DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. All are human.
Thanksgiving
Bella's POV
After getting my son back into my arms and passing the camera to Edward, we headed downstairs and were immediately greeted by the rest of our family.
Lily ran up to Edward and he scooped her up, giving her a big kiss and making her laugh. "Hello, Lily Bear," he greeted her.
She just smiled and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Hand him over," Emmett demanded, waving his big paws at me. "Let me have my nephew."
"He's still not feeling completely well, so don't take it too personally if he starts crying," I explained, passing Charlie to my big brother.
"He's not going to cry," Emmett assured me. "He knows he's in good hands."
"Yeah, he is," I agreed, smiling at my brother. Emmett looked for a second like he might actually cry and then he pushed that away, giving me his big goofy grin and pulling me into a hug.
"Alice, you look awfully well rested for being the mother of twins," Edward teased as he leaned down and kissed his sister's cheek.
"My babies aren't night owls," Alice chirped. She had a sleeping Elizabeth in her arms while Jasper was holding a very alert Brandon in his.
"Babies," Lily giggled from her spot in Edward's arms.
"Can you say 'Elizabeth'?" Alice asked Lily. "E-liz-a-beth?"
"Libbybet," Lily replied.
"No, Sweetheart. It's 'Elizabeth'," Alice corrected.
"Libbybet," Lily repeated, looking a bit offended that Alice was trying to correct her.
"What about 'Lizzy'? Can you say that?" Alice asked.
"Libby," Lily said confidently.
"Fine," Alice chuckled. "And 'Brandon'? Can you say 'Brandon'? Uncle Jasper is holding him."
"Brandon," Lily said perfectly.
"She's been working on her 'd's' this week," Rose explained. "Lily, who's holding you?"
"Edward!" Lily shouted happily.
"Very good," Rose cheered, clapping for her daughter. "And who loves Uncle Edward?"
"Me," Lily replied, pointing at herself.
"Who else?" Rose chuckled.
"Bella," Lily shouted, pointing at me.
"Look at how well she's talking!" I squealed, stealing Lily from Edward and covering her face in kisses.
"We've really been practicing her speech together," Rose said. "She's still having trouble with words that are more than a few syllables long and certain letters of the alphabet, but she's doing great otherwise. She's even got a few complete sentences. Lily, tell Aunt Bella who you love?"
Lily giggled and put her hands over her mouth, shaking her curly head.
"Oh, come on, Lily Bear," I pleaded, pulling her hands down. "Tell me who you love?"
"Lily love Momma and Daddy," Lily said.
"She hasn't figured out how to swap 'I' for 'Lily' yet, but we're getting there," Rose said.
"Libby wake up," Lily announced, pointing at her baby cousin.
We all turned to look and sure enough, Elizabeth was wide awake, looking all around her with her big blue eyes; both of the babies seemed like they would have Jasper's blue eyes. Elizabeth had Jasper's blonde hair and some parts even looked like they would curl once it grew out. Brandon had Alice's deep black color mixed in with the unruliness that the Cullen males tended to have.
"Well, while all of the children are awake and in good moods, lets step into the dining room and finally have our little welcoming tradition," Carlisle urged. "And then the babies can be put into much more comfortable clothing for the rest of the day."
"What about the rest of us?" Emmett asked, tugging at his tie.
"Ties can go, but shirts and pants stay buttoned until at least after dinner," Esme told him.
"Sounds fair to me," Emmett chuckled as we all took up seats around the big table.
Carlisle looked around the room a couple of times before speaking. "It's been an amazing journey to get to this day. I've watched you all grow up together in the last six years and I've truly come to feel like a father to each of you, though I would never attempt to replace your true parents' in your hearts and memories. I'm just thankful to have been able to be here for you since they could not."
"Dear, you're just starting and you already have Rosalie and Bella in tears," Esme scolded.
"I'm fine," Rose and I said at the same time, both of us laughing about it.
"We're happy to have you as our second set of parents," I assured them.
"And we're elated to have you all as our children. You've given us four wonderful grandchildren and we can't thank you enough for that," Carlisle replied. "And right now, I want to welcome our newest grandchildren."
"He's talking about you," Emmett said to Charlie, bouncing him in his arms a little.
Carlisle smiled at Emmett and Charlie. "Charles Edward Cullen, you've been blessed with a strong name and strong parents. No matter where your life takes you or what kind of trouble you find along the way, your mother and father will always be there for you, to help you, just as they have been at each other's side. They will love you, dote on you, and if you need it, they will spank your bottom and put you in time out. Although, I have a strong suspicion that your mother will be the disciplinarian," Carlisle chuckled, winking at me. "But no matter what, you will always be loved, and you will always be a valued member of this family. My wish for you is to one day be as blessed with love and family as we are right now."
