Steph owns them, they obviously still own me.

Killerlashes betas and makes me sound smart-ish.

I blame rosellebec for this, you can too. :)

Here's a little love and fluff for you, since I love those things... and all of you.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas.

XOXO, Ash


A Merry Little Christmas

I closed the door to Abi and Mara's room and quietly tiptoed back downstairs to the living room. I'd left Edward there once I'd practically pried all the kids away from him. Watching him with the three of them made my heart warm in the best way, but it also annoyed the hell out of me because it was Christmas Eve and we still had a ton of stuff to do. Daniel was easy- he knew the quicker he went to bed, the quicker he could get up and open presents.

"Are they out?" Edward asked once I'd made it to him.

"Finally," I sighed, shoving my hair out of my eyes, and collapsed on the couch. "That took forever."

Edward chuckled. "They're just excited. It's the first year they really understand what's going on."

"I know," I agreed, then closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch. "It's sweet that they do get it now, but it's after midnight though."

"Is that a hint?" Edward grinned and moved from his place on the floor where he'd been tirelessly putting together Daniel's new drum set and to the couch with me. He kissed my neck and pulled me against him.

"A hint for what?" I asked innocently, running a hand through his hopelessly rumpled hair, as gravity-defying as ever.

"That you want your Christmas present now?"

I laughed and tugged his face to mine. "I can wait," I told him before kissing him gently.

"Can I have mine?" he whispered, his hand slipping under the band of my sweatshirt as his lips moved to my ear.

"Oh? What exactly do you think you're getting?"

He bit down lightly around my ear. "You."

"Not much of a present," I teased.

"Just let me unwrap you, please?" My husband laughed and I nodded before pushing him away and standing up.

I held out my hand and he let me lead him upstairs, abandoning our "Santa" projects for the time being. We made our way quietly past the kids' rooms and into our bedroom; Edward locked the door behind us. We'd been lucky so far, but we didn't like to take chances. Daniel was nine and the girls had just turned four, but none of them were particularly afraid of spending the night in their own rooms. Occasionally one would sneak in and the others would follow. In the morning we'd wake up, the five of us crammed into our queen-sized bed, little feet sticking out everywhere. We made sure that they didn't make a habit out of it though.

"Are you sure you don't want your other gift?" I asked before tugging off my sweatshirt.

"Nope, all I want for Christmas is you," he said with a laugh and pulled me against his body, hard and warm with desire.

"You've got me, baby," I whispered and kissed his chin.

"Mmhm," Edward hummed as his hands slipped around me. He grabbed the backs of my thighs and lifted me easily, then carried me the extra five steps to our bed. We fell back onto the mattress, giggling quietly.

I took a minute to take him in, handsome and only getting better with age. He had a few gray hairs (I did, too), but I swear it only made him more appealing. Edward's thirties had been very good to him. I, of course, had birthed his three children and had the stretch marks to prove it.

But Edward didn't care about those things. He still worshipped my body and told me I was beautiful. Edward still bought flowers and took me out on "dates". In short, after almost thirteen years, Edward was still perfect.

I tugged his shirt off and tossed it over the side of the bed as he settled his body over mine. His hips shifted and I pulled him closer, running my hands over his lean body and stopping just at the top of his jeans. His eyes flashed to mine and then he was gone. I leaned back on my elbows to glare at him, only to see that he had slipped away to remove his jeans. I smirked and watched him, not moving to help.

"You're getting lazy in your old age, Cullen," Edward teased. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm just enjoying the show, Preacher Boy," I smiled. He waggled his eyebrows and whipped off his belt, making me laugh loudly before yanking him to me again and quickly unbuttoning his jeans and slipping them over his hips. "God, I love you."

"I should hope so," Edward whispered against my lips. His hands ran down my body until he tugged me up and lifted my shirt over my head. He stood up again and pulled my ass to the edge of the bed, then slipped off my sweatpants. Yeah, he still loved me in my sweatpants, too.

