So take my hand and knowing
with it I also give my heart
wanting never to be separate again
let eternity begin
if you were flame
I'd allow myself to be consumed completely
were you wind I would wish you pass through me
but now I know that the skin just veils the soul
for I have seen, the face of love

-Jewel Joy: A Holiday Collection "Face of Love"

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Christmas/BPOV:

I was really enjoying my job, but I was so glad I had off from work the next few days as I raced around the kitchen of my house trying to assemble dinner. I couldn't help pausing for a second as my house echoed in my mind; my house that I lived in with Jake. I glanced at the clock, grinning as I realized it would soon be time for him to show up, free and clear of school for a little over a week. He was going to help me get the Christmas tree up that we picked out over the weekend and attempt to put some lights up on the outside of the house. I had finished most of the inside decorating.

I finished mixing the meat, rice, and seasonings and stuffed the green peppers with it and topped it off with some cheese. Once the peppers were in the oven, I heard the Rabbit sputter outside. A smile bloomed over my face as I hurried to the door; apparently Jake was hurrying, too, because we both nearly crashed into each other in our haste to kiss.

His lips were slightly cool against mine as he lifted me to eye level. He brushed his smooth, full lips against mine over and over. He trailed light kisses along my jaw to my ear. "I missed you," he murmured.

I smiled, draping myself over him, tightening my legs around him. "I missed you, too."

He carried me into the house, bringing me with as he deposited his stuff on the couch, groceries in the kitchen, and then to get a drink, his hand cupping my behind to keep me in place. I giggled. "You can put me down," I teased.

He smiled. "Nah," he said simply and carried me back over to the couch. He gave Qahla a quick rub as he sat down.

I straddled his lap, my head resting on his shoulder, as his fingers slowly stroked over my back. Before I knew it, I was flat on my back with Jake hovering over me, his lips trailing a line of kisses down my neck to the scoop of my shirt. His hands were moving slowly down over my thighs, and I sighed as his tongue dipped under the edge of my shirt to trace over the swell of my breast.

"Jake," I mumbled. "We need to get busy and not this kind of busy," I said with a laugh.

"I beg to differ," he murmured against my collarbone. His lips found mine and I kissed him fervently as his hands trailed over the insides of my thighs.

"Jake," I whispered between the kisses he pressed against my mouth. "We need to get this stuff done. I won't have time tomorrow."

He groaned and pulled back. "I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise," I said as I sat up and traced my fingers over the lines of muscle in his stomach.

"I'll be holding you to that," he assured me with a smirk.

With that I straightened my clothes and he dragged the Christmas tree in from the porch and got it set up. I pulled some of the old boxes of ornaments that Renee had sent me out of the attic. We strung the tree with lights, giggling as Jake swore at the curly strands that were difficult to straighten out. We hung the ornaments and then stepped back to admire our handiwork. We both laughed as Qahla barked at a spinning ornament.

Outside he perched on the ladder in his attempt to secure a strand of lights at the edge of the roof.

"Jake! Be careful!" I gasped as the ladder wobbled with his efforts of securing a light to the rainspout.

"Bells, honey, I'm fine. I don't damage very easily."

"But you might; I mean you did stop phasing," I countered back.

"Yes, but I'm still pretty agile and don't get hurt very easily."

I shook my head in exasperation. Not long after we had moved in together, Jake had given up phasing. Most of his brothers' had, too. Sam and Emily were preparing for their wedding now, and I knew they both really wanted to start a family. I had begun helping her with the preparations. Jake seemed to take well to stopping phasing. There were slight differences; he still remained tall, muscled, and he healed fast. It just seemed like everything had slowed down, especially the healing process which scared me a little. He never got really sick, but there were signs at times, but then he would be fine the next day. His abilities were still there, just not as exaggerated.

I asked him once if he missed it, but he told me the speed was the only thing he missed at times. He said what he had gained instead was more important than racing through the woods. We had one last run together, though, before he quit.

