I own nothing that pertains to the Twilight Universe. Many, many thanks to Vagabonda, Beachcomberlc and IpsitaC77 for their help and guidance with this chapter. Beachcomberlc would like it known that a box of tissues or a fine lace hanky is needed for this chapter. Vagabonda has been confined to bed-rest for the better part of this week but still managed to edit for me.

Chapter 34

Esme and Bella were able to hide their discomfort from the heady conversation of earlier that afternoon and participate in that evening's festivities. The adults supervised the trimming of the tree, the brightly coloured garland stood out against the dark green of the fir and lent an air of whimsy to the house. Bella found she dearly missed the candles she used to enjoy as a girl—to her, there was nothing prettier than a candle-lit tree in a dimmed room. Gifts were piled beneath the tree, at least two for every child and a few for the adults.

Christmas was a joyous, festive occasion for all. The piñata Esme made for Rosalita was very popular with all of the children, as well as the adults. Jasper, as the youngest, was first to strike, Edward held him high enough, but Jasper missed. Alice's hit was feeble, Emmett's failed to do enough damage. Rosalita hit quite hard, knocking two of the spikes to the ground. The grown-ups pretended to hit, leaving the final piñata breaking to the children. Edward made a big show of his turn, pretending to confuse Carlisle's head with the seven-pointed piñata. He had to restrain himself from hitting his old friend too hard, but Carlisle definitely felt the blows, shaking them off while playing it up.

"You won't find any candy if you break open my head there, pal."

Carlisle led the laughter and slugged Edward playfully on the shoulder. Their friendship was well restored, with Carlisle ceding the upper hand to Edward for the first time, acknowledging the younger man's experience.

Rosalita struck the final blow that had the children sprawling across the floor in search of treats. Emmett didn't realize half of his candy stash was included with the piñata's offerings as he scrambled to collect as much as possible.

The presents were the biggest draw, with all children squealing with delight when they opened their parcels, save for Emmett. He hid his feelings very well, however Bella noticed the smile on his face drop when he opened the quilt she had made for him.

She'd used scraps in shades of blue to make him a blanket, lighter at the top and darkening along the length. Emmett made no secret that his favourite colour was blue, so Bella worked hard to fashion the quilt for him. It was longer and wider than his other quilts, specifically to fit the bed in the loft where Emmett would make his room in a few months.

Bella had hoped he would like it—Emmett smiled and thanked her with a hug, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Bella set aside her disappointment and concentrated on the rest of the gift openings.

For Edward, Bella had made a thick woolen pullover sweater. She had attempted for the first time to cable knit, and as a result, some of the patterns were crooked and incomplete. But it was warm, soft and made with love. Edward held it aloft to show everyone else, then pressed it to his nose. The sweater still held her scent. He thanked her, quirked his mouth to the side in a lopsided smile and sniffed it again.

Edward, for his part, carved a small treasure box for Bella. He painstakingly chiseled her name, the year and an intricate floral vine into the lid. Hours spent sanding, smoothing and oiling the wood brought out the colours of the grain. Bella teared up when she opened it, for Edward had lined it with some of the fabric she had set aside from quilting, and nested inside were her mother's combs.

Jasper was delighted with every present everyone opened. Papa and Mumby had made him a small wagon to pull around the yard and a large felted bunny to cuddle at night.

For the girls, Bella had sewn new pinafore aprons. Carlisle received a new flannel shirt and a half gallon jug of Edward's nicest whiskey. Bella had arranged some of her finest preserves in a small crate for Esme as a gift, lining the box with a set of new table napkins she had embroidered for her friend.

Christmas dinner was sumptuous; a well-smoked ham with mounds and mounds of roasted vegetables, pillowy biscuits, Bella's liquor-soaked fruit cake, coupled with Esme's caramel flan. Carlisle's contribution was two bottles of fruit wine and a large jug of cordial for the children. Everyone ate their fill of the feast and then some.