I took another moment to watch him: pale hands on my thighs, toned body covered in that black ink that had turned me on all those years ago. I sat up and pulled him between my legs, letting my hand travel to his right side, where my name was tattooed on his ribs opposite of Psalm 13.

"See? Now you're a part of me, too," he said quietly.

"You're an idiot." I shook my head and kissed him until neither one of us could breathe.

"Did you hear that?" I turned my head to the door; sure I heard little feet outside the room.

"No, you didn't either. Stop trying to c-block me." Edward frowned and nipped at my earlobe.

"Cockblock, Edward. You're thirty-nine. Say the word." I poked him in the chest and grinned.

"I could definitely find a better use for your mouth, you know…" He grinned back evilly before taking my face between his hands and kissing me eagerly.

"You are dirty. I knew it," I muttered and he chuckled.

"You learn something new every day."

"I've always known that, silly boy," I said as I pulled him over me and wrapped my legs around his waist.

Edward pulled away and removed my legs from around him so I could rest them on the floor. He slipped my shirt over my head and went to work on my bra and panties until we were both completely bare. His hands went to my face, cupping it lovingly and kissing my nose.

"I love you," he whispered before nipping at my earlobe. I shuddered and pressed myself closer to him. The heat from his body radiated through mine, so I grabbed his hips and pulled him closer.

"I know," I returned with a smile.

"Turn around." Edward's voice was low in my ear and my knees nearly buckled at the sound of it. It was raw and sexy, full of want and need. "Put your hands on the bed."

I smiled and did as he asked, my heart hammering in my chest. I could feel his body pressed against mine, could feel everything as he stepped closer to me.

"You're beautiful like this," he murmured with his hands on my hips. One of them held tight with the other slid over the curve of my ass and dipped between my thighs. His feet nudged mine apart and I sighed as his fingers slipped inside. They moved at an agonizingly slow pace as his lips met my shoulder and then the back of my neck.

"Please," I practically begged. Edward chuckled softly and removed his hand from between my legs. I whimpered at the loss, but he filled me quickly and left me no more time to complain.

His pace was slow, moving in and out teasingly until I was gasping for breath and pushing back against him. Edward's fingers trailed down my spine until he grabbed my hips roughly, pushing himself even deeper.

I shuddered against him and gripped the bed sheets. I could only hear his breathing and the sounds of our bodies moving together as I tried to block out everything else that had been surrounding us the past few weeks. All I wanted to think about was us.

Edward whispered my name and I felt the pressure intensify and warm flash across my skin. He gripped my shoulders as his body moved quickly, filling me over and over again. I let my head drop and felt Edward's arm around my waist, pulling me even closer. His body was bent over mine as he whispered things that were supposed to be sweet but only filled me with a deep burning passion for him.

He straightened his body with his hands tight on my hips again. I bit my lip to keep the sounds from coming out, but it was no use. The pressure was too intense, the feel of him too perfect. A soft moan fell from my lips and my legs nearly gave out on me. He followed quickly with a low grunt that I loved to hear. Anything that let me know what I did to him.

"That is the best way to celebrate Christmas," I said as I fell back onto the bed. He laughed as he crawled on with me, pulling me against his side and kissing my hair.

"Does this mean you don't want your other presents?" he teased.

"Don't think you're getting off that easily," I retorted.

"Oh, I'm not sure about the easy part… just the getting off." Edward grinned and dug his fingers into my side.

"Edward!" I cried, slapping his hand away. He laughed again and pulled me into a kiss.

"We should get back to work. Santa isn't done yet," he said as he slipped out of bed and pulled his clothes back on.

"Well, don't distract me any more, got it? I'd like to sleep tonight," I grumbled as I did the same.

"Baby, if it were up to me you'd never sleep."

"Shush, you." I batted his hands away from me. "Behave. There's still time for Santa to put you on the naughty list."

I could feel his lips curve into a smile against the back of my neck. "You mean I'm not there already? Obviously I haven't tried hard enough."

xXx

The tapping on my forehead was just enough to wake me, though not enough to piss me off… yet. Someone had turned the light on, I could see it behind my eyelids.

"She's not waking up," one of them whispered.

