Disclaimer: The Twilight character all belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not make any money…I simply play with them. The magical locations belong to J.K. Rowling.

Special thanks to my wonderful beta, sorceresscirce. She makes my work readable and gives me the funniest comments. I would also like to thank ObsessingOverEdward for helping me out of my writers block and for being just plain awesome.

Chapter 20: Winter Break Surprise

Isabella Swan

While every other student in Hogwarts was eagerly awaiting Christmas Break, I found myself dreading it. I was excited to see my parents, but I was not looking forward to spending my vacation without Edward. I hated the fact that my two worlds were so incompatible. It made me feel torn.

"I don't like the silence," Edward mentioned softly as he wrapped his arm tighter around me. We had escaped to the Head Compartment an hour after the train had left Hogsmeade. But I had been unable to say a word since we had settled in.

"I don't want us to be apart," I whispered, not trusting my voice to go any higher. I could already feel the pain in my chest, and we were still together.

"It's only for two weeks. It'll be New Years Eve before you know it," Edward added, trying to convince us both. I knew he was trying to look at the positive side of things. "We'll have letters and phone calls. It won't be so bad."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that phone calls and letters were going to be enough. But I knew it wouldn't be. The time away from him was going to seem like an eternity. There really was no way to sugar coat it.

"I just want there to be a way I could be with my parents and still be with you," I sighed, even though I knew that was impossible.

"The invitation for your parents to stay with us is always open, Bella. My parents will be more than happy to have them over for the holidays. We have enough room," Edward repeated, causing me to laugh. The invitation was a very sweet gesture, but it was one my family could not accept.

My parents had two opposing views on the magical world. My mother, Renee, embraced it. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Hogwarts, spells, and the magical world. Yet my dad, Charlie, liked to ignore the fact that I was a witch. He believed it was a simply a phase I would grow out of. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of it.

"I wish it were that easy," I answered as I closed my eyes. "You know how my father is. He won't even consider it."

"I just want you to know that the invitation is always open," he clarified before pressing his lips against mine. "It's just two weeks."

"I know." The train began to slow down, signaling our arrival to King's Cross Station in London.

I tightened my hold on Edward one last time before resigning myself to the inevitable. We would be spending most of our break apart. Edward helped me with my stuff before leading the way off of the train.

"I'm going to miss you, Bella," Alice exclaimed as she popped out of one of the compartments closely followed by Jasper. Both of them looked quite disheveled.

"I will too, Alice," I responded as we wrapped our arms around each other. "Make sure to write."

"Of course, silly," Alice giggled as we stepped off the train and onto the platform.

"You too, Jasper. I want letters," I reminded him before hugging him as well.

"Happy Holidays," he replied, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. "We'll see you on New Years." All of us were skipping the annual Ministry New Year's event, opting to spend a quiet night at the Masens'.

"Come on, my mom is probably waiting with your parents." It didn't take long to find our parents near the ticket office. My mom was talking animatedly with Mrs. Masen, while my father ignored her. He pretended to be busy reading the newspaper.

"Edward, Bella!" Mrs. Masen exclaimed the minute she spotted us, wrapping us both in a bone-crushing hug. "How was your term?"

"It was great," I answered before hugging my parents. It had been entirely too long since I had last seen them.

"Are you ready to go?" my father asked as hugged me. He was very uncomfortable by Mrs. Masen and Edward's presence.

"Almost," I answered before turning to Edward. The time had come to say goodbye.

"It's only two weeks," Edward repeated as soon as he noticed the tears welling up in my eyes. I was trying to stop myself from crying, but it was impossible.

"I know," I replied before throwing myself against him. I hadn't quite told my parents that Edward and I were together, but I didn't care. I needed to properly say goodbye.

Edward brushed his lips against my hairline before pulling me away just enough to kiss me. I could hear my mother's gasp and my father's grumble, but I ignored it. My focus was entirely on Edward.

"I love you," we both said simultaneously, causing us to laugh.

"I'll miss you," I added before giving him one last kiss.

I pulled away from him, forcing myself to walk towards my parents. I didn't look back as I followed them out of the station. I had to use every ounce of self control to stop myself from running back to him. I needed to spend time with my parents. It was the right thing to do.

"Is there something you want to tell us?" my mother asked in an expectant tone the minute we had climbed into the car.

