A/N: OMG! You guys, I'm sorry. I don't know how many times I can say that I'm sorry, but I am. Last week was really difficult and depressed, so I'm sorry. My favorite show ended, my friends have been arguing, my dad was sick and I had to study for a few tests. So please forgive me. I'm sorry. I'll try to update soon. Most likely a week from now, maybe sooner if time permits!

Chapter dedicated to: All my reviewers and faithful readers! I love you!

Special thanks to: Anyone who's reading this right now and has waited for my updates. Thank you!

Alright, if you guys have love left for me, please review!

The lights were lit, the decorations were hung and we were all dressed in fancy clothing. I wore a blue, simple dress with ruffles at the shoulders. Alice wore a soft pink dress and Rose wore a bloody red colored dress. It was Christmas, also Rose's eighteenth birthday. And today, was also the day ten years ago her dad left her family. She wore a red, gorgeous dress and a fake smile.

Her father, Kyle, sends Rose a thousand dollars each birthday she has for her; five hundred for Christmas, and five hundred for her birthday. But for this birthday and Christmas, instead of five hundred for both Christmas and her birthday, she got five thousand for each. And with the ten thousand dollars she got, she received a letter. Something she'd never gotten from her father before. She tore the letter up without reading it and threw the shreds away. I could see she was sad and depressed behind her fake smile. I knew she only wore the smile for her mother and sister. And I also knew that wasn't any way to live.

"Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, Rosie!" Alice squealed, throwing her arms around Rose for the umpteenth time that day.

"Thanks." Rose smiled and kissed Alice's cheek.

Alice smiled and skipped off to the front door, waiting for the ten people that were invited to come over and hang out for Rose's small birthday slash Christmas party.

"How are you doing, Rosie?" I questioned Rose. We sat down on the couch together.

She smiled at me. "I'm good. I wish Emmett would get here, though." She sighed. "Today will be fun."

I nodded. "It will be, but that's not what I was referring to."

She sighed again. "I figured as much." She paused. "I hate him, Bella."

My expression softened. "No you don't, Rose. You couldn't." I made sure my voice was firm, but soft.

She dug her nails into the palm of her hand.

"Why not?" She growled quietly, looking down at her red high heels.

I licked my dry lips and sighed. I didn't enjoy talking about this certain subject much.

"Because he'll always be your dad. Yes, your mom will always be sad, and yes, he's the cause of her sadness, but you're in the same boat I was in. When I was a baby, my mom left my dad. When I was going into the eighth grade, I had to live with a man I'd only seen about eight times in my life before. He was broken, but happy I was finally with him. Your mom is like my dad, broken, but happy you're there for her. You can't hate the man that literally gave you everything you have today." Rose wiped at her moist eyes and cracked a weak, sad smile at me.

"Thank you, Bells." She sniffled. "I don't hate him, you're right," she whispered sadly, looking down at her hands. "I love him so much and that's why it hurts so badly."

I nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"I know, Rosie, I know. But don't cry. It's almost time to party."

She laughed and slowly pulled away.

"I wish mom and Mia were here," she said, wiping the wet and smeared eyeliner from beneath her eyes.

"They'll be back later," I assured her, giving her a small and comforting smile.

She nodded.

"They went to get me a birthday slash Christmas gift. They said they had to go into Tacoma to get it." She paused. "It better be good."

I laughed at her. "It always is."

We were silent for a moment, smiling at each other, and then we heard the booming laughter that could only belong to Emmett coming from the kitchen. Rose's violent eyes went bright at the sound of her love's laughter.

"Emmett!" she nearly squealed. He bounded through the door, wearing a goofy grin.

"Hey, babe! Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!" he moved through the living room quickly and planted a kiss to Rose's lips.

"Thank you, monkey."

He kissed her again and then pulled away.

"Hi, Bella." He offered a warm, friendly smile. "Merry Christmas."

I returned the smile. "You, too."

He grinned and held his hand out to Rose. "Come on, I want you to see my present for you."