"Try Daddy!" I felt the bed shift and heard Edward groan. I rolled over to see Mara sitting on top of his chest. Abi and Daniel were sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed, waiting. Mara was the baby (by three minutes) and always ended up doing the dirty work.

"Five more minutes," Edward muttered, swatting blindly at Mara's little hands.

"Daa-aad!" they groaned collectively.

Edward laughed and sat up, tickling Mara and lifting her off his chest. She settled in next to me, her big green eyes - Edward's eyes - full of excitement.

"Please, Mommy?" she whispered. I glanced at Edward and the other two at the end of the bed and shrugged. It was five-thirty in the morning, but there was really no way they would be going back to bed.

"Okay," I whispered back, pulling her close and kissing her nose. "Go."

The three of them tumbled off the bed and out the door before Edward and I even had a chance to move.

"Stop at the stairs!" he called as he pulled on his sweatshirt. The pounding on the hardwood floors stopped and I laughed quietly. We quickly brushed our teeth and made ourselves somewhat presentable.

"Merry Christmas," Edward said softly as he pulled me into his arms.

I smiled and kissed him, running my hands through his disheveled hair and thinking about our night together. After we'd finished wrapping all the presents and disposed of the slightly raw cookies for Santa, he'd put some very concerted effort into making his way onto the naughty list. His arms were tight around me, his smell practically intoxicating me all over again. I had to push him away.

"C'mon. They're going to start without us," I said with a laugh before taking his hand in mine. We followed the kids downstairs, both of us just as giddy as they were. We loved Christmas. Everything about it excited us: presents, celebrations, church. It was all so very magical. The kids had somehow inched their way to the bottom of the stairs. They grinned up at us when we reached them. Edward chuckled and waved them forward. Their little feet moved quickly until they reached the living room and stopped.

"Wow," the three of them whispered, awed. Edward smiled and squeezed my hand as we slipped around them. We watched as they made their way into the room with wide eyes. God, they were adorable.

They went cautiously, like something was going to jump out at them. Well, we had gone a little overboard.

Daniel smiled as he stood in front of his new drum set, his fingers gently running over the instruments. He quickly threw himself at Edward, wrapping his arms around his father's waist and burying his face in his chest. Edward laughed and bent down to kiss Daniel's head before releasing him. He came to me next, hugging me tightly and whispering his thanks. Edward slipped off to the kitchen to make coffee.

Abi and Mara were oblivious to our exchange with Daniel, as they stood on either side of their new easel laughing with each other. They were both artistic and very bright, but still avid believers in Santa.

"Can we draw you, Daddy?" Mara asked sweetly when Edward returned to the living room with two cups of coffee. Reading and drawing were their favorite things while Daniel preferred music. They were all so very different, intelligent and funny, stubborn but so very sweet. Like a perfect mix of Edward and I.

"Of course," he replied, handing me my cup and kissing my head. I glanced down at the cup and wrinkled my nose, the smell of coffee completely unappetizing to me. I set the cup down and picked up my camera, knowing that my parents would want to see pictures when they arrived later.

We spent the next hour opening presents and laughing, enjoying our time together and the happiness of our children. The kids had fun posing for pictures and kept us entertained by sticking bows all over their pajamas and rolling around in paper. They were super weird; I blamed Edward's genes.

I'd surprised Edward with a new Eastwood Classic six-string and he was sitting in the middle of the kids' mess tuning it and strumming quietly. I was content with watching the four of them… and admiring my new ring with all of our birthstones.

"Daddy, can we have special pancakes?" Abi wrapped her arms around Edward's neck from behind and kissed his cheek.

Edward turned his head and met her eyes before sighing loudly. "But I want to play with my new toy!" She giggled and ran into the kitchen with Daniel and Mara on her heels.

"No rest for the weary," he said before pulling me up from the couch and into the kitchen with him.

"Special pancakes" turned out to be regular pancakes with way too many chocolate chips to be healthy, but it was a holiday after all.

"I'm going to take a shower," I told Edward after we'd cleaned up breakfast and started on the living room. "Will you make sure at least two-thirds of the children are dressed?"

