Chapter 27 : All I want for Christmas…

Seth

"License and registration please, ma'am."

Her car engine purred as it sat parked on the edge of the road just outside of Forks. I listened, barely paying attention as she rustled through her too-large, too-expensive looking purse. As the young brunette swore under her breath, I could barely pay attention. It was Christmas Eve, and the last place I wanted to be was on the side of the road writing a ticket to this girl.

"So sorry, officer," she said, suddenly sounding as sultry as her expensive sports car. "I'm on my way to Seattle, and I just can never find anything in this silly purse…"

"Take your time," I mumbled, leaning against the side of the car as she continued to dig for her wallet. Six months ago I might have actually paid attention to what I assumed was an attractive looking girl that I had pulled over—hell, six months ago I might even have pursued someone like her for a flimsy one night stand. I didn't have many of those, but every once in awhile I needed one. I had avoided anything serious as a single wolf for fear of imprinting someday. However, I also couldn't ignore my hormones forever. Sometimes a quick romp with a random stranger was all I needed to tide me over for a good few weeks. But I never let it get any more serious than a lay or two - it couldn't. It wasn't just for the girl; it was for me.

I took sex seriously. It was quite difficult to not get attached to someone while doing something so intimate…so I avoided it. Sex with women was strictly primal; uncaring and as promiscuous as possible. That was what made it easier really….I couldn't get attached to a woman if all I'd seen of her was basically her on all fours once or twice. I knew it was an asshole-ish thing to think, but…now that I had an imprint I was glad I didn't have to bother breaking some poor innocent girl's heart because I couldn't keep it in my pants.

When I think back, I had thought that avoiding a serious relationship with a woman was somewhat of a chore. It was a conscious task to emotionally keep my distance from a woman. But now that Regan was in my life…I thanked my lucky stars. How could I even look at another woman? It wasn't that I couldn't. I still had free will over who and what I wanted to look at, but…with Regan, I didn't want to look. I shook my head now just thinking about it.

As I was saying…six months ago I would have jumped at an opportunity like this. A pretty girl, passing through town, possibly home for the holidays…someone fun, flirty, and looking for the same thing I was – casual sex, a brief hookup, and possibly a little bit of company. She was safe because she had a life somewhere else, and the chances that I would never see her again were high. Yes, I definitely would have taken advantage of this situation. But now…I barely noticed her flowery perfume or long, perfectly curled eyelashes.

It was the morning of Christmas Eve. It would officially be what I hoped was my first of many Christmases with Regan. As I stood beside the running car, watching my breath turn into white clouds in the crisp morning air, I once again thanked whatever strange form of magic that had brought Regan to live with Sue and Charlie. The fact that I would get to spend Christmas with her was something I wasn't about to take for granted. Spending a holiday with her made me feel closer to her.

For starters, I was ecstatic to give Regan her present. Sue had agreed that I could get her a present this time, unlike her birthday when I had to send her flowers in secret. I knew my mom would have killed me if I would have proudly presented her with them like I'd want to. Hell, Regan would have probably killed me if I would have done it too, but…secret was okay. I'll never know if she knew it was me that sent them…but my gut told me she did at times. During the long hours with her after her accident, I saw that she used the short, crystal vase from the flowers as a pencil holder. It sat its place of honor on her bedroom desk. Several of the roses hung upside down near her window sill, permanently dried as a reminder of how beautiful they had been when I had given them to her.

Even though she enjoyed them, I still yearned to give her something more tangible that I knew she would like. Her present sat, already wrapped, on my bedroom dresser as it had for three weeks. I was positively aching to give it to her. I had gotten her several little presents to open as well, but they were trivial in comparison to her big gift. I shivered slightly out of excitement. My shift ends in a few hours, and I could hardly wait to make a beeline to my mom's house.

"Are you sure I need a ticket, officer?" the petite brunette asked me saucily. I barely glanced at her as I began to write it out.

"Isn't there some way we can work this out?" she begged.

I finished writing the warning ticket and handed it to her quickly.

"Just slow it down when you're this close to town. Just a warning this time," I replied flatly, turning on my heel and trotting away from the car. I heard her sigh in disgust as she rolled up her car window and pulled away. I wasn't a mean cop. I smiled to myself as I climbed into the Bronco and headed back towards Forks.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I sat back in my chair rubbing my stomach. I eyed the enormous turkey that sat in the middle of the table, debating whether or not I could finish off that last leg…

"It's Christmas Eve dinner…not a shootout in the Wild West," Leah said flatly, glaring at me from across the table. I raised one eyebrow but didn't look away from the beckoning turkey leg.