We plugged in extension chords and tested everything out; I smiled at the sight of the house lit up with Christmas lights. We kept it simple with a few wreaths, some lights on the roof, and a couple bushes lit in the front. We went inside and ate dinner together and he helped me clean up before reluctantly deciding to go Christmas shopping for Billy and his friends. He promised he wouldn't be long. It was barely ten minutes after he left when I heard Alice.

"Bella?" she called out, bouncing happily into the room entirely unannounced.

I shook my head, but couldn't help smiling. She was carrying a rather large bag with her. She perched on the arm of the sofa next to me. Her face was lit up with excitement and I knew she was up to something.

"Alice, what's going on?" I asked dryly.

She beamed. "I brought you an early Christmas present!" she exclaimed in a chirpy voice.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Why are you giving it to me early?"

"Let's just say it will be appreciated now. Tonight specifically," she said.

This didn't bode well, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Okay," I said doubtfully.

I pulled the package out of the bag and had to laugh. It looked like one of those perfectly wrapped gifts in a store window. It was a long, rectangular box wrapped in silver paper – perfectly wrapped with no wrinkles or rips. There were gold, green, and red shiny ribbons wrapped around it that ended in a curling mass on top of the box. She had twined real pine and berries onto the top. It smelled like Jake after he had been in the woods and I rather enjoyed that smell.

Opening the package I looked down and saw red, white and black fabric folded together. Nervously, I pulled it out and unfolded it; my jaw dropped in surprise as I stared at it. It was a red bra that was extremely low-cut with black criss-crossing strips of leather over the cups. The bottom was an extremely short skirt in red velvet with white fur trim and black belt with a buckle. There was also a Santa hat that trailed down with a small white pom-pom on the end. And most notably there was a white thong as well.

Unable to say a word, I wordlessly opened the other box she handed to me from out of nowhere. Inside was a pair of black high heels. "Um… Alice…" I managed to utter faintly.

She laughed. "Oh come on, Bella. You know Jake will love this."

"A sexy Santa outfit? Seriously? I'm supposed to wear this?" I babbled.

"Try it on for me!" Alice said excitedly.

I stared at her in shock. "No! You will not see me wear this."

She pouted. "Bella, don't you like it?"

I felt bad and I knew that was what she was aiming for. "I do appreciate it, Alice. It's very, um, sexy… "I trailed off. "But do I really need to try this on?"

"Yes!" she crowed.

I couldn't help laughing at her excitement. I knew I was going to feel incredibly stupid wearing this for Alice, and possibly for Jacob, but I knew she was right. He was going to love it and it did come in handy for tonight and what I promised him. With a sigh I went into my bedroom and changed into it without looking. I walked carefully, holding onto the wall, back to the living room. The heels were a killer.

Alice's eyes widened when I entered the room and I felt like turning around and running right back into the bedroom. "Damn Bella!" she gasped. "You look hot. If I wasn't madly in love with Jasper I might be into you!"

I blushed. She made me turn around and around to get the full effect and deemed it absolutely perfect. Once I changed back, she visited with me a little longer, but was in a hurry to leave so I could shower and freshen up for Jake's return. I shook my head at her, but gave her a hug and thanked her.

"You're welcome," she giggled. "I'll be waiting for Jacob's thank you as well."

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JPOV:

I was already sick of shopping after one store, and I unfortunately had more to do. I managed to get through it after a couple hours, incredibly grateful it was over. I called Bella to let her know I was on my way home. Our home. Damn, I loved the sound of that. Our first few months together in our house had been fantastic. It made me anxious to finish out the school year so I could move in with Bells full-time. Being separated for a few days had its good and bad points. We missed each other, but the sex was fucking amazing after a few days. It always is, really, but we both tended to be more passionate than usual and it lasted forever.