"I can handle two-thirds." He grinned. I thanked him with a kiss before climbing the stairs. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over and I braced myself on the wall.

"You okay, Mom?" Daniel's voice was worried behind me. I turned quickly and smiled.

"I'm fine, baby," I said, touching his face softly. He nodded before scooting past me and into his room. I watched him go before remembering that I was going upstairs for a reason.

I showered and tried to let the warm water soothe me, though it was a difficult task. The weeks leading up to Christmas had been stressful to say the least. We'd had so much going on between church functions, school programs, and everyday work that we'd hardly had time just be normal. Not that our family was actually normal, but still.

When I finished showering I dressed and got Edward's clothes ready before I went downstairs to check on everyone.

Mara and Abi were sitting on the couch in their matching red dresses and Daniel was tugging at his tie.

"I hate wearing ties," he grumbled. Edward laughed and winked at me from across the room.

"Only for special occasions, I promise," Edward said as he smoothed Daniel's shirt.

Our son frowned. "Are you going to wear a tie?"

"Of course, silly. He has to look pretty in front of everyone!" Abi told her big brother. Daniel just shook his head and shot his father a pleading look.

"You can take it off the second I say 'amen'," Edward told him. Daniel was pleased enough with that answer and went back to digging through his stocking for candy.

Edward showered and I tried to tame the hair of all three kids. I always joked that they got their stubbornness from me and their hair from Edward – thick, wavy, and hopeless. The girls had more of Edward in them than me though. Their skin was a bit lighter than Daniel's, their hair a different hue, and then there were the eyes. That pretty green that I'd hoped I'd get to see in something of ours.

"You look pretty, Mommy." Mara's sweet words broke me from my trance. I smiled and pulled her into my arms. She kissed my cheek and hugged me tightly.

It was funny, after they were born, people always warned Edward and I that we were going to end up favoring one or the other. That never happened, though. We had no 'daddy's girls' or 'mama's boys'. We just had three incredibly loved and spoiled children.

"Ready?" Edward called, slipping into his jacket and coming down the stairs.

"Ready!" the kids chorused and ran to the front door. They pulled on their coats and Edward helped me with mine. I smoothed his tie and kissed his cheek before we followed the kids outside. A light snow covered the ground and it crunched beneath our feet as we piled in.

The church service was quiet, though nearly half of our congregation had made it out of the house on a cold Christmas morning. Edward was, as always, perfect in his place at the pulpit. After the service we greeted everyone, and then made the kids take pictures among the Christmas trees on the stage before heading back home.

"These will be great for next year's Christmas cards," Edward said as he drove.

I nodded and cast a glance in the backseat. Three smiling faces stared back at me and I felt tears prick my eyes at some unexpected emotion. Edward squeezed my hand and I turned away before he could see them.

At home we scrambled around getting things ready for our guests. Edward cooked, I cleaned, and the kids stayed confined to the living room, content on playing with all their new goodies. It was best that they were out of the way. We were expecting my parents, Seth and his girlfriend, and Alice with her new husband Peter and adorable baby boy Jack.

The girls were head over heels for Jack. They loved his little hands and funny faces. Daniel could take him or leave him. Edward said it was because he'd gotten double babies with the twins, so babies were an old hat to him. ("Ask for a puppy next time, kiddo" had been Charlie's deadpan advice to Daniel after hearing that we were having twins.)

He did, however, really like Seth's girlfriend Maggie. Apparently it was time for Edward to have the real birds-and-the-bees talk with our son.

"They're here, they're here, they're here!" Abi and Mara flew threw the living, freshly dressed in jeans and matching sweaters. They flung open the door with Daniel right on their heels before Edward and I could make it to the foyer. We made it just in time to see the three of them tackle Charlie, almost bringing him to the ground. My mother grinned from behind them, her arms laden with packages.

