Bella was quite happy with the work that she got done on her Gingerbread houses. She decided to go with an elaborate Christmas village where she could make different buildings that would allow children with varying diets to eat a part of the village when the time came to break the village up. The smaller houses were easier to create and decorate than the two massive ones she had been planning yesterday. She still had a couple of the houses to decorate before she took the display over to the hospital for the Christmas party they were having.

"Don't you have class?" Jake asked.

"Not today," Bella replied. "I have been decorating all day."

"I can see that. It looks like Christmas exploded in here," Jake said. "What would you do if I didn't celebrate Christmas?"

"Since we have known each other from the moment you were born actually I know that you celebrate Christmas," Bella replied. "You even played Santa last year for the reservation Christmas party."

"That was only because my dad was in the hospital and couldn't do it," Jake replied.

"You still did it and you didn't have to," Bella replied. "Now stop eating the candy. I need it to decorate the houses."

"Well I'm going out for tacos with the guys do you want to come?" Jake asked.

"No. I've got hours of work still yet."

"Your loss," Jake replied. "Do you want me to brink anything back to you?"

"No," Bella said as she focused in on a gingerbread house.

She continued to work as Jake left the Apartment. She did the doors, windows, and siding first before moving on to the roof. She wanted each house to clock similar but different enough that one of the children could pick out their own house. She was done with the houses within the next two hours and began to arrange them on the display board which she decorated as well to look like a winter wonderland. She made 3-D Christmas trees, reindeer; and even a few cookie people to dot the display with. (It also allowed for more than gingerbread to be offered).

She was placing the last of the cookie people when someone knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" She called.

"It's Edward, a package was delivered to our apartment by mistake."

Bella set the cookies person down whipped off her hands and went to open the door. She checked the peephole first to make sure it was Edward standing in front of her door. She could see the package he was talking about. It was small so that gave her hope that if it was her secret Santa hadn't spent so much on her this time. She opened the door.

"Sorry I was in the midst of finishing the display," Bella replied. "You said you had a package for me?"

"Yes, It's a small one this time. So I doubt it's more than thirty bucks," Edward replied. "But that would change if it was an antique book. I once read a story about a copy of Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None, under the original title it cost a thousand dollars."

"Seriously," Bella replied. "What was the title?"

"It is racially charged so I would rather not say," Edward said.

"That's doesn't bode well."

"I just can't believe that you haven't heard of it," Edward said.

"Agatha Christie is not one of the authors I like to read" Bella replied.

"Well you should the novel is a good one it's just that the original title wouldn't fly in the United States today," Edward said.

"It could be worse," Bella replied.

"How?"

"Uh let's see, we could have a president…"

"You know what we should avoid that mind field," Edward said.

"I know. I'm just saying we could do worse. We could have Kanye or Rosanne Barr as president."

"I would like to see Kanye as president," Jake said coming out of his room.

"I think I would buy a boat and live on that instead of on land if either of them were president," Edward replied.

"You know you two never did say who you voted for."

"Hillary all the way," Edward replied.

"I didn't vote," Jake said. "Dad was in the hospital at the time after suffering a heart attack and I was waiting to see if he made it."

"He's been alright since then right," Bella replied.

"He had to change his diet and exercise a little more but dad expected that," Jake replied. "But now that my sister and her family moved to town he doesn't get a chance to slip back into how things used to be."

"I wish that Charlie would do that. I know he eats at the diner for lunch every day and all that fried food and steak isn't good for him."

"I could see if my dad would order it," Edward said.

"That's alright. His new wife might help," Bella replied. "I have yet to actually meet her so I only have a small idea of what she is like."

"Then why aren't you going home for Christmas this year?"

"Because I quit my job and need to find another one," Bella said. "Not all of us have rich parents."

"Hey I pay for my apartment on my own," Edward replied. "Jasper only pays me rent."

"And that is because you have a big trust fund," Jake replied. "It's quite legendary down on the reservation."

"How did you guys know about it?" Edward asked.

"I only knew about it because some of the girls were thinking about trapping you into marriage like we were still stuck in the nineteen fifties."

"Jokes on them," Edward replied.

"How?" Bella asked.

"I was so focused on my education that I didn't sleep with anyone but myself."

"So the ladies man of Forks High is a virgin?"

"Yes, and I wasn't much of Ladies man."

