Bella woke up on her couch to someone knocking on her door. She wasn't expecting anyone and Jake had stayed at Paul's place last night after they had gone out drinking. Bella threw the blanket she had covered up with off to the side and shuffled over to the door. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she went. She looked through the peephole but couldn't see anything but the top of a woman's head. The woman was holding a large basket filled with soaps of all kinds. The woman knocked again so Bella decided to open the door.

"Esme, what are you doing here?" Bella asked.

"I was wondering if you would like to do a little Christmas shopping with me," Esme replied. "So would you like to go?"

"I'm not ready to anywhere," Bella replied.

"Well maybe you can use something in this basket to help you get ready while I wait," Esme replied. "It is addressed to you."

"Must be my secret Santa," Bella said as she took the basket out of Esme's hands.

"Secret Santa is that through the school?" Esme asked.

"Oh, No, it is not a group thing. This person who I assume is a guy started to send me gifts on November thirtieth with a massive amount of candy sent in the shape of a three-tier cake," Bella said. "I have gotten something every day since then and they haven't been cheap."

"Someone spending money on you makes you uncomfortable."

"I didn't grow up with money so when someone who isn't related to me does spend money on me it drives me crazy," Bella replied. "Don't get me wrong it is nice that someone wants to spend money on me but when there are people out there that could use more money than I need presents."

"Oh, I know how you feel dear. I was just a simple farm girl in my first year of college when I met Carlisle at a mixer his fraternity threw," Esme said. "My roommate took made me go even though I would have preceded staying home. Every Friday after that I was greeted by two dozen roses on my desk at work and that was before we were officially dating."

"Sounds like whoever is sending me this stuff," Bella replied. "And your college roommate sounds a lot like Alice."

"Allison should, she's Alice's godmother," Esme said.

"Has Alice met her?"

"She won't remember her. She died just after Alice turned two in a car accident. Hit some black ice coming home from work and..."

"No need to explain, I hear about accidents like that all the time from my dad," Bella said. "I'm going to change. There's some coffee on the counter with. sugar jar next to it and there's creamer in the fridge."

Esme nodded at sat down at the kitchen table and waited for Bella to change. Bella was quick about it and Esme only had to wait five minutes. Bella dumped out the rest of her coffee as it would be cold by the time she got back. Esme had hired a car for the day. Esme gave the driver a list of stores she wanted to go to but told him that it didn't matter which one he went to first as long as he took her to each store that day.

Bella followed along and got to know her best friends mom. She looked at a couple of things the store had to offer but choose not to buy anything because most of it was gaudy and not something she would buy for herself or someone else.

"Ma'am, is there anything I can help you with?" a salesman asked.

"No, sir, I am just looking around," Bella replied.

"Then I will have to ask you to leave. We are a high-class store and we can't just have someone 'looking' around," The man replied.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, sir," Bella replied politely. "I'm just going to tell my friend I'll be in the car."

Bella quickly found Esme by a Tiny Christmas village display looking at all of the knew buildings that they had released that year.

"Esme, I'm going to wait in the car."

"I'm almost done here. Give me a few more minutes and I'll leave with you."

"That guy over there says that because I'm not buying anything that I have to leave," Bella replied.

"Which man?" Esme asked.

Bella pointed the man out to Esme and held back a far as she could without making it obvious. Bella could tell from the way that Esme walked that she wasn't happy. The man put on a fake smile and turned his attention to the approaching Esme.

"Hello ma'am, how may I help you today?" He asked.

"You can apologize to Bella here," Esme replied. "I asked her to come with me today and I assume she's done most if not all of her shopping buy now as she lives in the city."

"Ma'am It is store policy that If you haven't purchased something within a half hour that you are to leave." The man replied.

"Well because you would let me take my time this store loses me as a customer," Esme said. "Come on Bella we have other stores to go to." Esme paused and shoved the basket of things she had grabbed into the man's hands. "You can put that back on the shelves where I picked them up from yourself, it will give you something to do besides disrespect potential customers."

And with that Bella and Esme left the shop without purchasing a single item. There had been several in the basket Esme pushed into the guys hands.

"Next shop on the list please," Esme said without another word.

Bella went to ask her several times what it was but couldn't get the words out. The rest of their shopping excursion went better. Bella even found a few last minutes gifts she had been looking for at one store or another. Their day ended with lunch at the Tiffany café at Tiffanys for which Edward and Carlisle joined them. Bella separated from the family after lunch and headed home to wrap the gifts she bought that day. The only dark spot on the day being the salesman from the first store.

"Bella where have you been? Your dad called.," Jake said.

"I went shopping with Esme," Bella replied. "Did my dad say what he wanted?"

"He wanted to know what you had planned on doing for Christmas, and said something about his wife."

"Thanks," Bella replied. "I'll have to call him later to let him know."

"Please do," Jake said.

Bella entered her room dug the tote of wrapping paper out from the back of her closet, found a pair of scissors and a roll of tape and some spare ribbon. She got to work wrapping all of the gifts she bought. She made sure she knew who they were for without actually putting a label on them. She liked using on a style of wrapping paper for one person and another style for the next and so on.

"Your dad is calling again."

Bella spilled and rushed for the phone. The ringing had stopped by the time she got to it so she rushed back to her room and called him on face time.