"Careful, old man," Edward teased as he held out his hand. Charlie laughed loudly and pulled my husband into a hug. My mother searched my face for a long moment before I smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Come on, let them breathe," I said as Edward closed the door and ushered everyone into the living room. We sat around while the kids opened their presents from my parents. Charlie sat in the middle of the three of them, as enamored by them as they were by him. I felt my eyes well up for the second time that day as I watched them all. I felt my mom's eyes on me again, so I excused myself to check on dinner.

Thankfully, my brother and Maggie showed up and took her focus off of me. It helped a little that she was wearing the diamond ring that Seth had asked Mom for over Thanksgiving.

When Alice and Peter arrived I watched Edward's face light up more than the kids' had that morning. His relationship with Alice was still so special. Alice handed Jack off to Edward and he grinned at the chubby baby in his arms.

"I wasn't sure if we'd have any more of these in our house," he teased. I rolled my eyes and hugged Alice tightly.

"You never know," Alice replied with a sly glance at me.

"No, I think we'll leave it up to you and Seth. We're going to be eaten out of house and home as it is," Edward joked. I gave him a weak smile and excused myself to the kitchen.

"You okay?" Alice I asked from behind me.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine," I tried to reassure her. She stepped toward me, but I dodged her.

"We should get back. I want to see the kids open presents," I said quickly as I made my way out of the kitchen just in time to see them ripping open gifts again. I leaned against the back of the couch and felt Mom's hand on mine. She squeezed my fingers tightly and smiled up at me. I looked away, knowing what she was thinking. There had been a time when neither one of us saw this kind of life for me. Now, I couldn't imagine a different life, even if I tried.

"Where're you at?" Seth's voice was soft beside me, his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Right here," I replied with a smile. I had to look up at him these days considering he was taller than Edward.

"You looked… lost for a minute," he said. I shrugged and nudged him with my shoulder.

"Don't try to lawyer me, mister," I teased. Seth just laughed with his eyes on Maggie and Alice across the room. "Is it weird?"

"Is what weird?"

"That they're such good friends?" I nodded to the two women and Seth smiled.

"Al will always be my best friend, no matter what happened between us," he explained. Though, what happened between them wasn't much. Just a short term relationship when Alice got back from being overseas. They realized it wasn't for them, that they were better off being friends. Seth even introduced Alice to Peter, his roommate at Asbury. Peter was now a minister, in charge of his own church in Portland.

We were all still close; we still spent every holiday together. With Peter and Maggie in the mix, things were definitely a little more interesting. Peter was a tall, soft-spoken blond who seemed to keep Alice tethered to the ground. Maggie was a feisty little redhead that barely reached Seth's shoulder and kept us all laughing any time she was around.

Sometimes it seemed we were blessed to the point of being spoiled.

We ate and then scattered throughout the house. We sent the boys (big and small) to the living room to play video games and Edward put the girls down for a nap.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on with you today or not?" Mom demanded as she pulled me away from the sink and pushed me down into a kitchen chair. She, Maggie, and Alice all stared down at me with accusing eyes.

"What? Nothing! I'm just tired. It's been a crazy month, you know…" I trailed off and tried to will myself not to get emotional.

"Leah, that's bullshit," Maggie said with a delicate snort. "I mean, I've only known you for a year and I know that you're being a lying bitch right now."

Mom gave her an appraising look while Alice tried to cover up her giggles.

"I have some things on my mind, okay? Now, I really need to get these dishes washed –" I stood up, but was stopped short.

"Don't make me go get Edward." Alice stepped in front of me and I glared at her.

"You wouldn't."

"It's like you don't know me at all," she teased with a smirk. I sat back and hid my face in my hands as my tears started to fall.

"Sweetie, tell us what's wrong," Mom whispered and pried my hands away.

I gave her a watery smile. "Nothing. Everything is perfect," I said quietly.

"Oh, shit. Are you serious?" Alice's voice was a loud whisper and the grin on her face was huge.

I nodded. "About six weeks worth of serious, yes."

"And Edward?" Mom asked.

"Haven't told him." I shrugged.

"What are you waiting for?" Maggie cried.

"I told you, it's been crazy and well… you heard what he said earlier," my voice broke and my mom squeezed my hand.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Probably," I agreed with a sigh.

