"Don't you know that I'll be around to guide you through your weakest moments
to leave them behind you.
Returning nightmares, only shadows.
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright"
Early the next morning we went out for a quick snack before I stuffed us both into the car and headed into town.
We were so bundled it was almost absurd. Both of us in jeans, black boots wrapped half way up my calves. I went all out with a black and white striped scarf and matching fingerless gloves and cropped black leather jacket with a fake fur lined hood. I felt completely ridiculous and yet so happy.
Edward had given me the absolute hands down best Thanksgiving gift ever. Now, to actually get through the plane ride home. I was going to drag Edward into town as many times as possible between now and then, if something was going to happen, I wanted to be sure it didn't happen on an airplane.
Not that I doubted his control, it's just that, you never know. My thoughts drifted back to the first time I had been around him, how his scent drove me to almost climbing the walls.
"The streets outside your window overflooded
People staring, they know you've been broken
Repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces
Ignore them tonight and you'll be all right" *
~xOx~
As we stepped out of the car, the smell overpowered everything else and stung my eyes. I swallowed, hard, and decided breathing was wholly unnecessary. We had reached the fishbreath mothership. It was everywhere. The people seemed to emanate it from their pores.
Do they eat nothing but fish here?
Under a cover of clouds, we walked the streets of town. Bella nearly skipped with excitement, shuffling in and out of stores while I waited outside. It was easy to find a bench and smoke, convincing the townspeople I was merely being polite about my bad habit. Periodically, Bella would come out of a store and I'd shuttle the packages down to the Jeep. We looked at the displays in the tiny storefronts and laughed at the windows filled with tiny Eskimo ornaments and bobsled dogs.
"That one look like Fishbreath?" I asked with a smirk. We spent the entire day in town, occasionally stealing a moment between the stores, sitting on a bench to watch people walk by. Lucky for them, most were women or couples who seemed to appreciate young love. Husbands held their wives hands a little tighter, women smiled a little wider, when they'd pass by us. Apparently we had the look. Young and in love. Adja! How nice! Naglingnerk. Love.
Bella quickly picked up the tradition of kunik, nuzzling her face against mine, our foreheads touching lightly, lips and noses brushed together. It was safe to breathe when she did that. She was so close, there was nothing else around but her sweet cinnamon scent. "I love you," I said quietly. Her lips smiled on mine.
"I could see snow covered hills
You were walking, I was standing still
I could feel the cold on my face
And we were talking like always
I could touch the snow covered leaves
And you were walking closer to me
I would play you a song out loud
Yeah, we could sing it 'till the year runs out"
When the sky grew darker, we headed back to the car, filled with bags and packages. "When do you want to get a tree," I asked as I slid into the driver's seat. I was trying to hide my excitement about the little surprise I had in store for her at the cabin. For a vampire with extreme senses, I was thankful she hadn't noticed anything different.
"See?" I added proudly, grinning smugly. "I did great." I had done really well, truth be told I even surprised myself. I leaned across the seats, pulling the massive tuft of a hood off her face to kiss her cheek, my right palm sliding against her thigh.
The roles were reversed here, in Bella's world She usually drove. Her cabin. Her town. It would be interesting to get back to Forks in a few weeks and see what roles we fell into there.
I turned onto the remote road that led to her property and fought a smile. "Close your eyes," I instructed. She balked. "Seriously! Close 'em," I urged.
I pulled up toward the cabin, just beyond the tree line but still back a ways so that we could see the whole house.
Good thing someone invented timers for lights.
I outlined the entire cabin, up to the peak of the roof and back down, with a single row of white lights. I stumbled onto them in the attic one day, putting away some things from the crates that we didn't need right away. Along the gutters were tiny icicle lights that seemed to drip from the rooftop. The warm glow of cedar was illuminated by the white lights, casting a glow on the snowflakes all around.
Her eyes opened and mirrored the twinkling lights in the bushes. "Do you like it?"
"I remember streets covered white
And I remember a long tonight
See our December will be littered with lights
And I see you walkin' to me
Oh, we were holdin' the future in hand
A place to fly and a place to land
Now our December will be sure to last
Said there'll be no rush for the year to pass...
I could see snow covered hills
And all at once my heart is still.
I see you walking to me
Yeah I see you walking to me."**
~xOx~
The breath I had, stuck in my throat as my eyes opened to hundreds of white lights lining the house. The snow in the front yard was glowing and shimmering back at us.
"Oh my god, Edward." I twisted in my seat to face him. "When did you do this? It's absolutely completely... wow. It's perfect."
As soon as he put the car in park, I jumped out and raced around to his side, pulling him eagerly from the seat. I reached quickly around him and turned the stereo up, leaving the door open, I pulled him into the middle of the glowing twinkling yard and with a huge smile on my face, we danced in the snow.
"I want a snowfall kind of love
The kind of love that quiets the world
I want a snowfall kind of love
'Cause I'm a snowfall kind of girl
I want a snowfall kind of love
That lights up the sky from below
I want a snowfall kind of love
That brings people to their window
Won't you bury me in your quiet love
Oh bury me in your quiet love
Bury me in your quiet love
And we will blow away
I want a snowfall kind of love
The kind of love that keeps you in bed all day
Oh I want to walk through with you
And watch it all melt away
Won't you bury me in your quiet love
Oh bury me in your quiet love
Bury me in your quiet love
And we will blow away"
I'm not sure how long we stood out under the night sky, singing quietly to each other and dancing, but it was one of the most amazing nights of my entire existence.
We unloaded the Jeep and stashed our goodies in the small kitchen. I started tearing through small packages of ornaments, dangling a heart made of glass up for Edward to see. The words, Our First Christmas, etched across the front.
We had decided to get a fake tree, boo, because we were going to be traveling. Didn't want it to rot while we were gone. I supposed it makes sense. In a logical sort of way. Damn him for being so logical.
As Edward set up the tree, I pulled ornaments from their cases and boxes and wrappers and set them all out on the floor for display. I couldn't help the eager giddiness that was coursing through my limbs as I danced around him, his hand full of plastic and metal tree branches.
"You are the best husband ever!" I reached up on my tip toes and kissed him quickly as I dropped a red Santa hat on his head. "Absolutely gorgeous. Best Santa I've ever seen. A little on the thin side, but, I guess it'll do." I laughed as I took off across the room to grab the silver tree topper.
*José González - Crosses
**Thriving Ivory - Our December
*** Ingrid Michaelson - Snowfall