"About?" I questioned as I bit my lip nervously. I knew she wanted to know all about my relationship with Edward, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to anger my father any more than he already was.

"You and Edward, of course. That was quite the goodbye," she clarified, causing me to blush. "Are you two together?"

"He's my boyfriend," I admitted, and my father shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat. "We've been together since the end of summer."

"And you haven't said a word? Why didn't you say anything?" My mom seemed almost hurt by my omission. But I had no idea how to tell her. Was I supposed to end a letter with "PS: I'm now dating my best friend, Edward"? It just didn't seem right.

"I wanted to tell you in person." I wasn't being completely honest. I had never really considered how to tell them. I was hoping they would just figure it out.

"You didn't have to attack the boy to tell us," my father muttered. "A simple statement would have been enough. Besides, that wasn't lady-like behavior."

"Charlie, she was just emotional. She's not going to see her boyfriend for two weeks. Don't you remember how we were when we were forced apart?" My mother defended me, giving me a knowing wink. I would've expected my father to know what it felt like to be apart from the person you loved.

My father was from the States. My parents had met during college when my mom had visited Seattle, Washington during a foreign exchange program. They had fallen in love during the few months she was there. It took only four months for my father to pick up his stuff and move to London. The two got married exactly eight months after they met, and I was born nine months later.

"We were older, Renee, and we knew what we wanted." I tried to ignore his statement even though I could already feel the anger boiling within me. I knew perfectly well that Edward was the man for me. Age had nothing to do with love.

"Not by much. Plus, Edward is a good kid. He's smart, loyal, a great friend to Bella, and he's pretty darn cute." My mom giggled, causing me to laugh.

"Can you both stop talking about my boyfriend as if I'm not here?" I asked, wanting to redirect the conversation somewhere else.

"Isn't it a bit soon for you to consider him your boyfriend?" Charlie asked in an annoyed tone. "Wouldn't you rather be with a normal boy?"

"What do you mean by a normal boy?" I asked with a frown. Why was he being so prejudiced?

"You know exactly what I mean, Isabella. You shouldn't date wizards. What kind of life could you possibly have with him?" I felt the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes as I stared out the window of the car. Why was my father so narrow-minded?

"I'm a witch, Charlie. Whether you like it or not, I will always be a witch," I refuted, trying my best to control all the emotions whirling inside of me. I wanted my father to accept me for who I was. Why couldn't he be proud of me for being a witch?

"Your father doesn't mean that, Bella," my mother jumped in trying to smooth over the situation. I knew she meant well, but that didn't change anything. My father was ashamed of who I was. "We are both very proud of you. Aren't we, Charlie?"

My father mumbled a reply, causing me to sink into the back seat of the car. There was absolutely nothing I could do to change my father's mind. I was never going to be the person he wanted me to be.

"We have a surprise for you at home," my father suddenly announced excitedly, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between us.

The first thought that entered my mind was an owl. I had been secretly hoping for an owl since the day I had first gone into Hogsmeade, but I had never been able to purchase one. But just as the thought entered my mind, it left. My father was excited over my surprise. He would never approve of an owl, let alone buy me one.

"What kind of surprise?" I inquired. My parents had most likely gotten me a gift card to my favorite bookstore just a few blocks from my house.

"You'll see," my father answered as we turned into the street of my house. "I know you'll love it, Bella."

It didn't take long for me to figure out just what my surprise was. The car hadn't even come to a full stop before my friend, Jacob, was flying down the front porch steps of my house and yanking the back door of the car open.

Jacob was my father's best friend's son. Even though they lived in Washington, they still stayed in contact with my father. Billy and Charlie had been inseparable from the time they were born, and the distance had done nothing to their friendship. It was tradition for us to spend at least a month every summer with them in Washington. But I stayed at home this year.

"Jake!" I cried as he pulled me into a hug lifting my feet off the floor. It had been over a year since i had least seen him. He was well over six feet tall. His once shoulder-length hair had been cut very short. He looked much more like a man than a boy.

"We missed you this summer," he said as he let me down.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I was still dumbfounded by his presence. They never came to England. We always visited them.

"I needed a change of scenery. Plus my dad bought me the plane ticket as an early Christmas present," he answered.

"How about your dad? Is he here too?" I questioned, looking up towards the house.

