for him, put her entire life on hold…and he came back. It was what she had wanted all along. If it wasn't, then why the hell would she have given up college and a future?

Waiting was the only thing Bella could do now. She needed to see him again if only to find out that he didn't come back for her. If that were the case, Bella made a deal with herself that she would leave Forks, begin to live her life, and never look back. Now that Charlie was gone, there was really nothing left for her if life didn't include Edward. If he did come back for her she promised herself she would be open to the possibilities. Bella guzzled the rest of the water bottle and placed it on the counter. The cap lay haphazardly next to it on its side.

A chill ran through her causing her whole body to shiver. It wasn't uncommon when she let her mind wander to the 'what if Edward came back' scenario. However this was more from the chill in the air. It was obvious the heat wasn't on and she had left her house without a jacket. It wasn't freezing outside, just a typical wet, dreary, chilly day in December. But it was enough to make to make her nose sniffle and her skin to bristle with goose bumps. She wandered up the stairs in hopes of finding a blanket she could wrap around her body. She might as well make herself at home because she wasn't leaving until he made an appearance.

The first door at the top of the stairs was Emmett and Rosalie's. With nothing in mind except finding a blanket, she opened the door and stood slack jawed at what she saw. Open suitcases half-filled with clothes. More clothes piled on the bed.

They had been here, and not just Edward either. They were here and it looked like they were planning to stay.

Still feeling cold she grabbed a plaid throw blanket off the end of the bed. It was soft and warm and big enough to cover up Emmett, not that he ever needed a blanket. She left the room not bothering to shut the door and raced to the one room she never thought she would ever step foot in again.

Edward's room.

She stopped short at the door, bracing herself for what she was about to see. Slowly she opened to it to see that his room looked just like she remembered. There were CD's stacked on the dresser, a guitar leaning against the wall in the corner, and a bed in the middle. Not just any bed. The bed Edward had bought just so Bella could sleep at his house and be comfortable. She walked to the edge and ran her hand down the soft dark red comforter. The sight of the bed was the moment everything came crashing down around Bella.

Being deserted by her one and only love and losing his family as well.

Not being able to move forward with her life.

A relationship with Jacob that should have never happened and ended with the loss of a friendship.

Losing the one parent who gave a shit about her and knowing the stress she caused him was partly to blame.

Being content to just disappear from the world wishing she would just become invisible.

Being alone at Christmas knowing it was the first of many.

Five years of her life gone and she had absolutely nothing to show for it. This was not how it was suppose to be and as the realization dawned on her, her hands began to shake and the tears began to flow. She fell to the bed and curled up in the middle, grasping at the bedding as she let five years of pent up emotion pour out of her. She cried for hours until her exhausted body and mind finally gave up and she fell asleep, clutching the blanket around her.

o~o~YCB~o~o

Meanwhile, a few miles away…

"You guys ready to head back?" A well-fed Jasper said to his brothers. They had gone hunting while the girls were shopping in Port Angeles. They were supposed to be getting the house opened up so that Alice and Rose could decorate it for Christmas before the morning. It was all part of the plan. But when Emmett suggested a quick hunt, Edward and Jasper quickly agreed. It wouldn't take long.

"Yeah, I want to get that shit done before they come back. Everything has to be perfect." Edward insisted.

His brothers nodded their acknowledgement. They knew how Edward had been hurting since they had left Forks. At the time, it was what Edward thought was best for Bella. An off-handed comment about wanting to become a mother had sent him into a tailspin knowing he would never be able to give her the things she wanted. He had to make sure she had the chance for a normal and fulfilling life. His family tried to get him to at least talk to her about it but he wasn't hearing any of it. In the end, they agreed to support his decision and move away. Alice had tried to keep tabs on her but it was difficult without the proximity and connection of seeing her often. They didn't know it but Bella's inability to move forward with her life made it just that much harder for Alice to see her. In the end, it was Jasper who was staying up to date with the news in Forks that had read Charlie's obituary.

