The plotline belongs to Charles Dickens and the rest is Steph Meyer's. I'm just playing in their awesome world.

Chapter 3 Ghost of Christmas Present

The spinning ceased and it took me a moment to get my bearings straight before I recognized that I was nowhere near New York City any longer. It was still cold with a blanket of snow and reminiscent of the many places we'd resided in, but I'd never been there before.

"Come along. Quit your dawdling." The ghost now had a grey - that was nearly white - floor length fur coat on and was motioning me forward animatedly. "Lots to do. Chop, chop!"

We were in a wooded area where four houses were visible with small streams of smoke billowing from their brick chimneys. All of the houses were similar, clearly all a part of one great estate, but they varied in size. The main house could easily fit two houses neatly inside it and the two closest homes were just slightly smaller. The fourth one, which we seemed to be heading for, was small and plain and further from the other dwellings.

My guide spun quickly on her heels dragging me around effortlessly. "Change of plans. Let's save that one," she motioned over her shoulder at the little grey house, "for last."

No sooner had she spoken than we appeared in the Great Room of the main house that sparkled from the massive amount of Christmas lights that outlined the entire structure. I barely noticed the twelve foot, glittering Christmas tree with its pile of presents perfectly positioned underneath, as my eyes were locked on the grand piano that stood at the south end of the room next to the window. My piano. I'd know my piano anywhere. As nice as the one in New York was, it wasn't this one, the one I'd created her song on.

"Carlisle," Esme called from further in the house, "they're on their way over." Her words weren't raised, they didn't have to be – he'd hear her even if she whispered.

The ghost next to me chuckled. "You look like you've seen a ghost." She poked me hard in the side. "I thought seeing your family would please you?"

I tore my gaze from the woman I thought of as a mother. "Why would I want to be reminded of what I am no longer a part of?"

"My, aren't you daft. You could be a part of this again, stupid. All you have to do is show up. They'd welcome you back with open arms."

Carlisle walked human slow down the stairs and swung the door open just as Emmett was about to knock.

"Told you he was gonna get the door," Alice chirped, tapping her head knowingly. She pushed past everyone, her arms full of gifts expertly wrapped. "Merry Christmas!"

The rest filed in – Jasper, Rose, Emmett…and my stomach dropped. Bella, no longer human, walked in hand and hand with Jacob Black. They each carried a bag of presents which they handed to Carlisle before crossing the floor only inches from where I stood and embraced Esme.

Hell, I could even smell her delicious scent, though it was slightly different now that she'd been transformed.

"Well, well, well. Now I see what all the fuss is about," the ghost snickered. She tossed her coat aside and sat down on the arm of the couch, a plate of glazed ham with pineapples and cherries perched on her lap. "She is a looker. You're even dumber than I thought." She shook her head then shoved a forkful of ham into her mouth, chewing loudly. Reminded me of the cafeteria at Forks. Human eating habits were utterly repulsive.

I ignored her as best I could and instead drank in the sight of my love. She'd never appreciated her beauty as a human, but surely now, when she looked in the mirror, she had to see what had always been so painfully apparent to me – that she was stunning.

Jacob leaned in and kissed her softly against her temple while tucking a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear. She smiled warmly up at him.

"Scooch over." Jake practically picked her up then set her down on his lap so Alice and Jasper could squeeze onto the other couch.

So, she had moved on. Knowing it was what was best for her didn't make it any easier to watch.

"Best for her?" the ghost inquired loudly and I half expected it to interrupt the scene unfolding in front of us.

"Get out of my head," I snapped, finally appreciating how irksome my gift must have been for my vampire family to endure day in and day out.

"Don't change the subject. I'm just trying figure out your logic."

I threw up my hands. Talking to her was like dealing with an ape. "Don't bother. It's not like it's any of your concern, is it?"

"My, you are thick." She slapped me upside my head leaving a hint of ham glaze in my hair.

"Have you no manners?" I snapped.

"Have you no brains?" she retorted. She poked me in the chest. "I have a job to do and I'm bloody well going to do it, so if I say that understanding your absurd thought process is important, then it is!"