The three of them continued to stare at me until I rolled my eyes and shooed them away.

"I'll tell him tonight. Just don't ruin it for me, got it?"

They nodded and whispered encouraging words before filing out of the kitchen. I managed to snag Jack away from Charlie once I made sure the others weren't going to talk. I held him close and kissed his head, loving his little baby smell. Edward took the seat next to me and slipped his arm around my shoulders.

"You've got baby-shaped stars in your eyes, Leah," he murmured. I glared at him before kissing Jack's head and handing him off to his uncle. Stupid, intrusive, preacher husband.

The rest of the day past quickly for us. After the girls woke up they insisted on performing their favorite Christmas songs for us and making Edward play the songs along with them. Of course, they really only knew "Jingle Bells" so we convinced them to let their dad lead the songs. Daniel stayed close to my side for the latter part of the day. He was very much like Edward in his ability to see when people were upset. Not that I was "upset"… just worried. Worried about what Edward would think about my news. About how he would feel. We hadn't talked about more kids after the twins' birth. We were happy with three beautiful ones we had. I tried not to worry about it though, as I watched my husband play, laugh, and sing with them.

Eventually we said our goodbyes and promised to get together on New Year's Day. Edward put the kids in bed while I started a fire and curled up on the couch. I glanced at the stockings hanging on our mantel and smiled. All five of them were hand-knitted by me when I was put on bed rest during my last trimester with the girls. Looking at the lumpy, squared-off foot of Edward's stocking, I remembered how it'd taken me to Abi's before I'd finally figured out how to kitchener the toes.

"What a day," Edward groaned and fell to the couch, pulling my feet into his lap and throwing a blanket on top of us.

"It was a good day," I said as I reached out and ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his neck.

"It was," he agreed. He removed my hand from his neck and kissed his softly before turning his eyes on me. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me," I replied, threading our fingers together and watching our hands.

"Leah…" Edward whispered and leaned over, tipping my chin up. Before I could respond he kissed me, slow and tender. He pulled away and smiled.

"I forgot to give you one of your presents," I said quickly, before he could ask me again.

"You didn't…"

"It's on the mantel," I told him. I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"I don't see anything." Edward frowned.

"Look closer," I whispered and pulled my legs from his lap so he could stand up. I watched Edward walk to the mantel with a confused look on his face.

His lips moved as he counted the stockings that I so carefully made almost five years ago. And then there was one I'd made a bit more recently.

"One, two, three, four, five… six." He pointed to the last one, the new one and then turned his eyes on me. "Six?"

I stood up and crossed the room to him, holding my hand out. He took it cautiously and I smiled.

"Six," I said softly.

"Seriously?" His voice was barely a whisper, his arms tight around my body.

I nodded, my eyes focused on his mouth as I hoped he would say the words that I so desperately needed to hear.

"I love you," Edward said before kissing me gently. A little sob fell from my lips when he pulled away and I threw my arms around his neck. "Shh, why are you upset?"

"I was just scared you wouldn't be happy." I gave a little hiccup and he laughed.

"Really? How could I not be happy?" Edward brushed my tears from my cheeks and kissed me again. "Daniel and Mara and Abigail… they are the best part of my life. I couldn't imagine a day without them. And you're telling me we get to have another one? This is truly the best gift you could have ever given me."

I nodded and held him tighter, pressing my lips to his cheek and smiling more than I had all day.

"Best gift ever, huh?" I teased.

"Definitely," he replied.

"Do you want me to return the guitar?"

"Funny, you're funny." Edward rolled his eyes.

"I know." I grinned then tightened my arms around him again.

"I'm going to go with boy, by the way," Edward said as he hand slipped between us and rested over my flat stomach.

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow at him thinking he was really too good at reading people… especially me.

"Yeah. You've been crying all day, you weren't nearly this emotional with the girls," he said matter-of-factly.

"You don't know everything, Edward Cullen," I huffed.

"I know everything about you." He grinned. I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder, content. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Merry Christmas, Edward," I whispered.

"Merry Christmas, pretty girl."