As I reached for it, I heard Regan groan beside me. "Ulgh, it's almost painful to watch him eat this much. How can you stand it?"

"I've had to watch them eat like this for years," Sue grumbled beside her. Charlie looked on, ignoring our banter. Leah winced as I bit into the leg, chewing slowly.

"It almost hurts—can your stomach lining explode?" I asked, rubbing my protruding stomach and wincing slightly. Regan grimaced, glancing at my stomach as if she expected it to explode.

"I have a feeling you would know that by now," Regan countered, wincing as she watched me chew. I nodded, taking another bite.

We had gathered together later that night and had just finished Christmas Eve dinner. Leah had arrived back in town just before I got there, and we had all sat down to eat before opening presents.

"Tell that fiancé of yours that I expect to see him at this table next year," Charlie said to my sister with a stern nod. Leah rolled her eyes.

"He's a vet just starting out, Charlie. He can't always take holidays off. It's alright though…I'm getting used to it."

Charlie nodded and I watched him look meaningfully at my mother as she stood and began to pile our plates onto hers to clear the table. His soft, brown eyes followed her as she dutifully began her tedious clean-up process. I realized for certainly not the first time how much my mom meant to Charlie. I didn't know much about his first wife (Bella's mother), but I knew enough to realize that their relationship had Charlie shattered for a long time. My dad's death had done the same to my mom—to all of us really. But together, I was sure that my mom and Charlie had helped each other pick up the pieces. My father's unexpected death had really shaken my mom. I think it was an event that made her stand back and realize just how much she had to lose, only…it was already gone. Sometimes when I miss him, the only thing that makes me feel a lot better is to think about all the ways Sue and Charlie had healed each other. I continued to watch as my mom came back into the dining room and handed him another beer.

Charlie looked down at the can then back up at her. She reached down, cracking it open for him.

"I've had my four," he said honestly, resembling a child admitting to stealing cookies from a cookie jar.

"It's Christmas," she said good naturedly, giving him a shrug. She patted him on the shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he took a sip.

Yes, I was very happy that my mom had found Charlie.

I glanced at Leah as she leaned back in her chair, taking in the scene around the table as I was. She was sleeping in Regan's room tonight as I would be taking the couch. I wasn't willing to miss a second of my first official Christmas with Regan.

We moved into the living room, all of us completely stuffed. Regan was still hobbling around, but now she just had a huge plastic boot instead of a cast and no crutches. Her ankle was healing well, and I was finally glad she could move around a little easier.

I settled down in my place near Regan, happy that our friendship was solidified—at least in my mind—enough for me to even act like her friend; things were no longer strange between us. I could sit by her, talk to her, tease and joke with her…it wasn't all strange looks and creepy vibes anymore. I was on cloud nine.

"Hey…it's snowing!" she gasped, looking out the window. She turned on the couch, looking out the large bay window that overlooked the front yard.

I chuckled. "Where have you been? It's been snowing all winter!"

Her expressive, green eyes watched the large snowflakes as they fell to the ground outside. "But this is pretty snow," she argued. "It's not the frozen, sleet-y, icky, nasty snow that usually falls here."

We all laughed, glancing out the window at the 'pretty' snow. The light was leaving the sky as darkness began to fall on Forks, and it finally began to really feel like Christmas.

When we heard a knock on the door a few minutes later, I was surprised. I hurried over and opened it, surprised to see Quil and Claire standing there, along with Embry.

"Something wrong?" Leah questioned, appearing behind me. I looked at their smiling faces and realized that nothing was wrong at all; in fact, it looked like they had just gotten done with a run after picking up Claire. I was instantly a little envious that Claire knew about Quil's wolf status, but I swallowed it back. She would know…someday.

"What's going on?" Regan asked from the couch.

"Get your gloves," I called to her. "We're gonna go play in the snow."

It took about five minutes of playful romping in the snow before the six of us started a full on war in Charlie's backyard. The snow continued to fall around us, giving us the perfect setting for our snow war. It was Quil, Claire, and Leah versus Regan, Embry, and me. Of course it was mainly between the four of us wolves; Regan and Claire pretty much hid behind us and screamed a lot when any snowballs came their way.