Esme took Carlisle's hand and smiled sweetly at him before turning her head to look at Charlie. "For you, my first grandson, I wish you the gift of patience. It is something we all lack at times, and I know many parts of my own life would have been easier had I had more of it. May you possess it, wield it, and share it wisely."
"Emmett, since you're holding our special little man, why don't you go next?" Carlisle suggested.
Emmett turned Charlie so that the two of them were looking right at each other. "I wish you athletic ability in whatever sport you choose to play. But between me and you, kid, football is the only real sport of men."
"Emmett," I scolded, trying not to laugh.
"What? That was a good wish," he argued, passing Charlie to me. "You do a better job then."
I looked down at my son and couldn't stop the tears that formed in my eyes. I'd known from the moment I'd heard his first cry what I would wish for him. "Charlie, my wish is that you never know the pain of losing your parents early in life. I want you to grow up, get married, and have your own children long before you ever have to say goodbye to your daddy or me. I promise you that as much as it will hurt at that point, it won't be anything near to how painful it is to be young and be without them."
"Excellent wish, love," Edward whispered into my ear as he hugged me. And then he raised his voice for everyone else to hear him. "Charlie, I wish for you to find a love as real as the one I have with your mother. I want you to find the person who fits you, who lifts you up, and who opens your heart."
"My turn," Alice chirped. I expected her to say something about my little man's hair, or clothes, or just something else in jest, but instead, she happily surprised me with her words. "Charlie, my wish for you is that your parents' wishes for you come true."
"Thank you, Alice," I said, reaching across Edward and taking her hand in mine.
"Love you, Bells," she sniffled.
"I love you, too."
"Jasper," Carlisle said with a nod.
"I'm going to have to go with my wife on this one," Jasper replied with a smile. "Charlie, I wish for your parents' wishes to come true."
"The same for me," Rosalie croaked. She was crying nearly as much as I was. "In fact, I wish I would have thought to make that wish for Lily."
"You don't need it," Jasper assured her. "You aren't going anywhere, Rosalie. Not until the both of us are old and wrinkled and have seen our grandkids have kids."
"Welcome to the family, Charlie," Carlisle said softly as he kissed my little man. He stood up straight and started smiling at Alice and Jasper. "Since these two very special family members came into the world together, I think it only fitting that they be welcomed together. Esme, if you will."
Esme stood up and smiled. "I asked Carlisle to let me have this one. Alice, when you were born and we made our wishes for you, I wished for you to never know the pain of losing a baby. And when you were having trouble getting pregnant, I started to worry that my wish wasn't specific enough—that maybe by wishing you wouldn't know that pain, I'd accidentally wished away the joy as well. But you proved that as lovely as it is to wish and hope, determination can often play a bigger role in how things turn out. Not only do you know the joy of childbirth, but you have two beautiful babies to show for it. My wish for each of your children is that they get their mother's determination and willpower so that they may accomplish every dream they ever have."
"Thank you," Alice sniffled, smiling at her mom. "And you worry too much," she added, laughing a little.
"Elizabeth and Brandon, I wish for you to have your mother's exuberance and cheery attitude thoroughly mixed in with your father's calm and patience," Carlisle said, winking at Alice.
"Thoroughly, Dad?" Alice snorted. "Did you really need to throw that in there like that?"
"Yes," Jasper replied before Carlisle could. "Yes, he did."
Edward spoke next, squeezing my hand the whole time. "Elizabeth and Brandon, the wish I have for you comes from Bella, Charlie, and myself, and it's for you both to have long and happy lives with Alice and Jasper at your sides."
"Damn, I was going to use that one," Emmett sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, well. I have another. Elizabeth, my wish is that you wait until you're much, much, much older and then find a guy that loves you for you. Jasper, Edward, and I aren't going to be so good at letting Lily and you out of sight, especially when a boy is involved. We were boys and we know how they think, so there you go."
"Emmett," Alice chuckled. "You're already planning how to scare boys away?"
"Hell yeah," he replied seriously. "Now for Brandon…I wish for you to grow up and be just like your dad because he's a great man and my best friend, and you could never do better."
"Thank you," Jasper said, nodding his head toward Emmett.
"Yeah, well, that better be the last serious moment any of you expect from me for the rest of the year," Emmett grumbled, folding his arms in front of him.
Rosalie reached over and grabbed Jasper's hand on top of the table. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Jasper chuckled. "What was that for?"
"Just because," she shrugged. And then she looked at Brandon and Elizabeth. "My wish for each of you is that you can understand and appreciate just how special this family really is. It's not a family of bloodlines, but a family of choice. We all needed something from each other in the beginning, but we quickly turned that into so much more, wanting to be a family together more than we ever needed anything individually. We may get busy from time to time and not be able to get together like we are right now, but that doesn't change how much we love each other or how strongly we're bonded to each other. We will always be the Swahallen family, as your Uncle Emmett says. And I want for you both to know exactly what that means and appreciate it fully. You're two very lucky children to be born into it."