Rose chuckled at his eagerness. "If I didn't know any better, I would think it's your birthday and not mine."

He smirked. "I just want you to see it." She latched onto his hand and he pulled her up.

"Come on, Rosie. You, too, Bella!"

I stood up and followed behind Emmett and Rose, Emmett leading the way. He led us through the kitchen, to Rose's backyard.

"Why are we out here?" Rose complained, rubbing her bare arms to make them warm. I hugged my sides. I was freezing, too, in my dress.

"Because." Emmett smirked. "Alice! Bring her over!"

"Her?" Rose and I questioned in unison. Alice came from the front of the house, wearing a smile and carrying…a puppy.

Rose ran quickly, her dress flowing up, flashing her underwear.

"Merry Christmas to me," Emmett mumbled under his breath.

I laughed and his cheeks reddened, realizing I could hear him.

"Emmett! You got me a puppy! She's so precious!" Rose squealed, taking the small black puppy from Alice. "What kind of puppy is she?"

"Toy poodle," Emmett replied, a smile on his face. "She's about five months old, so she won't get very much bigger. She's potty trained, too, so you won't have to worry about that." He smiled. "So what are you going to name her, babe?"

"I don't know," Rose said, running a hand over her puppy's ear.

I smiled at the couple. "How about Babe?" I suggested.

Rose smiled at me. "That's perfect, Bella! Thank you!" she looked down at her puppy. "Your name is Babe, darling!" Rose smiled down on her puppy and it wined. Rose smiled and kissed her head.

Emmett smiled. "Thanks great, baby."

I smiled to myself and walked inside, feeling happy for Rose, but sad for myself. I didn't have a boyfriend to do amazing things for me like Rose and it upset me. For everything I wanted for Christmas, I wanted Edward the most.

Five of the ten people who were supposed to come over for Rose's birthday slash Christmas party arrived. It was about five and about an hour and a half into the party. Jasper, Angela, Lauren, Eric, Mike and Tyler were the ones who came. Rose only invited Jessica and Lauren to try to make nice, but that wasn't really going anywhere. Rose wanted to invite Scarlet, but she knew better not to because hell would literally break loose.

We had already watched Rose open her birthday gifts and we had eaten cake and now, we were un-entertained.

"We should play 'Spin the Bottle'!" Alice suggested in her high soprano.

I shook my head. "Never."

She flicked the lights off anyway.

"Yes!" She stomped her foot. "We're playing 'Spin the Bottle'!" she pulled Jasper's willing hand and made him sit next to her on the floor. I sat next to Edward, and Emmett and Rose sat next to us. Angela, Jess, Lauren and Eric joined in, too, along with Mike and Tyler.

Alice placed a used soda bottle in the center of the circle we formed and spun it once for practice.

"Alright, I think since its Rosie's party, she should go first."
Rose spun the bottle, and it spun for a short moment and then slowly landed on Mike.

"Uhh." Rose looked at Emmett pleadingly, and Emmett flashed Mike a menacing glare that almost scared me.

Mike looked away and cleared his throat.

"Someone else spin," he said, a crack of a fear in his voice. I pursed my lips to keep from laughing.

Emmett grinned and rung his arm around Rose's waist. She smiled at him widely.

"Kay, Bella, you spin!" Alice told me.

I sighed, reaching for the bottle. I spun it once and hoped and prayed it would land on Edward. But no such luck. It ended up on Alice, who turned a deep shade of pink.

"Crap!" she looked at me disgusted. "I'm not kissing you!"

I laughed. "Good. I didn't want to kiss you, anyway."

She smirked and looked at Angela. "How about you spin, Angela?" Alice offered sweetly. Angela was a pretty, tall brunette. She was about an inch shorter than Rose, but she was tall. She had dated Ben for a solid week, but then they broke up. I heard it was a mutual agreement.

She reached forward and spun the bottle once and it spun quickly, slowed, and slowly stopped directly at…Edward. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach and I pursed my lips. What. The. Hell.