I was more than happy to help Regan gimp around in the snow; she had left her crutches inside, but she could hobble pretty fast now…and if she couldn't, I was always more than happy to pick her up and hurry her out of harm's way.

"Lookout!" Embry hollered, gently pushing Regan out of the way just in time for a snowball to hit me square in the chest.

"Hey!" I laughed, tossing a handful at him. "Thanks jerk!" I laughed. Embry sneered at me and loped out of the way as I tossed a large handful of the icy snow at us.

I was glad that Claire and Quil had dragged Embry out of his house to come play with us….Embry was a social guy at heart and a great friend, but…I think this time of year he gets a little lonely. Embry, Brady, and a few of the younger wolves were the only ones in our pack that hadn't imprinted yet. Unlike Brady, who rather enjoyed his man-whore-wolf-status as Quil had nicknamed it, Embry seemed like he wouldn't seem to mind finding an imprint. I remembered he had tried a few times a couple of years ago, just like Jake had so long ago. We had all watched that painful scene in his head, just before Nessie was born. Embry had gone out endlessly trying to find her; bars, stores, parks, malls, even local colleges. Nothing.

"Quit wishing I'd find a girl, Clearwater," he hissed at me, flashing me a grin before stuffing a handful of snow down my pack.

I gritted my teeth as the snow quickly melted against my skin and sweatshirt, making a damp spot on the cloth.

"How did you know?" I chuckled, arching my back. I watched as Regan hobbled behind a tree to avoid a snowball from Claire.

"Don't fall!" I hollered at her. She tossed me a playful glare.

"What am I, four?" she quipped, giving me a frown. She shrieked seconds later as Claire hit her in the leg with a pitiful snowball, but a snowball nonetheless.

Embry laughed, dusting the melted ice off his hands. "You get this dreamy, far off look in your eye. Wishing we could double date? Maybe I'll go hang out at the preschool and hope to find my imprint there," Embry chuckled.

I laughed with him, glad that he was still good-natured about his single status.

"You wouldn't," I said, my eyes growing wide.

"No Clearwater, I wouldn't. Freaking goon," he grumbled, but smacked me heartily on the back. "Don't worry about me. She might be out there, she might not. But in the meantime…I make single look good."

I snorted as he trotted off, undoubtedly planning a sneak attack on my sister. Embry was my friend and one of my original pack mates; I just wanted him to be happy.

I trotted over to where Regan was standing behind a tree, scouting out Claire's next attack. The little devil liked to use Quil as a shield during her attacks, making her hard to stop.

"Are you cold?" I asked, standing beside the tree. Before she could answer, I reached out and blocked a snowball with my bare hand, tossing the ice to the ground.

"N-no," she shivered, grinning at me through her blue lips. I shook my head and made the sign for 'Timeout'.

"Yeah right," I laughed, shaking my head at her.

None of the wolves were wearing gloves; my thin fleece hoodie was more than enough to keep me warm in this weather. I was sure the temperature was hovering around thirty degrees…just cold enough for it to snow this much. However, we soon realized the humans were soon shivering and doing enough teeth chattering to remind us that they couldn't stay out all night in the snow like we could.

"Inside!" Leah panted, shaking her head while grinning at me. I nodded, grabbing Regan's mittened hand and hurrying inside.

"I'm so c-cold," she half shivered, half giggled as we made our way back inside. I could hear her teeth chattering as she tried to get warmer. I laughed, yanking her gloves off her hands. I covered her hands with mine, letting the heat from my normally scorching hot skin warm hers.

"Oh," she shivered, closing her eyes slightly. "Your hands are so warm! You're always so warm…" she muttered, her teeth chattering again slightly.

"Presents?" Leah asked. Her eyes flickered to our intertwined hands, but she said nothing. "Mom and Charlie are waiting," she mumbled, walking past us and back into the living room.

"Presents?" Regan asked brightly. I could see the excitement bubbling in her expression at the word.

"Yeah. We get to open two on Christmas Eve. Tradition," I shrugged, giving her a smile. She grinned up at me, her curls windblown and her cheeks bright pink.

"That's awesome! I got you something," she admitted sheepishly, suddenly sounding very…teenager-ish. I definitely forgot sometimes that she was only seventeen; the way she spoke and the things she talked about were very mature. However…I had to remember: seventeen.