Jasper, Alice, and Edward made the trip back to Forks to see how Bella was handling all of this. They were shocked at how little Bella left the house, how thin she looked, and how little she smiled. Seeing for himself that Bella hadn't been better off without him, that in fact she had suffered, made Edward realize that he was wrong for leaving her. It only left irrevocable scars on both of them. He wanted to go to her right then, drop to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. It was Alice that convinced them that they needed to tie up their loose ends in Alaska and then come up with a plan to win her back.

Edward's phone range bringing him out of his own mind. It was Alice.

"Hi Alice, where are you guys?"

"Edward, listen to me. Bella is at the house." Edward almost dropped the phone.

"I saw it. She decided to look for us when Jacob told her we were back."

That fucking mutt. Always sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

This was not how she was supposed to find out. This could ruin everything.

"Okay, don't go back to the house yet. Let me talk to her. I'll get back to you." He ended the call and told his brothers what was going on.

"Go, Edward. It will only overwhelm her if we all show up. We'll wait to hear from you before we come back." Jasper was always the rational one.

"I'll let you know how it goes." He then sprinted as fast as he could towards the house. It wasn't exactly what he had planned but it would have to do.

Twenty minutes later Edward was opening the door to his house. He was immediately assaulted with Bella's scent. It was just as glorious as it was five years ago and it was all he could do from moving at vampire speed to claim what has always been his. He had to slow down, he could not scare her. He took everything in as he followed her scent throughout the house; the folded sheets, the empty water bottle sitting on the counter, the open bedroom, the path down to his bedroom.

When he got to his own doorway, the sight crushed him. There,\ in the center of the bed was his Bella sleeping, curled in the fetal position with Emmett's fleece blanket around her. She looked so small, so fragile. The air smelled of fresh tears and the guilt that he was the cause of them hit him in the gut.

Moving closer to the bed, he carefully sat down on it and lightly stroked her face. Underneath all that sadness was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever known. Why had he ever thought he could give her up? It was impossible. She was his in every way and he completely belonged to her as well.

She began to stir under the coolness of this touch. "Bella." He whispered softly. "Bella, it's me." The voice sounded so soft, so enticing she thought she was dreaming, but when she finally opened her eyes she abruptly figured out that what she was seeing was so very real. She recoiled away from him.

"You. What are you doing here?" She gasped.

"I was about to ask you the very same thing. You do realize that you are sleeping in my bed, right?" He started to smile his perfect crooked smile but it died right there on his lips when he saw that she wasn't the slightest bit amused.

"You know what I mean. I haven't heard boo from you in over five years and you think making jokes now is anywhere near appropriate. What are you doing in Forks, Edward?" She was right of course. He had no business making light of the situation. If anything this was the moment that he needed to take the most seriously. It was the moment that could make or break him.

"I came back for you, Bella." Apparently that wasn't what Bella wanted to hear. Her face began to get red with rage and he sensed she was going to unleash on to him the fury that had built up over the last five years. He spoke up again before she had the chance to. "Just please Bella, let me explain. If afterwards you still can't forgive me, I'll leave and never come back. Just…hear me out." Bella was still fuming but she nodded her head slightly to indicate that she would at least listen. It was after all what she had come here for. An explanation.

Edward began to tell Bella the story behind his abandonment. He described how the reality of their situation came crashing down when she offhandedly said she couldn't wait to be a mother. He knew that was something he could never give her and he started thinking of all the ways her life would be shortchanged if they were to be together. He couldn't bear to be the one to keep her from a normal life with a husband and children and vacations to the beach and staying in one spot for more than a couple years at a time. It was unfair for her to have to choose between him and all of those opportunities. So he did what was best, he made the decision for both of them. He thought she would be better off without him. Without any of them. Against their wishes, he forced his family to leave Forks and Bella behind as well.

"Being away from you, Bella, was absolute Hell. I could barely function and it weighed down on my family. I traveled away from them for awhile. They needed a break from me and my self-induced punishment. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that you were still out there and that I had done what was in your best interest." Bella continued to fume.