Angela gasped and looked at a calm Edward. He smiled at her.

"We don't have to," he reassured her. Angela nodded in relief.

"Yes, you do," Jessica piped up, staring straight at me. I rolled my eyes.

She smirked and evil smirk, causing me to roll my eyes again.

"Okay." Edward scooted closer to Angela and leaned in closely to her. I looked over at Alice and she gave me an apologetic stare. I looked back at Edward and he was pushing a strand of hair away from Angela's face. He leaned in closer to her face and pressed his lips to hers. I squeezed my hands together in a fist. He pulled away after a few seconds and smiled. I looked over at Alice and she mouthed 'I'm sorry' at me. I looked away and looked at Edward and Angela again. They were smiling at each other.

"Hello Angela," Edward whispered with a smile.

"Hi." She smiled up at him. His smile grew wider and he pressed his lips to hers once more.

Merry freakin' Christmas to me.

I lied on Rose's bed, a half hour after Edward and Angela kissed. Emmett and Rose were downstairs still, making out and playing with Babe. Alice lied with me on the bed and said she was sorry simultaneously.

"I'm really sorry, Bella."

I sighed. "It's fine, Alice. You didn't know they were going to end up together."

She sighed sadly. "I'm a bad psychic," she said in a whisper. "I saw Edward kissing a brunette girl and I figured it was you. I'm sorry."

I sat up and glared.

"You're not psychic, Alice. You've been claiming you're psychic since we were in eighth grade. That was the first thing you told me! And it was a lie!"

Her eyes went angry.

"I am so! And if you don't believe me, then go see who's at the door!"

I threw a glare at her.

"Nobody's at the-"

The door bell rang, cutting me off. I looked at Alice and she smiled smugly.

"Told you so."

I slid off the bed, Alice doing the same. I moved down the stairs quickly, holding the railing for support so I wouldn't fall. And there, at the front door, stood Rose, holding the door open.

"Mom?" she asked confusion throughout her voice.

I stopped down the last step and Alice locked her hand onto mine.

We stepped behind Rose and saw, standing on the large porch, Lyn, and a sleeping Mia in the arms of a young blond man.

"Dad?" Rose asked in shock.

Emmett shot a confused look at Alice and me, and then his eyes went slightly angry at the man holding Mia.

Could this really be Rose's father? He looked like her and all, but…what the hell! He didn't even give as much as warning that he was coming.

"Honey, this is Kyle. Your dad," Lyn's voice cracked with sadness at the word 'Dad' and looked at Rose. She was staring straight past her mother, and staring at her father.

"Hi, baby. Happy Birthday." Rose looked down at the floor. Emmett came behind her and placed a hand on her back.

"Come in," Rose whispered, tears crawling slowly down her cheeks. I looked behind me at Alice and her eyes were curious and sympathetic for our best friend.

Lyn stepped in, Kyle followed. Lyn closed the door, and turned to Rose.

"Honey, your dad is your Christmas and birthday present. We wanted to surprise you." Lyn put her finger under Rose's chin and picked her head up. Lyn wiped Rose's tears away and kissed her forehead. "Let him in your life," she whispered.

Rose nodded and looked at her dad.

"Hi, Dad." She allowed tears to drench her cheeks and she stepped closer to her father. Kyle passed Mia over to Lyn, and he stepped closer to Rose. "Hi, Rosie." Kyle's eyes welled with tears and he embraced her in a hug. Rose wrapped her arms around her dad and sobbed into his shoulder. I looked at Emmett and mouthed 'Let's go' at him. He nodded. Alice looked at Rose one more time and then dropped my hand, running up the stairs. I followed and so did Emmett.

"What the hell," he mumbled at Alice and I. "I didn't know he was coming. Did you guys?"

We were in Rose's bedroom now. I pulled my jacket on, Alice and Emmett did the same.

"I don't know what he's doing here," I said. I zipped my coat up over my dress.

"Lyn said he was a present. Some present if you ask me," Emmett mumbled angrily. He rolled his eyes.