"Really?" I felt my heart soar. I had to control myself. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's nothing big," she laughed. "But it's something. I wanted to give you something to say thanks for…"

"What?" I asked, gazing down at her. I could faintly hear the rest of my family getting settled in the living room around the tree. I knew they would be expecting us, but I didn't care.

"It's to say thanks for…not leaving."

I looked down at her, feeling my heart warm. Was my wish finally coming true? Was Regan finally accepting me into her life to stay?

"Is this about that night after the bonfire?"

She nodded, looking up at me. God…when she did that…sometimes I forgot how to use my mouth.

"I told you I would never leave you. We're…friends, Regan, and…and I meant every word I said."

She smiled warmly at me; her jewel-like, green eyes lighting up. I listened closely, hearing her heart start to beat a little faster. Her hands reluctantly dropped, and I immediately missed the contact of her skin against mine. I would never tire of the delightful little tingles of electricity I felt when her hands touched mine. I heard her sigh, but it was…a content sigh. I realized with a light heart that she actually believed me this time when I told her I would never leave. I couldn't; I wouldn't want to.

We took turns opening presents around the tree in the living room. Leah and I had gotten together to get my mom her own dough maker for home, a present that Charlie was more than happy about. My mom got me new shirts and jeans, which were always appreciated since I was constantly losing or destroying mine—tying them to your leg while running over a hundred miles an hour didn't always work out well. I probably had 20 pairs of Levis strewn around the forest somewhere between here and La Push over the years.

"I have one you can open tonight and one tomorrow," Regan admitted sheepishly, handing me a small package. I gave her a touched smile; she had gotten me not only one but two things.

I tore the present in my hand open without further delay, my jaw dropping open slightly when I saw what it was.

"I made it," she said timidly. "Claire and I went to Port Angeles last weekend to this little shop and…and you could make things there and fire them to look all cool, so…"

I stared down at the coffee cup in my hand, turning it over. It was black and shiny, just like a real coffee mug, but with my name written in Regan's quirky, scratchy print. On the other side, she had drawn and colored in a cartoonish looking version of the Forks Police Department shield. She had obviously painted it and had it fired to look glossy, and I was awestruck that she would make me something so personal.

"T-thank you," I stuttered slightly, staring down at it. I was so touched that she would actually take the time to make something for me. Something made by my imprint was ten time better than anything store-bought.

"Charlie said you drink a lot of coffee at work," she rambled, hobbling over to sit beside me on the couch. Her bright eyes looked up at me expectantly as she wrung her hands together in her lap. "Do you like it? I mean, I know it kinda looks like an art project, but…"

"Looks good, Regs. Can I put one on my Christmas list for next year?" Charlie asked from his chair. She grinned at him, nodding.

"Sure. I mean…I didn't do that great. You should have seen the one Claire made for her mom. I…"

"It's so neat, Regan, really!" I exclaimed. I gave her a casual, friendly one-armed hug and turned it over in my hands. I knew I'd pretty much turn my nose up at any other coffee mug anywhere after seeing this.

"That's really cool," Leah said, picking it from my hands. "I didn't know you were artsy."

"I'm not, really…"

"It looks wonderful. He loves it, I can tell. Moms know these things," I heard my mom say. I met her gaze from across the room, relieved that she seemed pleased with Regan's gift to me. I knew she wasn't going to like either of the presents I was going to give to Regan this Christmas, but I was tired of tip-toeing around her. I wanted my imprint to have certain things—moms and their snarky looks be dammed.

We went around and each opened up a few more presents. We always opened one or two on Christmas Eve, saving most of them for the next day. Charlie got the new Carhart jacket he wanted while Leah received several new things for her apartment she shared with Scott. Finally, everyone decided that it was time to go to bed.

"Hang back a sec, okay?" I whispered to Regan after she stood to leave. She gave me a quizzical stare, but nodded.

"Don't stay up too late…Santa's gonna come, after all," Leah replied in a teasing tone, her dark eyes glittering at my mother.

"Santa will still come, but only for sons and daughters that still believe in him. If they question Santa, they won't get anything for Christmas," my mom insisted as she walked up the stairs after Charlie.

Leah followed them, giving me a curious stare. She didn't even know what I was going to give Regan. My hand went inside my jean pocket, trembling with excitement or nerves—I wasn't sure.

Regan turned to look at me, her eyes shining brightly. I could see the reflection of the multicolored Christmas lights in them, making the bright green of her irises seem to dance. Her dark hair hung down in wavy layers, curling slightly from the damp snow from our snowball fight. I knew I would never regret what I was about to give her.