"No, he went to go visit my sister this year. He refuses to travel any farther than that." Jake rolled his eyes as my father approached us.

"Billy is quite set in his ways," he laughed. "Were you surprised?"

"I was definitely not expecting this," I replied as we entered the house. "Why didn't you two tell me?"

"Charlie wanted it to be a surprise." My mom shrugged.

"Why don't you kids go catch up, and I'll help Renee with lunch?" I bit my lip nervously as Jake practically dragged me into the living room. I always found it very awkward to spend time with Jacob. We had been pretty close as kids, but we had grown very distant over the years.

Jacob didn't know and couldn't find out that I was a witch. It really limited our topics of conversation. Plus my father had been hinting for years how the two of us would be the perfect couple. I liked Jake but only as a friend.

"So, how's the prep school treating you?" Jacob questioned as we settled on the couch. "I don't know how you mingle with all those rich kids."

"My mom went to prep school," I reminded him. My mom had always been a relatively simple person even though her family was extremely wealthy. She never liked to show off the amount of money she had.

"You know what I mean, Bella. I just don't see your sudden interest." He shrugged.

"How are things in Washington?" I asked, steering the conversation into safer waters. Jacob would never be able to truly understand why I went to boarding school.

"The same. Nothing changes over in Forks. You're the one with the exciting life," he replied, causing an uneasy silence to fall over us. I really had no idea what to say.

I felt Jacob's eyes on me as we sat in silence. I had always felt very comfortable around him, but that had changed since I had started Hogwarts. His gaze was more intense. It was almost as if he was seeing me as more than a friend. Had my father said something to him?

"I should go unpack," I suddenly said as I stood up. I really needed to get away from him. I needed to figure out a way to make sure he knew that we were just friends.

"Do you need any help?" he offered, even though I was already halfway up the stairs.

"Watch some television. I'll be fine," I answered with a smile before escaping to the security of my bedroom.

I couldn't help but smile the minute I stepped into my room. Edward's tiny, snowy owl, Athena, was perched on my window sill patiently waiting my arrival. "What are you doing here so soon, Athena?" I asked as she settled herself on my shoulder, gently nipping at my cheek.

"I'm sorry I don't have any owl treats for you," I said as I untied Edward's letter from her foot. "Are you going to wait around for my reply?"

Athena flew away from me before resting herself on my headboard, giving me a few minutes to read Edward's letter and write a reply.

Bella,

I just want to make sure you made it home safely. Things at home are a bit crazy. Jasper's dad has increased security around here. I really think something isn't right. I can't say much, but you'll see when you come over for New Year's.

Don't be surprised if Athena suddenly appears or disappears. One of our new security features is to have all our owls be invisible during flight. They only appear when they reach their designated person.

We've been apart only a few hours, but I miss you terribly. Emmett has already left to go spend time with Rose, and Jasper is out somewhere shopping with Alice. I hate being apart. I hope your holiday is off to a better start than mine. I'm literally counting down the days until I see you again.

Let me know if Athena gently nipped you. I instructed her to send you kisses from me.

I love and miss you,

Edward

I smiled at Edward's letter. It was so like him to send his owl with kisses just for me. It was just too sweet. I quickly flew off my bed, ruffling through my trunk to find a piece of parchment. I really wanted to send my reply right away.

"Are you going to give Edward kisses on my behalf, too?" I asked Athena as she propped herself on my desk, watching me write.

"Bella, lunch is ready!" Jacob suddenly announced as he burst through the door, his eyes opening wide as he spotted Athena.

"Is that an owl?" he questioned in surprise before Athena suddenly disappeared.

"What owl?" I asked, trying to appear nonchalant. How was I going to explain a dissappearing owl?

A/N: I want to thank all of you for being so understanding about the long delays in between chapters. I promise that once i finish writing I will have updates come much more rapidly. The good thing is that I am nearing the end.

I will have the next update up in two weeks on Feb. 14 (Yes, Valentine's Day).

I was also the author on this weeks Friday Free For All. I wrote a fluffy outtake from my Bella/Carlisle story, Taking Chances. A lot of my readers requested Edward and Angela's relationship development. The one shot can be read on its own if you haven't read Taking Chances. You can read it here on my profile or over on Twilighted under, Ninapolitan.

Next Chapter: Only Friends

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