It was with that thought in mind that I hurried home. It was late enough to warrant dragging Bella to bed and staying there. I laughed at my handiwork as I parked in the driveway off to the side of the house. The lights strung on the roof of the house looked a bit crooked and off-kilter and one of the bushes had too many lights on one side. It still looked pretty good and wasn't bad for a first try.

I shoved the bag of stuff I bought into the closet right inside the front door. "Bells? I'm back," I called out.

I walked through the living room and into the kitchen and froze in stunned surprise. Bella stood in the kitchen, near the counter, clad in a bra top and impossibly short skirt that rode low on her hips. It was a Santa get-up and she looked incredibly fucking edible. My eyes traveled from her feet encased in high black heels up the creamy expanse of her silky legs to that impossibly tiny skirt. It barely covered her delectable ass.

I swallowed hard as I continued upward over her flat, pale stomach to that amazing bra. Her breasts were on perfect display. She was biting her lip, a blush staining her cheeks.

"Bells…" I managed to choke out.

She grinned a little and the little vixen turned to open the fridge, leaning down to grab something, flashing her perfect ass at me encased in a little white thong. That was it, if I didn't have her in my arms in two seconds I was going to take her right here on the floor. I slowly stalked toward her, making her back up around the table. Her eyes were twinkling at me as she slowly slid one finger down into her cleavage.

I felt my pants tent as I got even harder. "Mmmm, Mrs. Claus, you are a naughty vixen, aren't you? I think I might have to scold you for teasing me," I murmured, raising my eyebrows at her.

She snickered and tried to dodge around the table away from me, and I have to admit I was impressed. She actually managed to twist away once and in those heels, but I snagged her right after that and tossed her over my shoulder. She gave a little squeal of laughter as I hauled her off to the bedroom. I heard Qahla bark at us, but she knew well enough by now to stay out of the room. I sat on the edge of our bed, Bella straddling my lap. I nuzzled my nose into her cleavage.

"So, what do you want for Christmas, little girl?" I asked huskily as I moved my hand over her thigh to cup that bare, perfect backside and lightly dipped my finger down and between her thighs.

Her moan and grind against my dick had me moaning as well. "You," she said breathlessly.

"I think you need to be more specific," I teased.

She moved away and pushed me to lie on my back. Her fingers fumbled with the button of my pants and then she was kneeling between my legs that were hanging off the bed. I shoved the hat off her head and threaded my fingers in her thick hair, my body entirely primed for her. The feel of her mouth on me was always enough for me to really have to concentrate not to come so fast. Her full lips wrapped around me, the pressure just perfect, as my eyes rolled back in my head. As she took more of me into her mouth, I groaned at the tight heat of her mouth.

My chest heaved as her little tongue worked the length of my shaft, her fingers stroking in all the right areas. I felt my hips thrust a little and the press of her fingers into my hips as she began to pull my orgasm from me.

"Bells, I'm going to come," I managed, gasping my usual warning.

I made to back away, but I felt her shake her head, her lips still working on me. Faster and faster they slid as her tongue stroked and her teeth nibbled. I felt her fist the rest of me that she couldn't fit as I realized she wanted to finish this.

"You sure?" I managed to whimper as my dick began throbbing a steady tempo.

"Mmm," she hummed around me and that was enough to have me exploding in her mouth, my hips lifting, as a cry ripped from my throat.

I alternately tugged and stroked at her hair gently as I panted my way through it. I couldn't believe she just sucked one out of me, but before I could say anything she was crawling up my body, those beautiful breasts dangling so close to my mouth. I tightened my hold around her neck and kissed her hungrily, my tongue diving deep into her mouth.

I felt her tongue sliding around mine, twisting, as her breasts stroked slowly over my chest. Gently I pushed her back and scooted up the bed with her sitting on top of me. Every now and then her backside would brush against my dick, urging it to get hard again. It certainly wasn't going to take long.