"What is it, Seth?"

Cue awkward silence as I tried to mentally get my shit together.

"Um…I have something to give you."

"Why do you kinda look like you want to puke?"

I chuckled, still amazed at my imprint and her uncanny ability to call me on my crap.

I gulped, pulling the thin laces of leather out of my pocket. "Because I made you something too, and….and I'm not sure…I wasn't sure if you would like it."

Her mouth fell open slightly as she looked down into my hand. I prayed that she couldn't see it shake slightly.

"This is for me?" she asked, picking it up carefully. I nodded, watching her face as she accepted the gift.

"Do you like it?"

I watched as she held up the Quileute promise bracelet that I had woven just for her. Quil had to show me how to weave one just like his grandfather had shown him. I must be in love with Regan to sit through a Quil-taught jewelry making lesson. Talk about awkward, even for best friends.

"It's…it's so pretty. You made this? You're a guy, how did you— you're not supposed to make girly jewelry that I would actually like!" she giggled, turning it over in her hands. I laughed; my love for the girl in front of me increasing with every second.

"It's a Quileute thing," I laughed. "We're manly men and all, but…we take our bracelet making pretty seriously," I chuckled.

She admired the thinly woven, black cord in her hands, touching the shiny turquoise beads appreciatively. It was simple, but pretty…just like my Regan. The cord was black and intricately braided, and I had purchased the three turquoise beads that adorned it separately, adding them on as an afterthought. I had to admit…it was one of the prettier Quileute promise bracelets I'd seen.

"Will you put it on me?" she asked eagerly, holding out her wrist. I nodded, happy that she seemed to enjoy my handiwork.

I took her hand in mine, turning her arm over to secure the thin bracelet around her small wrist. It looked perfect there.

"Seth, this is so sweet. I still can't believe you made me something. How did you do it?" Her voice was soft and sincere, laced with emotion. I could feel how much she liked it.

I laughed. "It's just a silly bracelet. I thought you would like it, and…I'm right?"

"I'll never take it off," she said happily, gazing down at it on her arm. I smiled, bending down to give her another hug.

"Merry Christmas, Regan."

And I'd never meant anything more.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As I lay on the couch later that night, I sighed happily as I listened to my sister and my imprint as they bonded – talking, laughing, and sharing stories. I was a little jealous that I wasn't invited to their little slumber party, but I knew that this was important to them. Leah's voice floated down the steps as I sprawled out on the couch, gazing at the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree.

"Are you having a good Christmas? I mean, away from home?"

I could hear Regan chuckle to herself. "Yeah, it's nice to actually have people around. My mom was usually still at her office Christmas party at this time. We did our thing Christmas day…but yeah, it's nice."

"Good. I know Mom would be happy that you're alright here."

"Are you sad Scott isn't here to spend it with you?"

I heard my sister laugh. "I am, but I know Scott and I will have a lot of our own Christmases eventually. He just texted me from the animal hospital, and I guess it's been a busy night. He just removed a candy cane, wrapper and all, from a beagle puppy's throat. So yeah…he's too busy to miss me."

"You guys seem really happy…I was sad I couldn't meet him," Regan offered quietly.

I could tell she was trying to tip-toe around Leah; she was afraid Leah would get upset at the mention of her absent fiancé, but I knew better.

"It's alright. We'll have Christmas when I get home!" Leah said. "It will be kinda nice…just the two of us." I listened to my sister giggle happily, and I realized I never thought I'd hear her like this again. It was good to hear Leah laugh.

There was a silence for a few moments. "Are you alright?"

Regan laughed. "I'm envious. You guys seem really in love, is all. I…I know this sounds…stupid or whatever, but…I hope I have that someday…is that stupid? I feel like that's cheesy…whatever, I…"

I heard Leah swallow. "You will. That's not stupid at all. That's what everyone wants – to be happy. You don't have to be embarrassed about wanting that."

"I guess not," Regan murmured quietly.

"You'll figure things out," I heard my sister say quietly.

"Do you know…about…about Brady?" Silence. "I knew someone would blab about it."

I heard my sister chuckle. "Regan…" I heard my sister sigh uncomfortably. "Brady is an ass, but I knew something had to have happened for Seth to…well…to have done that."

"Is it really easy to tell?"

"No, I mean…I'm older, but…I was seventeen once too, you know. I can tell when a girl has been screwed over by a guy."