After dinner, young and old entertained each other with carols and other fun songs, with Bella on the piano and Carlisle breaking out his concertina. Rosalita tried in vain to teach Emmett and Jasper a song in Spanish. Tiring, everyone gathered around the fire, dozy and replete, listening as Edward and Carlisle took turns reading stories from the children's new books, their gifts from Esme. It was an early night, followed by a late morning and a lazy day after for all of them.

By the twenty-ninth, it was time for Esme and her girls to head back to town. Esme's last order of business before the wagon was loaded and the gifts stowed, was to administer a comprehensive examination to Emmett. Bella and Edward wanted to make sure he was learning at the proper rate for his age. The town school serviced the population through grade eight, although Esme offered help for those who wanted to continue their education through high school by correspondence and tutoring, if needed.

Well-to-do families throughout the mountains sent their boys to boarding school in Denver. Edward wasn't sure he wanted Emmett or Jasper to have to go away for school. Not that far away; to town maybe, but not too far. He wasn't sure it was all that necessary for them to have a high school education if they were going to be farmers like himself. If the boys chose another job, another life than farming, Edward realized he'd have to let them go. It wasn't up to him to control their lives like his father did. If every year was like this last one, he'd have enough money saved up to send both of them if they wanted, but it would be a struggle if there were more children.

Edward found himself watching Bella very carefully to see if maybe, just maybe, she was starting to carry his child. He wanted more children, as many as Bella would give him. Sometimes, late at night, they would talk about it in broad terms. A couple of pretty little girls like their mother to help around the house and a couple boys to work the farm with him and make it a truly profitable spread. Edward really liked babies, bathing them, feeding them, walking the floor with a sleepy babe in his arms; he enjoyed all of it. Perhaps not so much the toileting, but all the rest he enjoyed. While watching Esme and Bella ready Emmett for his test, Edward added teaching to the list of childrearing jobs he'd rather avoid.

Emmett was full of piss and vinegar both before and after the exam. He didn't think any more learning than he'd already had was necessary, let alone all the way through the eighth grade. He wanted to be a trapper, just like Carlisle. The boy fussed and fumed until Carlisle sat him down and mentioned that he himself had a full high school education before moving away from home.

With the wind out of Emmett's sails, Esme graded his exam then and there, proclaiming him just over grade level. Emmett puffed out his chest and gladly took the new set of school books Esme had brought for him. She'd give him another exam in six months. Jasper had a much easier test and passed with flying colours. Over dishes and food preparation, Esme and Bella had came up with lesson plans for both boys to keep them on track. Esme praised Bella for her teaching skills.

Preparing to leave was bittersweet for everyone; Jasper pouted, Rosalita was upset enough to cry. Esme and Bella shared a long, teary hug while Carlisle clapped Edward on the back.

Emmett was a difficult student for the next few weeks. Winter was prime time to learn with fewer chores to do outside and inclement weather hindering outdoor play. But something other than having to work sums was weighing on the boy, and he took his temper out on everyone around him. Only Leah and Bullet were spared his ire.

Things came to a head late in January after a couple of bright sunny days. Bella had taken advantage of the nicer weather and laundered every piece of fabric she could get her hands on. She found the quilt she had made for Emmett tucked under his bed even though the last time she made up his bed she had smoothed it over the covers. Bella tried not to be heartbroken at the idea he didn't like her gift to him, but it was hard, with his temper of late.

Bella took the blanket from his room and moved it to the loft. Deciding not to press the issue in the warmer months while they were all in a better mood, Bella thought she'd wait until winter to bring it up again. After all, Emmett was unlikely to confront her about the loss.

Emmett had, of late, been disturbed, plagued by bad dreams of his mother. Memories of her illness and death unsettled and saddened him. The poor boy was torn in two. The green quilt he'd been using, Mama had made just for him. He wanted to honour his mama, but he really liked the new blue quilt and wanted to have it on his bed as well. However, two quilts was too heavy and hot for the little boy, and the green one was starting to fray.

When Emmett noticed the blue quilt was gone from under his bed, he decided Mumby didn't love him anymore. He waited until he found her alone on the porch with the wash tub full of steaming water. Pretending to ignore her for a long time, he kept poking his finger into the pile of snow on the porch railings. When he could no longer hold it in for fear of bursting, he flat out asked Mumby why she took the quilt back.