"Bells, that felt so good," I whispered as she threw her thong over her shoulder and left the skirt on. I circled my finger around that soft, little nub of flesh between her thighs. She gasped and moaned as her eyes locked on mine, a little smile on her face.

I pulled the bra top off and laved her nipples with my tongue as I slid my fingers further down and inserted two into her. "Mmmm… Jake… baby, that feels so good," she whispered. I continued to stroke my fingers into her, thrusting them faster, as she pushed down against them.

I gently bit her nipple until she cried out in pleasure. She was soaking my fingers as I pushed harder and faster; she moaned heavily as she came. I pulled my fingers out and immediately gripped her hips, impaling her onto my aching dick.

"Yes, yes, yes," she groaned loudly, rocking and swiveling her hips on mine.

I thrust my hips up against her, pushing as deep as I could go into that slick channel. She leaned over her, her long hair tickling my neck and my face as her lips collided with mine. I nipped her lower lip, pulling it into my mouth. She sighed, her little pink tongue gliding over my lips, slowly working her way down my neck as I continued thrusting up into her.

My hand snaked around her hip to her backside where I gave her a resounding slap on the ass at the same time I thrust my hips up. She gasped and her eyes widened in shocked pleasure. I could feel her walls tighten around me, so I did it again and her body arched, her hands pushing down against my chest. She was close, and I knew it wasn't going to take me long.

I slid my arms around her, sitting up so we were face to face. I slid my hand under that thick hair of hers and twisted my fingers in it. "I love you," I whispered against her lips and rubbed my nose against hers.

I felt her smile curve against my mouth. "I love you, too," she whispered back.

With that, I tugged her hair back until her body bowed; I pushed up and into her harder and faster. Her breasts were spread out before me, and I descended on them like a starving man; nipping, licking, and sucking on them until she came with a scream.

Her body went rigid as she convulsed around me, triggering my release. A husky cry ripped from my throat as I poured myself into her. I pulled her back up to me and she collapsed against my chest. As I lay back on the bed, she giggled.

"What?" I murmured. I opened my eyes and noticed her skirt was hitched up around her waist and her shoes were still on. We both laughed as I tugged it off of her and she kicked her shoes off.

"That was amazing," she whispered in my ear as we snuggled under the covers and she draped herself over me.

"Yes, it was fucking fantastic," I managed to mumble in my sex-induced haze.

She giggled and settled herself comfortably over me and within seconds she was breathing deeply, fast asleep. I felt the pull of sleep and followed right behind.

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BPOV:

I couldn't believe it was Christmas Eve day already. I had to get some of the food ready to take to Forks on Christmas morning. Thankfully I was done shopping, but I still needed to wrap gifts. So as soon as I woke up, I was in the kitchen making the filling and a green bean casserole. Jake woke up not long after, stumbling into the kitchen bleary-eyed and looking quite tasty.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Morning," he murmured, kissing my ear.

I turned and brushed my lips against his. "Morning."

Without a word he helped me bake an apple pie and a pumpkin pie before he started looking irritable due to lack of breakfast. I giggled at his grumpy look and took the waffles I had made the other day out of the freezer and let him heat them up to eat. Once I finished, I went into our room and efficiently began to wrap the box of the new fishing rod and tackle box we bought for Charlie; his was looking really worn lately. Jake had picked up the new wood-working tools that Billy needed yesterday and I wrapped those.

For Renee and Phil I had found a pretty piece of artwork the other week of the islands that could be seen from La Push. Art had become her new fascination, and Phil seemed to be enjoying it as well. I had bought a picture frame for Kim, Leah, Rachel, and Emily each with a different snapshot of all of us together; one of us by the bonfire, one taken as we helped plan Emily's wedding, one of us sprawled all over my living room in our pajamas and one of us attempting to swim in the cold water at First Beach. For the guys I had just baked extra dessert items the other day and would wrap up my blackberry tarts and chocolate chunk cookies for them.