"True," I heard Regan say. "I just feel stupid. And embarrassed."

"Anyone would. You shouldn't let it eat at you. Believe me…I would know."

"You would? What do you mean?"

I heard my sister laugh softly. "I was in love with a guy once. Like…what I thought was really…really in love."

I sighed, listening to the wistfulness in my sister's voice as she talked about Sam…even now.

"And…and I thought that I was doing the right thing, you know…making the right choices. And I suppose I was…at the time. But that's another story. What I'm trying to say is…"

"Just spit it out, Leah," Regan laughed, half amused and half annoyed. They both laughed, and I smiled to myself as I listened.

"I just…I let a guy shatter me. I don't even think I was as hurt by the fact that I got dumped on my ass, it was just…the way I handled it. It just broke my heart. It broke me. And I let it break me over and over and over. I never was the kind of girl whose life revolved around a guy and when I met Sam…I swore things would be different. I swore I wouldn't be that girl, that cliché, needy girl…and as soon as he dropped me I…I thought it was all just over. I didn't think you could get unhappier.

"Wow," Regan said quietly. It was obvious she was as speechless as I would have been.

"I'm just saying that you can think you're…broken…but you're not. You just need to find your…glue, I guess."

Regan giggled, and I realized my heart was happy to hear that sound.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that…I couldn't get out of bed. I hated him, I hated myself, I hated…just…life in general. But I came out of it…it just took some time."

"You found the right guy?"

"No," Leah said firmly. "It wasn't about finding the right guy. I was single for a long ass time, and proud of it. No, it wasn't about replacing the guy….it was about like….fixing myself, I guess. It was about moving on, making better choices for myself…which for me was leaving La Push and getting an education….but it meant being okay with being alone and…and not being so freaking bitter about it all the time. When Sam dumped me, I was content to just wallow in this self-loathing cycle. I finally woke up one day and realized that that wasn't what I wanted my life to be. It meant finally being okay with myself and forgiving myself for stupidly thinking that everything falling apart was my fault. It took some time for me to pick up the pieces, and it really seemed hopeless there for awhile…"

"Tell me about it," Regan echoed.

Leah snorted. "Yeah…I went through some dark times. But I came out of it, like I said…I just had to make some changes. If I can figure it out, so can you."

"I hope so—I want to. I really do. I'm tired of being the little idiot of Forks."

I laughed at my imprint's sarcastic nature, chuckling to myself on the couch.

"You're not a little idiot. You just…make some bad choices. You'll figure it out. Hell knows…if I can, you can."

"I want to find my Scott, Leah," she said finally. I heard my sister laugh again.

"You'll be alright. Just learn to like yourself first. Then maybe…well, probably your Scotty will come along. I'm sure he will, in fact."

Regan was quiet for a few moments. "I hope so too. And in the meantime, I have Seth to look out for me and punch the mean ones," she laughed. I heard my sister burst out into laughs again, and they struggled to keep quiet for Sue and Charlie's sake.

"Seth would do anything for you Regan," my sister laughed, trying to choke back her giggles.

Regan laughed with her. "I know. Look, he even made me this kick ass bracelet! Can you believe that?"

Leah stopped laughing. All was quiet. I winced. Shit.

"Hey, um…I'm going to go make a late night snack. Do you want anything?"

"Ulgh, I can't even think about food. No, I'm good. I can't believe you can even think about food."

Leah snorted to herself. "Don't jump out the window while I'm gone."

Regan chucked something at her as she left. I heard Leah's footsteps coming down the stairs, and before I knew it she was smacking me on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

"A promise bracelet? Really, Seth?" She whopped me again and made a gagging sound in the back of her throat before silently stalking off to the dark kitchen. I rubbed my head and pouted.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Christmas morning dawned cloudy and best of all – snowy. We had almost a foot of snow since it had started snowing the day before, and all of Forks was covered in a white blanket of sparkling snowflakes. However, I could have cared less.

I could have cared less because I was so beside myself excited to give Regan her present that it wasn't even laughable. I had barely slept all night, and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning instead of late twenty-something werewolf. I was so enthused that I had to beg my mother to wake Regan and Leah up so we could get this Christmas day show on the road.

When Regan did finally come downstairs, she looked so cute I could barely stop myself from grinning at her. She rubbed her eyes sleepily with the sleeve of her hooded sweatshirt. She pretended to glare angrily at me for waking her up, but she soon let a smile crack through the façade.