She smoothed down her dress and cleared her throat. "Now, you left to keep her safe. So she wouldn't become a monster, yes? Yet, there she stands as dead as you are. The only difference is that she's with a werewolf instead of a vampire."

I frowned at her. "Jake's a werewolf?" When the hell had that happened? Leave it to Bella to find a replacement monster to run with. But did she have to choose a disgusting dog?

"Does it matter? What matters is that your leaving her changed nothing except the man holding her hand. It could have been you, should have been you, but -"

"Do you think it would be possible for you to be quiet so I can hear what they're saying?" I interrupted.

"Well, I never...," she began but trailed off at the look I gave her before I returned my attention to my family.

Esme handed Jacob a mug of dark beer and offered him an array of food.

"You better eat up. Esme's made enough to feed a small army," Carlisle commented softly, but it was enough to distract the two of us from our quarrel. Something in his eyes betrayed his emotions. He smiled like he should, but he was clearly bothered by something. Unfortunately, my powers were useless in this ghostly world.

A pile of presents landed on Bella's lap as Alice's musical laughter filled the room. "Open mine first."

"Which one's yours?"

Alice scoffed. "All of them, silly."

She looked like she might argue for a second, then her face smoothed out and a lazy smile brightened her face. "Jasper," she rebuked. "That's just not fair." But under his influence she didn't really care. She opened one after another doing the proper amount of oohing and ahhing over each unnecessary trinket.

"My turn," Jake announced. The whole room froze. Jake slid out from under Bella and walked across the room to his jacket before crossing back and dropping down to one knee.

No!

Bella stared open mouthed, eyes wide with panic, as Jake opened up a sapphire blue ring box. "Bells."

She was shaking her head back and forth. Apparently she'd broken free of Jasper's power or he'd been so intent on the drama unfolding before him that he'd lost focus, because she was behaving in a very Bella way. "Please don't." It was the barest of whispers, but everyone, including the dog, could hear her.

Jacob, however, was undaunted by her negative response. "It's always been you, Bells. You're it for me." He slid the ring out of the box – a nice single carat, princess cut stone – and offered it up to her. "Marry me?"

Bella moved in a blur, not far, just behind the couch looking as frightened as a cornered animal. Her gaze fell on my piano and her face was stricken.

Carlisle's phone rang and nearly everyone jumped slightly which was unusual for vampires and I would have found it humorous if I wasn't feeling so guilty for still causing Bella pain. Though I'd been out of her life for close to a year now, the look on her face as she stared at my piano told me she hadn't gotten over my betrayal, hadn't moved on as much as I both hoped and feared she would.

The ghost poked me again and pointed at Carlisle. His one-sided conversation offered very little insight and he'd turned his back so I couldn't examine his facial expressions. When he flipped his phone closed he let out a long sigh before turning to face the family.

"It seems our holiday plans are going to include the Volturi."

"What?" Esme gasped.

"Come," the ghost commanded.

"No, I need-"

"Uh, uh, uh. You are no longer a part of this family. This does not concern you. When you left Bella in Volterra nine months ago you washed your hands of this mess."

She jerked me hard and I landed on an icy sidewalk nowhere near the house I'd just been in.

"Take me back!"

"No, I will not!" her shrill voice echoed through the cold night. "That memory has already served its purpose. There are other, more pressing things happening that you need to be aware of." Her monstrous fur coat appeared and she put it on before saying, "Now watch."

On the door step of the Victorian house was a teal blue wrapped box. A man had just opened the door and smiled when he caught sight of it. "Angie," he muttered under his breath shooting a look around into the night fully expecting to see Angie hiding amongst the shrubbery. He pulled the ribbon loose and flipped the lid off.

The box flew through the air as a strangled cry filled the night. Neighbors all around flicked lights on and pushed drapes aside to see what all the commotion was. Unfortunately, the commotion just happened to be lying at my feet. The severed head of a thirty-something blond woman stared lifelessly up at me.

I grabbed a handful of her coat. "What is the meaning of this?"

"And you think you have things bad?" She pointed and the macabre scene disappeared and was replaced by a man whistling as he strung up the last of his decorations. Tattoos swirled in various designs across his shaved head and when he turned in our direction, his head cocked like an animal as he listened intently for something, I noticed his crimson eyes. Worse, I noticed his crimson hands. They were dripping blood. So were the decorations.