"This was all over something I said when I was in high school? You didn't ask me about it, you didn't take my feelings into consideration, and you completely took away my choice. Do I seem like I am better off without you?" All Edward could do was shake his head. "You have no idea what it has been like for me. When you left, you took a piece of me with you. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I had nightmares for months. I couldn't even think about going away to school just in case you came back. Charlie wanted to send me back to Florida but I fought him tooth and nail on it. All because of this tiny sliver of hope in the back of my mind that you would have realized what you had done and come back for me. As for a husband? You ruined me for any other man, Edward Cullen. I figured out real quick that I would never be able to have a normal, loving relationship with anyone because in my heart I still belonged to you. So how the fuck was your decision ever in my best interest?"

Edward stood so still he looked like a statue. He had nothing, not one piece of reasonable defense. He had fucked up and it nearly destroyed them both.

"Why now?" Her voice had gotten so soft and even though he heard her the first time, he asked her to repeat herself. "I said, why now? After all this time why are back?"

"We found out about Charlie..." Tears starting to form at Bella's eyes and she started shaking her head. She had thought he had come back for her because he loved her and couldn't live without her. But they had come out of pity. It wasn't what Bella had wanted.

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me and you don't have to stay." Her eyes went down to her hands that were nervously playing with the edge of Emmett's blanket. Edward's hand immediately covered hers and the electric undercurrent that flowed between them was certainly alive and well. He waited for her to look up, determining to make this right. When her tear filled eyes met his he prepared to bare his soul.

"It's true, we came back because we heard about Charlie and wanted to make sure you were okay. But Bella, seeing you again made me realize that I was completely wrong. I shouldn't have made life-changing decisions for both of us without involving you. I can see now that I didn't save you from anything. In fact my actions did nothing but cause pain for both of us. I also realized that a life without you is no life at all. I need you, Bella. It nearly killed me to walk away from you once. I don't have the strength to do it again. Please, please forgive me."

Bella should have turned him down. He deserved to be alone after the assumptions and the decisions he had made about her happiness. But in truth, Bella had dreamed about this day forever. When it came right down to it, she wanted him back in her life. She needed him just as much as he needed her and to waste another moment apart was pure torture. She made a split-second decision. She let go of the anger she had held on to vehemently for the last five years and submitted to the feelings that were as natural as breathing. Once she gave in, the heaviness that had been weighing her down lifted. For the first time in years she felt her heart beating as if it were whole.

"Show me." Bella said quietly.

"I'm…I'm not sure what…" Bella put her fingers to his lips to silence him.

"I want you to show me. Show me how much you love me." Her eyes told him what she wanted him to know. When he figured it out he swallowed hard, knowing he couldn't resist her any longer. They had not gotten to this point when they were together years before but times were different. Bella was no longer a teenager and he no longer feared that he would kill her. After being away from her for so long he knew he would never be capable of hurting her again. It just wasn't possible.

Ever so slowly he brought his lips to hers. When they connected the electricity between them increased tenfold. Soft and pliant against solid and rigid yet they were perfect for each other as they molded together. Edward could have kissed her all day but Bella needed to breath so he pulled back slightly. He rested his forehead on hers and stroked her cheek with his marble like fingers.

"Are you sure? I want you to be sure." He fucking needed her to be sure.

"I am. I want you, Edward." He sighed in relief. "But I um…have something to tell you first. You're not my…I'm not…" It took Edward a moment to realize what she was trying to say. For a moment hot anger flashed at the thought of someone else touching her this way, taking from her what was his. But he had to remember that he too had given his virginity away to someone he didn't care about. He had tried to distract himself from the loss of Bella and Tanya was a willing participant while he was in Alaska. He came to regret it more than he thought he would.

"It's okay. I mean, I don't really want to talk about it but I get it. I still want you. I will always want you." Edward laid Bella back on the bed so she was lying down and smoothed her hair away from her face. "Bella Swan, I love you and I'm never leaving you again."

That remains to be seen.

It was Bella's first thought but she stamped it down not willing to let her doubts ruin this moment, this perfect, long awaited moment.

"I love you, too." Edward took that as indication that he could continue. He slowly peeled of Bella's clothing, piece by piece. When she was bare for him he stared at her like someone would stare at a work of art, with reverence.