She flopped next to me on the couch. "You would be happy and smiley at this hour of the morning."

"You're cute in the morning. You making growling noises like a frustrated little puppy," I laughed, elbowing her.

Rolling her eyes, she happily accepted the cup of coffee I had already waiting for her on the coffee table.

"Hey thanks," she mumbled, giving me a lopsided, morning grin.

"Alright, let's get this present thing over with," Charlie grumbled. He looked at me smiling on his couch and gave me a cranky morning look that echoed Regan's.

"Why isn't anyone as excited as I am? It's Christmas!"

"No one is ever as excited as you are," Leah muttered, taking her place on the floor by the tree. She began passing out gifts as I watched excitedly.

"This is from us. Merry Christmas, sweetie," my mom said, handing Regan a box. She ruffled her hair, and Regan actually smiled at my mom. I watched their exchange and felt myself growing more and more confident that Regan was feeling more at home in Forks.

We opened presents for awhile, my sister watching as I grew more and more impatient for Regan to actually open my present to her. With an eye roll, Leah handed Regan the silver package from under the tree.

"Here, open this one. It's from me," I said proudly, practically shoving the box at her. Regan smiled good-naturedly, nervously tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Yes, please, open it before my brother dies like the little girl that he is," Leah said flatly, giving me a knowing smile.

"O-okay," she laughed, unwrapping the ribbon. She tore the packaging off, her eyes growing wide with excitement.

"Holy crap, it's a phone!" she yelped, turning the box over in her hands. I felt my face explode into a grin that was probably the size of Mars as I watched her take in her present, but I didn't care. It was obvious she loved it. I heard my mom gasp at my audacity to buy Regan such an expensive present, but it barely registered in my mind.

"Oh my God, Seth…thank you!" Regan shrieked, bouncing up off the couch. She practically ripped the box apart to get the sleek, shiny, little cell phone out of its packaging. Bits of plastic and paper fluttered to the floor as she removed the wrappings and held it up. It took her all of ten seconds to power it on and let her eyes widen.

"Do you like it? Is it the right kind?" I asked, watching her skeptically. I had wandered into the cell phone store, completely clueless on what to kind of phone to buy a teenage girl. The salesgirl that had approached me had practically talked me into buying one of the newest, most expensive phones in the store, claiming that her own daughter wanted one for Christmas. However, she hadn't thought her daughter deserved such a flashy present…but Regan was different.

"I love it! It's…it's so new and shiny, and…and…oh my God, I have a phone again!" she gasped, doing a strange little dance in place. She was beaming and making weird, excited noises and most of all – it was because of me. I had made her happy.

She threw her arms around me, squeezing me tighter than I ever thought was possible for someone her size. I hugged her back and avoided my mother's scalding gaze as she glared at me. I knew she would be upset about my purchasing something so flashy and over the top for Regan, but I didn't care. She was worth it.

"Pretty, ah…flashy present," Charlie muttered.

"I'll take care of the bill, Charlie. My present to Regs."

I watched Charlie as he took the information in, his tongue coming out to lick his lips uneasily. I could tell he was slightly confused at my present to her, but I saw a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"So does that mean you got me that electronic fish finder?"

We all laughed at Charlie before continuing with our present opening. When I thought they were all done and opened, my mother surprised us all by pulling out two more boxes from behind the couch. I took one look at the size and the ornate, picture perfect wrapping and immediately knew who they were from.

"Alice?" I asked, looking at Charlie.

He shrugged. "And Bells and Esme. You know how they are with presents."

I smiled and ripped into the package from my stony friends up North, knowing it would be something good. I pulled out an entirely new outfit, complete with shiny cufflinks and socks softer than anything I'd ever felt in my life.

"New Year's," I said to my mom with a shrug. She hurried over, grabbing the littler box to examine it.

"Sapphire cufflinks?"

I shrugged, looking at the shiny objects in the box. "I suppose. If I've learned one thing, it's that we don't argue when Alice gives out clothes. I trust her to dress me."

"I do too," I heard Regan breath. Looking over, I saw in the middle of the floor amidst boxes and wrapping paper galore, she was holding up a dress. Her eyes shining as she took it in. It was small, and black and shiny, and I knew it would look perfect on her. I had been to enough parties, weddings, and events planned by my tiny vampire friend to know that the things she picked out were for a reason.