"You did go out on a lot of dates," Bella said. "Honestly I thought you slept with some of them until you just said you were a virgin."

"Lauren started most of those roomers," Edward replied. "Bella I've got some errands to run but call me once you are ready to deliver the gingerbread village and I will bring to help you."

"Thanks, and it is a cookie village as there is more than just Gingerbread used in it," Bella replied.

"Well, you are on your own now Bella. Embry just called for a pickup game at the community center," Jake replied.

"It's not like either of you would be helping with the decorating anyway," Bella replied. "You just keep eating the candy."

Bella ended up shoving the two men out of the apartment and locking the door behind them. She quickly got back to work on the villain and put the finishing touches on in just after Edward returned to his apartment. She boxed up the village so it would be more likely to survive the trip to the hospital and called Edward and asked for his help.

They bantered back and forth during the Uber ride over to the hospital. Edward had even asked Bella about her latest gift which she had yet to open because she was working on the Cookie village and wanted to finish it on time.

"Excuse me who are you two?" A receptionist asked.

"I'm Bella Swan I'm delivering a Cookie village for the Christmas party," Bella said. "He is Edward Cullen."

"Wait here. I have to double check." the receptionist replied.

Bella and Edward sat down on a nearby bench and waited. Fifteen minutes passed by until another administrator walked up to them.

"I apologize Miss. Swan, I am Cathy Blake the woman you have been in contact with, the receptionist didn't get the notice I sent out about your delivery but if you come with me I will show you where you can set up the gingerbread houses."

"I actually call it a cookie village because there is more than gingerbread used in its creation," Bella replied. "I wanted to give a variety because so many kids have allergies and I tried to account for most of them."

"How sweet of you. We do have a few kids with allergies but those were just nut allergies."

"I didn't use anything with nuts," Bella replied.

"That should make things easy," Cathy replied. "We are taking the elevator and I have a cart nearby so you can rest your arms."

"Thank you, ma'am," Bella said. "Come on Edward."

The two followed Cathy to the elevator. They continued to carry the boxes as the cart Cathy set aside was gone. She was disappointed that someone would take it but she admitted that she hadn't put a reserved label on it.

Once they got to the floor the party was being held on. Bella and Edward were led over to a large table draped in a red tablecloth and trimmed in a fake pine tree garland with holly at the corners and in the middle. Bella arranged her cookie village with Edward helping when she requested it. Fifteen minutes later the village was put together and only took up half of the table.

"I can spread it out a little more but there will still be big gaps where I have nothing placed." Bella said.

"Oh that is quite alright, we have little cartons of milk that we'll be serving as well."

"So I'll leave it as is," Bella said. "Oh and here is the code to what is what. So the kids can safely avoid their allergies."

"Thank you, Miss. Swan, I'm sure the children will love this," Cathy said. "You are welcome to stay."

"I would but I have finals to study for. I just wanted to make sure this got done for you."

"Again thank you for all of your work."

"It was no problem,"

Bella and Edward shook hands with Cathy and said goodbye. They parted ways after exiting the hospital. Bella was heading home to study's and Edward was headed to some sports bar to watch a game with Jasper at least that is what he said he was going to do.

Once she was home Bella cleaned off the kitchen table completely and set it up to study as she went. She found the gift she had received earlier but had yet to open. She sat down at the table and cut the tape on the box and pulled the shiny package out of the box. She ripped the paper of the package and found that she had been given a Five Year Journal. It was actually several journals with one single question for each day of the year. Inside the first journal on the first page (which was blank) was a handwritten message from her secret Santa.

This journal is so that you can keep your mind

working and creating new plots as you move deeper

into life. I hope that as each year passes by that your

creativity grows just as you are sure to

grow into who you are meant to be.

~Your Secret Santa.

Bella found the note sweet and wished she could figure out who her secret Santa was. She opened the first journal again but turned it to the very first question and found the question often asked of new high school graduates and at job interviews quite often 'Where do you see yourself in five years?' After thinking about the question for a few minutes Bella began to answer the question. Before she knew it she had the whole section for the question filled in. She closed the journal and capped the pen she had been using and turned her attention to her study work. She spent the next few hours studying. She had studied so long that Jake found her asleep at the table when he came home just after eight pm. She packed up her things and crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep again.