"What the…?"

Jane stepped out from behind the only other building close by, her eyes narrowed on him intent on causing much pain, but he did not fall to the floor writhing in pain the way I had in Volterra when I'd been unlucky enough to fall prey to her tortuous delights. With a snarl and a small salute he took off like a bat out of hell with the might of the Volturi following close behind.

I started to follow, but my escort pulled me back. "So, what now? Let's see…" she tapped her nail against her chin in deep thought then clapped her hands excitedly not at all troubled by the grisly vision we'd just witnessed. "Let's go visit Charlie!"

Charlie knelt in front of headstone using his thick gloved hands to wipe off the snow from its surface. "Merry Christmas, Bells," he murmured as he set down a bundle of red poinsettias on the hardened ground at the base of the stone. His whole body shook as it was wracked with the silent tears of a man too proud to cry.

I walked forward knowing there was nothing I could do to lessen his pain, but still needing to. I placed my hand on his shoulder and stared down at Bella's name. "I never wanted this…any of this. This was precisely why I left. Look at what my intrusion in her life has caused."

The ghost pursed her lips at me. "My sister was right; you really do try one's patience."

Charlie got to his feet shakily. "Love you, Bells."

"Listen up, buster. Knowing Bella's penchant for attracting trouble and monsters, this was pretty much guaranteed," she hissed quietly as though afraid of disturbing Charlie. "She was supposed to die that day in the parking lot, but you intervened. You bought her more time, but this," she pointed at the headstone, "was inevitable." She shook her head and swore softly under her breath. "Why can't you see that she had a better chance of escaping death with you by her side than without? Even she knew it. Perhaps, that is why her "second best" is a werewolf?"

"You're wrong. If I'd been strong enough to leave the day we met-"

"She'd have been squished by Tyler's car." I started to reply but she cut me off. "Fine, let's say that you're right. Explain to me how Bella is now better off? "

But I didn't have an answer. I'd been trying to protect more than her life; I'd been trying to protect her soul, but it had been all for nothing. Bella was a soulless monster, just like I was.

The silence of the empty cemetery stretched interminably. The ghost finally broke it when she took a long swill of mead. "Not ready to see truth yet, I see? Well," she laughed heartily, "you will. One way or the other, Edward, you will." She leaned in. "A word of advice, dearie, my other sister is a little…grumpy. Do try not to piss her off. She can be just a smidge unstable."

"Wait," I shouted. She'd almost blinked out of existence, but solidified in front of me again. "You said we'd save the little house for later," I reminded her. I was desperate for another vision of Bella and terrified of what evils the next ghost would dream up to torture me with.

She winked at me. "Ah, so I did." She closed her eyes for several minutes. "Yes, I do believe you should see what is happening in that small house right now. Shall we?"

And we did. Just like that I was in a homey living room that screamed Bella just as I knew it would. Jake paced back and forth his hand running through his hair every so often. "Just come out already so we can talk about this," he yelled in frustration toward the back of the house.

I slipped by him and found Bella tucked away in the bottom of her closet a myriad of pictures and mementoes spread out before her. The pictures I'd placed under her floorboards along with the CD stared up at me from under her trembling hands. "You lied," she choked out. "It never gets easier. Never goes away. I see you all the time. Hear your voice in my head incessantly." She flung the CD aside smashing it into a multitude of pieces. Bella's mouth fell open in horror as the mirror-like shards sparkled up at her. "No, no, no," she cried trying in vain to piece it back together.

"Bells!" Jake pounded on the door. "I swear to god I'm gonna break this damn door down if you don't let me in."

I reached for Bella, shocked to feel tears streaming down my face. "Time to go now. I think we've intruded enough. Besides, I believe I might have been a smidge overzealous in my holiday eating." She covered her mouth to muffle a burp. "Up you get. You don't want to keep my sister waiting. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. No, that wouldn't do you any good," she muttered continuously as she took my hand and the next moment I was very much alone in my quiet apartment with Bella's scent swimming all over me. I wiped my face, but there wasn't a single tear on my cheek.