"It's so pretty!" Regan gasped, putting the dress down in her lap to admire. I watched her open the additional boxes with matching shoes and a purse-looking thing. I didn't know what all of it was, but I knew that Regan looked ecstatic—and that was the most important thing.

"Charlie…I've never even met your daughter, and…and she's given me so much stuff! I feel so bad…" Regan moaned, looking mournfully at the dress in her hands.

"The Cullens…enjoy giving," I heard my mom say. I tore my gaze away from Regan long enough to look at her.

"Dr. Cullen is a very wealthy man, and his kids all grew up and got really good jobs. They're all happy, and they've got what they need, so…they like to share the wealth," Charlie explained gruffly. I had to snort at his words. '…they all grew up and got really good jobs.' The only growing that had been done in that family was the size of their Swiss bank accounts—that was for sure.

I watched as Charlie watched Regan marvel over her new dress. His eyes had gotten a little sad as he talked about Bella and the rest of the Cullens. I knew his daugther's visit would be a welcomed one, even if things were awkward now. I had come close to dropping hints about Bella over the years, but I refrained. I had imagined someone else telling Regan that I was a werewolf, and that had solidified my decision. It wasn't my secret to tell or rather, confirm. Charlie wasn't the typical dense, small town cop that looked the other way. He pretended to not know that something was up with his daughter but…Charlie Swan wasn't stupid. Bella inherited her intelligence from her mother and her father. I knew and I think Bella knew that Charlie wasn't buying it. But…again, it was up to Bella to deny or confirm, not me.

We spent the rest of the day being lazy; Charlie played with his new fishing gear while my mom made cookies with Leah in the kitchen. Well, Leah pretended to help while she licked the spoon and taste tested my mom's homemade frosting. I sat next to Regan on the couch and helped her figure out all the bells and whistles on her new cell phone.

"Do you think you'll use your grill?" she asked, looking at the box next to me. I smiled and patted the George Forman grill on the couch next to me, nodding.

"Oh yeah, how could I not? The fat just drips right off," I chuckled. She swatted at me and went back to playing with her phone.

"I only got it for you so that you wouldn't starve on nights that you can't come over for dinner and mooch off your mom and Charlie," she quipped, giving me a grin. Her eyes sparkled in the lights of the Christmas tree again, and I realized that she was concerned about me—actually concerned about me—enough to worry about me when I wasn't there.

"You worried imma starve?" I laughed, elbowing her back. She giggled and leaned back against the couch. Was it my imagination, or did she lean closer to me? I couldn't be sure.

"I worry that you'll resort to going out back and tearing ravenously into some poor little animal if you get hungry enough. So yes, I do worry. You eat like a goat."

I gave her a mock-annoyed look. "I'm bigger than a goat."

"Yes, but goats eat anything…including garbage. They can eat all day. You're like a goat, Seth, I'm telling you!"

"You're ridiculous," I laughed, and she soon joined me in another round of happy giggles. I realized with complete happiness that Regan was getting another chance at life…at being a teenager. As much as I wanted her to grow up and see if she would fall in love with me…and vice versa…I didn't want her to miss out on this – lying around in her pajamas all day, playing with her new cell phone, and admiring her new pretty dress – just being a teenager. I realized that all I wanted for Christmas was for my imprint to be happy and normal.

For now…. I would wait.

Xoxoxoxoxoxox

Well, Happy Holidays readers! Merry (early) Christmas to those of you who celebrate it, and a Happy Holidays to the rest! I put this chapter out just in time for Christmas as a little treat for you all, and I hope you enjoyed it.

A HUGE Thank you to my lovely beta, mama23keiki for busting her butt on this one…her hubby is finally coming home for the Holidays and she still found the time to beta this for me when I'm sure she probably had a zillion better things to do, but…gah I love that girl : )

Another awesome thank you to my Twitt-ah friend Cloudcandace, or Wordslinger as you might know her from . She wrote a LOVELY review/rec of LTP for her new blog on TwiMuses- 'Pawprints'. Go check it out! The link is on my Facebook AND on my profile. She had some really flattering kind words to say about the fic and it made my week last week. She also has a wonderful little two-part story that is just right for this time of year - Onside Kick. Nothing is better than well written, Christmassy lovin ;)

So what did you think of our little preview of Embry? His story is up after Seth, so I wanted to at least have him show his lovely face here, even if it was brief. Thoughts on Seth's presents? Appropriate, or not so much? I couldn't decide ; )