"We should leave out the back. I don't want to interrupt," Alice suggested. I nodded, agreeing.

"Let's go."

I rode with Alice home. Emmett drove home in his car, angry at Rose's father for leaving her family. I couldn't blame him, but I was happy rose was giving her dad a chance. Everyone deserves a chance. Even me.

"I can't believe it," Alice whispered quietly. "First he dad sends her a letter with ten grand and then just shows up! Damn."

I nodded in agreement. "Damn is right," I replied. "The craziest Christmas ever."

Alice laughed. "First Rose received a letter, she gets a puppy, Edward and Angela got together and then Rose's dad just shows up. Amazing, isn't it?"

I didn't reply. The fact Edward and Angela were together was eating at me.

"I'm sorry, Bells," she sighed. She paused. "I'm really sorry. I really thought it was you who he was kissing. Really. I'm sorry, Bellsy."

I looked at her and my eyes glossed with tears.

"It's okay."

We were parked outside my house now, and she was looking at me, her eyes sorry. I knew she was sorry and I forgave her.

"I should go," I said. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "No, it's okay - I'm okay, Ali. I'll see you later. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, girlie." She replied sadly.

I leaned over and gave her a half hug. I held her close for a long moment, and she hugged me tightly, too.

"Love you, Bells." She squeezed me again and I sighed. I loved my best friends.

"Love you, too, Ali." I pulled away and smiled at her. "Bye."

I slid out of the car and walked up the porch steps. It was only nine fifteen, so I knew Charlie was still awake. I heard Alice's Porsche tires roll away against the pavement. I turned around, seeing her drive away, and down the street.

I wiped at my wet eyes and opened the door. I could hear Charlie in the kitchen.

"Dad, I'm home," I called, hanging my coat up. I stood where I was, staring at myself in the mirror. I felt terrible, but looked decent. Great.

"Merry Christmas, Bells!" he called back. That was the third time he said Merry Christmas to me that day. "How was Rosie's birthday?" he asked. His voice was getting closer.

"Good, I answered. My voice cracked.

He appeared in the room. He had a sandwich in his hand. He looked over at me, stopping where he was. I bent over, pretending to be preoccupied with my shoes.

"You okay, Bells?" he asked, chewing a bite of his sandwich.

"Yes," I replied. I moved to the other shoe. He moved closer to me.

"What's wrong, honey?" he asked, his voice gentle. My hand flew to my cheek, wiping away rolling tears. "Baby?"

I looked up at him, and he looked down on me with his eyes that were identical to my own. They were curious and soft. "Who hurt you, honey?" He threw his sandwich down on the coffee table and moved to me quickly. He wrapped his arms around me and I stood up, letting him hug me. I shook in his arms and he held me tight.

"I love you, Daddy," I sobbed. He put his arm under my legs, his other arm supporting my back and carried me to the couch.

He laid me across his lap, and held me.

I explained everything that happened and he nodded and listened as I explained and cried. He really understood and helped me a lot. That was the first time he had ever seen me cry and open up, and it felt amazing to be able to talk to my dad. But the pain was still there. The pain that I would always love Edward, and that Rose would always have pain because she was left by her father. Pain would never go away. My heart was filled with pain that grew quickly. I felt like my heart was in the bottle we used for 'Spin the Bottle'. It was left with the cap on it. My heart was in that bottle, and Edward was the only one who could remove it.

That night, I fell asleep to the last words I heard,

"Merry Christmas."

Merry freakin' Christmas to me.

A/N: Omg, that was a great and long chapter for me to write. It was so much fun! It literally took up 22 pages in my notebook! And I write small! So that was a lot! Haha, anyway, I wanted Rose to have a small back story, so she got one! Mmkay, it won't be long now till Bella and Edward get together. Yay! Anyhoo, the next chapter is the New Year's Eve Party! Woot! Kay, review lovelies!

No, this is not beta'd!

Love you, guys! Review!!!!! :-)