"You're beautiful." Two words that made Bella's insides warm. Edward began touching Bella, starting with her collar bone and down to the tops of her breasts. He placed kisses in the valley between two mounds before moving to one, circling her nipple with his tongue followed by a sharp suck making it fully erect. All the while his hand was kneading the other causing the same reaction.

"Edward…" Bella mewled as Edward's ministrations left her needy.

"Shhh. Let me make you feel good." He continued to leave a trail of cool kisses down her body, allowing his face to get closer and closer to her wet heat. The scent of her arousal made the venom pool in his mouth and he quickly swallowed it down. It was taking everything he had not to take both her body and her blood but knowing what it was like to live without her reinforced his self-control. He would not hurt her. Ever.

Taking a moment to regain his focus, he slowly stripped off his clothes. He needed to feel her skin without anything between them. Bella gasped at the sight of his chiseled body and rather large throbbing appendage. Feeling satisfied at her reaction, Edward smirked a little before returning to where he wanted to be.

Kissing the inside of each knee first, he proceeded to use his tongue to taste the sweet juices seeping out of her. Bella's hips rose off the bed, the sensation of cool meeting warmth tormenting her deliciously. It only encouraged Edward to keep going. He was feasting on her, savoring every drop, being sated by her essence and desire for him. The fact that he was making her react this way made him want her even more.

Just when Bella didn't think she could take any more Edward added a finger and then two. They worked her inside and out, over her clit and deep in her pussy. She thrashed and moaned and cried as the tension kept building. She could feel she was on the verge of her orgasm but never saw it coming when it ripped out of her like freight train. Stars exploded behind her eyes and her whole body pulsed over and over.

When Bella screamed his name in ecstasy, Edward had never been more delighted. And aroused. He was hard as steel and was overcome by the sense on urgency to sink himself inside of her. Like a predator, he climbed up her body until they were face to face.

"You are so fucking exquisite when you come. I need to see it again." He wound his hand up Bella's neck and into her hair. Her face was flushed and her breathing was just starting to slow down. He needed her now but it had to be her choice. Always her choice. "Can I have you?"

Bella was dazed but couldn't nod fast enough. She felt this pull to him, like her body knew they were about to become one. She shifted herself and immediately could feel his cock, thick and heavy against her thigh. She briefly wondered how he would fit inside her but quickly dismissed it. She trusted Edward completely.

With her unspoken permission there was nothing stopping Edward and he couldn't wait any longer. He positioned the tip of his cock at her entrance, not going any further.

"You need to tell me if I hurt you. I need you to be honest with me." He searched her eyes for understanding.

"I will, I promise. I want you, Edward. I need you. Please." She begged.

Slowly, even for a human, Edward pushed into her until he was fully sheathed and was instantly assaulted with the most pleasurable sensations. His instinct to pound into her, seek out his own pleasure was so intense he wasn't sure if he would be able to hold off much longer. But just when his resolve was about to break, Bella took a deep breath.

"I'm good. Let go, Edward. I need to feel you." Edward didn't need to hear any more. Bringing his lips to hers for the tenderest kiss, he pulled out almost all the way and then filled her again. Slow, long thrusts over and over brought them both to the edge quickly. He got lost in her. The sweet smell of perspiration that clung to the air, her soft whimpers, the way she tugged at the short hairs on the back of his neck. It all made him wonder how he had survived all this time without her.

Wanting Bella to fall first, he reached his hand between them and softly pinched her clit. She went spiraling out of control bringing Edward with her. His muscles clenched into stone and long streams of cum spurted out of him. When his spasms subsided he looked at his Bella and saw adoration looking back at him.