I had trouble with the Cullen's. I had ended up finding some beautiful pictures I had taken of them at various stages; one of Esme glancing out the window as Carlisle left to go hunting, Rose working on her car, Emmett and Jasper playing a video game, Edward playing the piano, Carlisle cleaning his medical equipment and laughing at something somebody was saying, and Alice dancing. I turned it into a collage of sorts, matted it and bought a beautiful frame to fit the large picture.

I got a little extra for Alice and Edward. For Alice I had found a really pretty necklace with the figure of a dancing fairy on it that reminded me of her. And for Edward I had done some digging when I ordered books in at the store. It was an old book dated back closer to his era with a lot of information about playing piano and a lot of different songs – some I had never heard of, but thought maybe he would have heard of.

I had gotten Angela and Jessica both a charm for their bracelets. Angela's charm was a book, and Jessica's was a little purse. I bought a CD for Mike at Jessica's suggestion and was going to give him some of the desserts. I finally got everything wrapped and ready to go. I dug out the box Billy had given me the other day and smiled as I opened it. It was a beautiful hand-carved flute that belonged to Jake's mother. It had been battered and didn't work right, but Billy was ready to see it used again so he showed me how to clean it up and how to etch a small design with his tools while Jake was working. Sarah had carved a flower at one spot, and I had carefully carved a wolf under Billy's supervision.

I also knew Jake had been eyeing a new piece of equipment for wood-working; a lathe so he could do more symmetrical wood pieces since he was branching out in what he was making. It had been too much for him to spend, so I worked extra hours when he wasn't around to save up and buy for him.

I finally finished and wrapped a couple dog toys and bones in newspaper for Qahla. We kept ourselves busy for most of the day until we had an unexpected visitor. I was beginning to get our Christmas Eve dinner together when I heard a loud banging on our door.

I peeked out into the living room as Jake opened the door and saw a blur that was Leah as she catapulted herself into Jake's arms. "Whoa there, tiger," he laughed as he automatically held on to her.

"Leah!" I said.

She managed to detach herself from Jake and give me a hug. "What are you doing here? Do you want something to eat? I have some leftovers from yesterday if you want some."

She laughed, and I couldn't help but notice she had a glow about her. Her eyes had lost some of the shadows that had haunted them, and she looked happy. "Sure," she said with a laugh. "I'm actually heading back to the rez, but I just wanted to pop in real quick."

I heated her up a plate and we sat there watching as she ate. She told us her classes were going really good and about some of the people she had met. Finally she got down to what she really wanted to tell us when she pushed her plate away.

"I've met someone," she said softly. "His name is James."

My eyes widened and so did Jake's. "What? You met someone? And you didn't tell me?" Jake said with surprise.

Leah laughed and blushed a little. "I wanted to tell you, but I was kind of… hesitant, I guess. I just wanted to make sure it was going somewhere. It seems to be since he's coming to the rez to spend Christmas with me," she added with a smile.

Jake wrapped her up in a bear hug. "I'm happy for you, Lee," he said softly. "You deserve someone who will worship you. That doesn't mean he can escape me and the guys' drilling him with questions, but if he makes you happy, then I'm happy."

"Thanks Jake," she mumbled against his shoulder. "Now stop being sappy," she said with a smirk, but I saw her discreetly wipe a tear away.

I took her hand. "I can't wait to meet him, Leah," I said with a smile.

She gave me another hug. "He's hot," she whispered in my ear making me laugh.

We chatted with her a little bit more, but she didn't want to interrupt our evening so she said she would see us tomorrow and headed out. Jake lit a fire in the fireplace and I curled up on the sofa with Qahla in my lap. She was really too big for my lap, but that didn't seem to faze her. Jake dropped down next to me and I lay my head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad Leah met someone. I can't wait to meet this James," I said with a yawn.

Jake kissed the top of my head. "Me too. I can't believe she didn't say anything," he said shaking his head.