She explained she didn't want him to feel obligated to use the quilt just because she made it for him. Mumby told him where the quilt was, that she made it to fit the dimensions of the loft bed for when he was big enough, so she had put it up there.

The next day, Bella had an armful of clean shirts and drawers to put away in Jasper's dresser. She was surprised, pleased and confused to see the edge of the blue quilt just under Emmett's bed. Little was said about it until Emmett woke the whole house screaming one night.

Bella was the first to reach him, Edward trailing just behind. Jasper sat up in his bed, wide-eyed and scared. As soon as his father appeared, Jasper raised his arms, silently demanding to be picked up. Bella sat at the edge of Emmett's bed and stroked his hair. His screaming stopped, but painful sobbing was left in its wake. Bella tried shaking him gently, and had to resort to calling his name to get him to wake out of his nightmare.

Emmett didn't say anything about his nightmares, other than to say he was cold. Bella added the blue quilt to his bed, folding the excess over his shoulders. She kissed his forehead and rubbed his back until he fell asleep again. Edward lay the sleeping Jasper back in his bed and they tiptoed back to their own room.

The same thing happened the next night and the night after that. Emmett would wake up in the morning drenched in sweat from too many blankets and being overheated. Breakfast would see him drinking several glasses of cold milk to replenish. Trying to head off the fourth occurance, Bella tucked Emmett into bed that evening with both quilts and stoked the fire with huge logs.

All of her precautions failed. Emmett still woke screaming in the night. Edward stayed in their bed upon Bella's insistence. Bella crawled into Emmett's little bed and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. She whispered calming words in his ear and told him how much he was loved. Bella took a chance when he was in a half-sleep and asked him about his troubles. He mumbled in his sleep, confessing something that made Bella break into silent tears.

The next day, Bella asked Edward if he would mind Jasper for the afternoon as she and Emmett had an errand to run.

"There's something Emmett and I need to take care of. Just the two of us."

Edward knew from the look on her face not to ask, this was something special between Emmett and Bella. When they came back to the house, both pink-cheeked from the cold with tracks from tears on their faces, Edward jumped up to hug them both, folding them into his warm embrace.

"We're fine, aren't we, Emmett?" Bella responded when Edward asked. With a pointed look she let Edward know not to ask any further questions. Emmett nodded, tired and quiet. He ate a huge bowl of stew and went to bed exceptionally early for a boy of seven. Once Jasper was also down for the night, Bella led Edward into their bedroom and burst into tears herself.

Holding and rocking her in his lap, Edward listened as Bella told him about Emmett's dreams and what they did that afternoon. Emmett had been wracked with guilt, and it manifested itself in nightmares. The quilt Bella had made him for Christmas was the trigger. Talk of going away for school and growing up plagued him. He loved the blue quilt, but he also loved the green one his mama made for him. And Mama wasn't alive to make him any more, or to fix the one he had, so it was extra special to him. But he didn't want to hurt Bella's feelings. He loved Mumby and he still loved his mama. He tore himself to pieces over them and the quilts. In his dreams, Emmett wasn't cold but Mama was, and Emmett didn't know how to help her. He felt as though it was his fault she was cold and lonely.

Bella's solution was simple, heartbreaking and something only she and Emmett could do together. They took the quilt she made, found a small shovel in the barn and went to Rachel's grave. Taking turns, they cleared the snow from Rachel's grave until they were almost down to earth. Emmett laid the blue quilt over his mother and weighted it down with some stones at the edges. Then they sat and talked for a while on the pile of snow beside the grave.

Emmett's nightmares ceased, but from then on, Bella had to be the one to tuck him in at night.

AN: Yeah, so I lied. This was to be the last chapter before the epilogue. There will be one more. Sorry about the deception.

This story is loosely based on the film, Rachel and The Stranger, RKO Radio Pictures c. 1948.

I neglected to give a nod to Chicago, book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, c. 1975 - for stealing a little part for Esme's confession.

Thank you for reading.