"Isabella," He greeted.

"Dad," Bella replied.

"Hey, I have called you twice now and you didn't answer," He replied. "So how have you been?"

"Good," Bella said.

"Jake said you quit your job?"

"Only because my boss was a sleaze bag," Bella replied. "I couldn't take working for him anymore."

"Then you should report him," he replied.

"I didn't need to. He got caught red-handed by his wife with Jessica Stanley."

"Little Jessica, Deputy Mark's niece?"

"One in the same."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, dad and she wasn't an angel back in forks either. I'm pretty sure that from her freshman year on that she was at every single party the department had to break up even if she wasn't one of the few you arrested."

"Enough talk about that are you coming home for Christmas or not?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I want to get a new job but I haven't done that yet."

"You will find one and that shouldn't be a reason for you not to come home. I pay for your ticket every year."

"And you are a small town police chief paying for my college because you refuse to let me use my trust fund,"

"I can't help it. That is the way your grandmother wrote her will," he replied. "She didn't want you to have to worry about money if you somehow got trapped in a relationship like she did before she met grandpa."

"You never told me that. You just said that it was what grandma wanted."

"Well it's true," He replied. "I just didn't give you the details of the story and you still haven't answered my question, are or are you not coming home for Christmas?"

"When would you want me home?" Bella asked.

"I would at least want you there on the twenty," He replied. "Just let me know by Tuesday so I can order the ticket in time."

"I will," Bella replied. "It looks like someone is waiting to talk to you."

She pointed behind her dad as she could see a slender woman standing behind him.

"That is Sue, She's your stepmother," he replied. "And we have to go grocery shopping before I start the late shift."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Bella replied raising her hand and waving goodbye.

Bella continued to wave until her dad's section of the screen went dark before going back to the main menu. She turned her computer off and set it aside. She debated in her head on whether or not she should go home for Christmas. The urge to go home for the holiday was growing stronger with each day that passes by.

"Bella, you want to go hang out at the bar."

"Will it be just us two?" Bella asked.

"No, Embry and his girlfriend will be there and I think Paul and his fiancé and her sister might drop by."

"What bar? Because if it is that biker bar you took me to the last time I will throat punch you right now."

"Like Embry would take his girlfriend there," Jake said. "It's the bar that How I Met Your Mother based MacLaren's off of."

"Sure I need to eat again," Bella replied.

Twenty minutes later found Bella eating a pate of fired ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and cheese along with a salad. She was enjoying her time with Jake for once. She still didn't see him romantically.

"Bella thank you for standing in for me the other day." Embry's girlfriend said upon their arrival.

"No problem, although someone thought that you were me and saw you and Embry kissing."

"Seriously but I'm blonde," she said.

"I know you're now but you weren't a few days ago."

"I apologized for that," Jake said. "I don't like when people cheat."

"Neither do I," Bella said.

"Sorry, Bella I didn't cause any more trouble than that did I?"

"No," Bella replied."Just a small bit of confusion and Jake doesn't seem to realize that he can't control me. Heck, we aren't even dating."

"You are my god sister you mean a lot to me. I don't want you to get hurt even if it is by my best friend." Jake said.

"Hey, I thought that I was your best friend?" Paul asked joining the table along with his fiancée.

"You can have more than one best friend," Bella said and she moved farther into the booth to allow Paul and his fiancée more room.

"Most people only have one," Paul replied.

"Both of them are correct Paul." His fiancée said. "And you need to order your beer before its time for us to leave."

"Why do we have to leave?" Paul asked.

"Because we are meeting my parents, that is why."

"You couldn't tell me this earlier?"

"I tried but you were too busy playing your stupid video games. You know that is going to stop once we get married right?"

"Of course I do," Paul replied. "You have only told me a million times since last Thursday about how immature it is."

Bella having finished her meal felt awkward. She thought that Paul and his fiancée were doing great but apparently, they were not doing as great as they made everyone think. She downed the rest of her drink and was never more thankful for Edward calling her.

Bella stepped away from the table to take the call.

"Hey, Edward I'm hanging out with Jake and his friends and their girlfriends what did you need?"

"I need you to hide my gift for my mom in your apartment. She'll be cleaning and reorganizing mine while she and dad are in town."

"So, in other words, she will be snooping for whatever you got her in your apartment and you don't want her to find it."

"Bingo," Edward replied. "Now will you do it because I really need you to hide it now. My parents are coming over to watch the game, well dad will watch the game mom will be cleaning the kitchen and playing candy crush because she doesn't like football."

"Sure," Bella replied. "I'll let you know when I am home so you can bring it over. Does it need to be wrapped?"

"No, I had the store wrap it before sending It to me," Edward replied. "Otherwise it would look like it was just unwrapped instead of being wrapped."

"I still have some paper left over I can wrap it for you," Bella said. "So then It would be a box within a box."

"You know what that would be a good idea, It would also throw her off on what I got her as well," Edward replied.

"Sorry, Jake but I have to get home. Edward said I have a package waiting for me but only I could sign for it." Bella said to Jake. "Stay here and hang with your friends. I'll let you know when I get home."

"Do you really have to go now we were just having a good time," Jake replied.

"Yes," Bella said as she slipped her coat on.

She dug a twenty out of one of her pockets and handed it to jake.

"Buy a pitcher on me."