"And we're all lucky to have been chosen to belong to it," I added.
"Whether we were born a Swan, a Hale, or a Cullen, we now belong to the Cullen family, and always will," Carlisle said, looking around at all of us. "We are thankful for each other, and for the ones who are no longer with us, except in our hearts. No matter where life takes any of us from this moment forward, we will always belong to each other and we will always be family. My final wish for today is for all of us to always remember that."
Edward's POV
My father's words brought tears to the eyes of our wives, along with big, happy smiles. Bella seemed a bit more emotional than normal, but as long as she had such a beautiful smile on her face, I wasn't going to worry. Today was a day for thanks and each member of this family had something to be extra thankful for this year.
"Thank you for the welcoming, Carlisle," Jasper said, shaking his hand and then giving him a hug. "It was beautiful and a tradition definitely worth passing down to our newest generation of Cullens."
"Speaking of them, let's take them up and get them out of these clothes so they can be more comfortable," Rose said as she lifted up Lily. "You want to put on your play clothes and maybe go outside for a bit?"
"Swing, Momma!" Lily cried, pointing out of the window and toward the backyard.
"We can certainly do that," Rose promised her.
"We'll be back," Bella said as she stood with Charlie. "Want to hand me your tie and I'll drop it off in our room?"
"Thanks, Love," I said, smiling as I quickly yanked the tie off and handed it to her.
My mother had Brandon in her arms while Alice still held Elizabeth and they followed Rose and Bella out of the dining room, all of them discussing what had been said during the welcoming.
"So does this mean we're clear to turn on the football games and grab some beers?" Emmett asked, rubbing his hands together and grinning.
"You can have a beer if you like," my father told him. "I think I'm going to have something a bit stronger, though. It's been one hell of a year for us all and I plan to toast it properly."
"What'd you have in mind?" Emmett asked as he followed my father into the kitchen.
Jasper took Bella's empty seat and kept his voice low as he spoke. "Did you make plans for this weekend?"
"Yeah," I replied with a grin. "That hotel Carlisle recommended had a spa suite available and I booked it. We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon. I also have reservations for dinner at a romantic restaurant near the hotel."
"I know how much Bella loves sunsets and I was talking to one of my co-workers. He owns a small yacht in the bay and he's offered for Alice and me to use it before. So I asked him if I could extend that invitation to you and he said he had no problem with it. He just said to clean up and lock up when you're done," Jasper explained, handing me a small keychain. "You can take her right out into the middle of the bay to see the sun go down."
"Thanks, Jazz. She'll love that," I said, shaking his hand. "Let me know what I can do for you in return."
"Oh, don't you worry. As soon as Alice is ready for it, I'll be calling in a babysitting favor."
"And I'll gladly deliver."
"Lookie what I have," Emmett said, strolling in from the kitchen with a tray in his hands. "Chips, dip, and Long Island Ice Teas all around."
"Those of you who will be driving cars tonight—Emmett and Jasper—only get one glass," my father warned as Emmett passed out the drinks.
"Time for football, boys," Emmett said loudly as he led the way into the living room.
It didn't take us long to get absorbed in the game and start bickering with the television and each other. It was all in good fun, though. The moment was a little odd for me, seeming as though nothing at all had changed in our lives, and knowing that my son was right upstairs with Bella, along with Lily, Brandon, and Elizabeth.
Bella's voice cut through my thoughts and I turned to see her coming down the stairs with the rest of the women in our family. "He's four months old, Alice. Charlie does not care about fashion. All my little man wants is to be comfy and not be sick anymore. Besides, this is called a sleep and play outfit for a reason."
"Still looks like pajamas to me," Alice chirped.
"It's not like he's going outside," Bella replied. "Not until he's completely well," she cooed, kissing Charlie's forehead. "No cold air for my little man."
"Jazzy," Alice said sweetly as she walked up to him. "If we put the babies in their swings, will you keep an eye and ear on them so I can go out back with Rose and Lily?"
"Of course," Jasper replied immediately. "Do you want me to do anything else for them?"
"Nope. They've just been changed and shouldn't be hungry for another hour at least. If their swings stop, just restart them."
"I can handle that," he assured her. "Have fun out there," he said as Alice, Rose, and Lily left for the backyard.
"I'll be in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on our dinner," my mother announced.
"Hey, Esme, don't forget that I'm official taste tester this year," Emmet called out.
"Emmett, that's been your role every year since you started coming into my home," she chuckled, leaning down and kissing his cheek. "The job is forever yours."
"Sweet!" he replied, showing off his big goofy grin.