We enjoyed the fire for awhile until I started to feel like I was going to get heat stroke. We went to bed and curled around each other. Qahla lay at our feet as we settled in. I gazed up at the skylight and squinted when I saw something white. "Jake," I whispered. "You asleep?"

"Mmmm," he murmured.

"It's snowing," I whispered against his ear.

He opened his eyes and we watched as lazy flakes of snow drifted down. I turned and gazed at the clock; it was much later than I had anticipated. "Merry Christmas, Jake," I said wrapping my around him.

"Merry Christmas, Bells."

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We had decided to exchange our gifts when we got back that evening. So the next morning after a breakfast of omelets, we packed up the food and the gifts and the three of us headed to Charlie's first.

"Merry Christmas, baby!" Charlie said pulling me into a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Dad!" I replied. He gave Jake a slap on the back as my mom and Phil came around the corner. More hugs and Christmas wishes later, we exchanged gifts with Charlie, Renee, and Phil. Clad in a soft, fuzzy blue sweater from Renee and Phil, they all laughed at me as I got irrationally excited over the set of pans Charlie had gotten me that I had been wanting but couldn't afford. Jake was wearing his own shirt and happy with his instructional books on mechanics that would aid him working in the garage.

I stopped by to see Angela and Jessica. Mike was my last visit. "Guess what, Bella?" he said, a small twinkle in his eye that surprised me. He had been pretty despondent lately.

"What?" I asked.

He lifted the bottom of his pants leg up and slowly wiggled a couple toes. "Mike?" I gasped.

He laughed. "Dr. Cullen told me that the physical therapy is working great. He said if I keep going this way, I should be able to walk again."

I felt tears clouding my vision as I threw my arms around him. He told me how much Jess had changed – still liked fashion of course – and they started dating again. She had been helping him with physical therapy and things were improving. I was so happy for him.

I went with him to the cemetery where we both laid flowers on Eric's grave. Mike remained quiet, but I felt his answering squeeze when I reached for his hand.

We drove down to La Push when I got back and spent time with Billy, Rachel, and Paul. Rebecca had also come home so I met her and her husband. Billy was excited to use the wood-working tools. Sue came over and so did Seth, Leah, and James. One by one the whole wolf pack ended up coming over with their mates at some point as we worked in the kitchen to get the meal finished. Sue made a huge turkey, Renee had bought the ham, and the rest of us helped to supply the side dishes and desserts.

Once everything was ready, everyone was sprawled all over the house, the back porch and even outside as we laughed and ate with our loved ones. The snow had abated earlier in the day, so it wasn't too wet to start a bonfire on the beach. Everyone came down for awhile and we sat around the bonfire, talking some more. Leah's James had gotten the third-degree from the wolf pack and seemed a bit out of sorts from it, but was holding his own. He was a nice guy, and he genuinely seemed to care about Leah.

We wrote down our Christmas wishes on scraps of paper and then tossed them into the fire, letting the smoke take our wishes to the skies. I wanted to spend time with the Cullen's before we had to head back so Jake, Billy, Charlie, Renee, Phil and I went to visit them.

Alice had so many trees decorated with twinkle lights it was like a fantasy land. Green boughs were everywhere and the tree in the house was immense and decorated in blue and silver. She had strung greens and little blue and silver lights up the staircase and had candles lit everywhere. I shook my head; it was so Alice.

"Bella!" she cried happily throwing her arms around me. "I didn't see anything, I swear, but I got the impression things went quite well last night?" she whispered in my ear.

I blushed causing her to laugh. "Yes, things went well," I muttered.

We sat and talked with them for awhile, and we exchanged gifts. I saw Jake saying something eagerly to Alice at one point, and my cheeks heated as she turned to eye me with an I told you so look. They all loved my gift, and I was surprised when Jake pulled something out for all of them. He had carved a picture of all of them into a perfectly shaped piece of wood as something to hang. It was beautiful and delicately done, and it spoke volumes of how hard he had tried and how he came to care for them. I squeezed his hand as they all smiled over it. They had spoiled us as usual with beautiful gifts and more plane tickets to take a trip after the holidays. Maybe we would go somewhere for Jake's birthday.