"Why?" It was the first thing out of his mouth. A look of confusion crossed her face. "Why after everything I have done and all the pain I have put you through, why would you take me back?" Bella took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"To be honest, I was devastated and so very, very angry at you for a long time. I am still angry with you. But as I walked through your house and lay on your bed I decided that it didn't matter. You're it for me, Edward Cullen. I have lived without you and I don't want to do it again. I don't even think I could. I am not saying you are completely forgiven, but I want to forgive you. I believe you when you say you'll never walk away again so I choose you. Please, please don't make me regret it." Edward felt she was so brave for taking this chance on him that he quite honestly didn't deserve. He made a vow, first to himself and then to her. He took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I will never, ever leave you again and I will spend the rest of our lives making the most of this second chance you are giving me. I love you, Bella." He wondered how long exactly that would be. Now that Charlie was gone maybe she would want to become like him. Maybe not. But that was a discussion for another day.

"I love you too." Bella said sweetly. Edward got up and brought back a warm, wet washcloth from the bathroom and gently cleaned her up. He pulled down the covers of the bed and had her get in, wrapping himself around her from behind. He made sure there was a layer of blankets between them so she wouldn't get chilly. They talked for some time until a slight yawn erupted from Bella's lips. "Sleep, my love. I'll be here when you wake up."

And she did sleep. It was the best sleep Bella had had in five years.

About an hour after watching her, Edward's cell phone vibrated on the night stand and he quickly extracted himself from Bella to take it. It was Jasper. In vampire speed he explained to him what had transpired with Bella, leaving out the lovemaking of course, and told him that the rest of the plan was still on. His family would be returning. He hoped Bella would be asleep long enough to follow through with his little surprise.

o~o~YCB~o~o

When Bella finally woke, she had felt more refreshed than she had in years. She had been momentarily worried that it had been all a dream but the strong arms around her and the gratifying soreness between her legs had made all her doubts vanish.

"You're awake." She smiled. Of course he would know just by the difference in her breathing.

"I am." Edward rolled her over towards him and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.

"How do you feel?" Concern marred his perfect face and Bella thought about what a shame that was.

"I feel great. The best ever." The smile he was rewarded with was outstanding.

"Good, because I have a surprise for you. My family is here." Bella's face scrunched up and Edward immediately misunderstood. "I'm sorry. I just thought if you had somewhat forgiven me then you'd want to be reunited with them as well. It wasn't their fault, Bella. I made them leave with me. Please don't be angry with them. They love you." He heard everyone on the lower floor stop what they were doing. Vampire hearing had forced them to hear Bella's doubts. The waited for to her response.

"No, no, Edward. I want to see them too. I was just wondering...uh…how long have they been here?" Edward sighed in relief knowing what Bella was referring to.

"Just a couple of hours. They weren't here when we…you know." He could hear snickering from down stairs and was thankful Bella couldn't hear. He would deal with them later. "Do you want to go see them?

"Of course." Bella got up and put her clothes on and tried to tame her hair. It was the first time she would be seeing Edward's family since they left. She would be mortified if they found out what she and Edward had been doing earlier. Little did she know that it was difficult to hide anything from anyone in this house. They had all smelled the result of their coupling the minute they walked in the door.

Edward linked his fingers with Bella's as he led her down the stairs. She was not prepared for the sight before her when the reached the bottom. The dark and desolate house she had been in the day before was transformed into a Christmas wonderland. Every banister and every mantle was adorned with garland and bright red and gold ribbons. There was a fire in the fire place with eight perfectly placed stockings hanging in front. One even had Bella's name on it. In the corner of the living room was the largest Christmas tree she had ever seen. It had thousands of lights, beautiful glass balls, and the most elegant star at the top. Around it was a mountain of brightly wrapped presents with a delicate bow on every one.

And next to the tree was Edward's family. Her family.

Esme stepped forward first and opened her arms. Bella, with tears in her eyes, fell right into them. She hugged her tightly and didn't want to let go. "We've missed you, Bella. Merry Christmas."

One by one, everyone embraced Bella in there own way. From Carlisle's fatherly hug to Emmett's bone crushing squeeze to Alice's energetic four hugs, Bella felt loved by every one of them. When they were finished getting reacquainted, Bella looked back to Edward who looked ready to burst with happiness.

They both knew that not all had been forgotten and there were still things to work out, but today was Christmas. Bella's family had come back and they were here. She was loved, she was happy, and she was never to be alone again.

~The End~

Thank you for reading!

Can you guess which fairy tale was twisted here?