We managed to fit a little more dessert in that Esme and Alice had prepared, and then as we sat around the living room, I saw Edward motion to me. "Do you mind going for a little walk with me?" he asked.

I looked toward Jake. He had heard and he nodded that it was okay with him. So I followed Edward outside as we walked toward the tree line.

"I wanted to show you something," he said softly.

As we walked through the forest, I had to ask him. "Edward? How are things in Denali?"

He smiled at me, his butterscotch eyes soft. "I'm okay, Bella. I miss you, but things are easier. Spending time there is helping."

A little pang of sadness hit me, so I wove my fingers with his briefly, and he grinned a little more light-heartedly. "Come on, for old time's sake," he teased. He bent slightly so I could climb onto his back.

Within moments we were standing at the bottom of a huge tree. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready for what…" I lost my breath as he darted up the tree, settling me securely on a thick branch.

"For this," he murmured, parting the branches. I gasped in surprise; I could see over the tops of the trees to the towns surrounding Forks and they were all lit up with Christmas lights. Snow had started drifting down again; it was a stunning sight.

"This is beautiful, Edward."

He kissed my cheek. "I thought you would like it." He gave a low call to Jacob who had heard him from that distance and appeared soon after.

Edward slipped down the tree with a sweet smile. Jake slipped his arms around me as we perched carefully on the branch. "Thank you, Edward," I called out softly.

His light laughter was my answer. We perched there for a bit just enjoying the view.

The day had been a long one by the time we left the Cullen's. It was late and we wanted to head back home. We said our goodbyes to everyone, and we promised we would see them again for New Year's. As we drove home, Jake grinned.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"You too tired to wear that Santa outfit again?" he asked with a grin.

I laughed. "It's possible," I teased back.

When we got home, Qahla curled up immediately on her bed and went to sleep. Jake and I perched on our bed and exchanged gifts. He was beyond excited about the lathe, though concerned about the cost.

"Jake, don't worry about it," I assured him. His mouth opened in surprise at the flute, and I could see him swallow hard. He pulled me into him, kissing me softly.

"Thank you," he whispered meaningfully.

He bought me a beautiful silver necklace with tiny diamond drops placed strategically around it. Right in the middle, where it rested in the hollow of my throat, was a small wooden wolf. "I added that to it," he said a little shyly. "If you don't think it works there…"

I cut him off with a kiss. "They're both beautiful," I said giving him a smile. I worried about the price of the necklace, but it seemed we had both been working extra hours to buy something nice for each other.

The other gift was a larger version of the wolf on my necklace, intricate in design. Upon close inspection it looked like Jake had in wolf form. The wolf's body was resting, curled around a wooden figure of a girl and it looked like me. It was a beautiful piece of art and I told him so.

"It symbolizes how I will always be there for you, Bella, how I'll always take care of you and love you."

I crawled over and onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. He kissed me over and over. "Thank you," I murmured against his lips. I nestled my cheek into the crook of his neck entirely warm and content in his arms we both gazed out the window at the snow blowing lightly in the wind.

"So, about that Santa outfit…" he said.

I laughed. "You got it, Jake."

I went and changed into the outfit and we proceeded to enjoy it immensely a second time. I was sure it wouldn't be the last.

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A/N: Okay, so looks like the winning poll choice is Jake and Bella having their first child. That will be up next! And most likely I will do a little outtake of each in one more chapter… I'll let you know for sure about that in the next one. And Bella's little Santa number looks like this: http:/www[dot]picturetrail[dot]com/sfx/album/main/22736049

Hope you enjoy the Christmas chapter… I had fun with it! Now review away! hehe