"Edward, do you feel up to watching Charlie?" Bella asked. "I'd really like to go help Esme in the kitchen."
"Give him here, Bells," Emmett demanded, waving one of his hands at her. "Little man needs some bonding time with just the men folk anyway."
"You watch your mouth around my baby, Emmett Swan, or there will be h-e-l-l to pay for you later," Bella warned as she passed Charlie to him.
"What's that spell?" Emmett asked, smiling wide at Bella.
She poked her tongue out at him before laughing and walking off.
"Man, its good to have her smiling and being a pain," Emmett said, looking off toward the kitchen area.
"Yes, it is," I agreed.
Charlie started to whimper and I immediately moved to take him, but Emmett waved me off. "I've got him," he said as he turned Charlie around so they were looking at each other. "What's up, little man? You ready to play some football for me?"
"He's four months old, Emmett," Jasper chuckled. "The football is probably nearly as big as his whole body."
"Charlie's not scared," Emmett replied. "He's got too much Swan in him to be intimidated."
"And what does his Cullen side have?" I asked, knowing I would probably regret it.
"Messy hair," Emmett chuckled. "No seriously, Edward. I think he's got your calmness and patience. I've never seen the little dude upset," he said as he settled Charlie onto his lap.
"Well, you weren't here when we had to take his temperature or clear out his nose," I told him.
"Yeah, but Charlie's a trooper. Aren't you, buddy? Just like the grandpa you're named after," Emmett said, talking more to the baby than us. "Thanksgiving was my dad's favorite holiday. And not just because he got to eat turkey, drink beer, and watch football. He loved that no matter what was going on, everybody stopped and went home for one day of togetherness. Heck, he loved the holiday so much, he would even put up with my great uncle Aro coming over. Bella used to say he smelled like the mummies in the museum, and if you didn't see him move for a bit, you'd swear he could be one of them. But he wasn't all bad. Used to slip me fifty bucks every time he saw me just for being his favorite nephew."
"Yeah, it's a shame how some folks get senile with old age," Jasper teased, bumping Emmett's shoulder with his own.
Charlie started to whimper again, his face getting a little red from his frustration. This time, I did take him from Emmett. Charlie smiled as soon as he was in my arms and his head went right for my shoulder. I started rubbing his back in the way that he liked and he was calm in seconds.
I'd expected that we would only get to watch a little of the football games with four young children in the house, but the women we were married to were absolute angels and they all worked together to make sure we could watch the games.
Our Thanksgiving dinner was a lot louder than I ever remembered it from previous years, but I wouldn't have changed a second of it. Lily had been perched in her high chair between Emmett and Rose, yelling out "gobble, gobble" between each bite she took. Charlie had stayed perched in Bella's lap, trying to grab her arm and get at the food on her fork. She'd finally gave in, putting a tiny taste of mashed potato on his tongue. He had been all smiles as he smacked his gums together, enjoying his first bite of solid food. We couldn't help but laugh at the face he was making. Elizabeth and Brandon had somehow managed to nap through the entire thing, allowing Alice and Jasper to have an uninterrupted meal with all of us.
It had been all the things a Cullen family gathering should be and I couldn't wait for the Christmas holidays to arrive. The custom house had finally been finished days before and I was just waiting for the best time to show it to Bella—I was pretty sure I could get away with it at Christmas time. And I honestly couldn't wait to spoil Charlie and watch him open his gifts in front of the tree. With any luck, New Years would be spent in our new home, with our family there to check out the new house and welcome in another year of being a family.
I checked on my sleeping son one last time before returning to Bella, who was also deeply asleep. It was nearly midnight and the house seemed oddly quiet after today's festivities. I had grown up in this house, starting out on the second floor and then moving up here to the third floor for my fourteenth birthday. I'd spent many hours out in the backyard, walking through the trees and finding the best places to hide from Alice. And I'd already shared a ton of memories here with Bella. I would certainly miss this place once we moved, but it was time. My parents had raised their children and deserved to get to be true grandparents, only being responsible for their grandchildren when they felt up to it. And Bella certainly deserved a home of her own, a place that she could decorate and setup to suit her style. It was certainly going to be the most interesting Cullen Christmas, if not the best yet.
So I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. I know I want to be there with them, damn lucky folks. LOL
So I've put up a poll on my profile page to give you lovely readers the power to decide when you read Edward and Bella's weekend chapters. I know we are all going to be busy next weeken with our new Twilight DVDs, so here are your options with the chapters:
1) I can post the chapters later tonight. I will keep the poll open for the next eight hours, which will make it about seven my time tonight.
2) I can post the chapters together next Saturday.
I was going to do my usual Saturday-Sunday post, but decided you guys would not find it cute to get cut off before the action started. LOL And speaking of the action, because this is OLM and I want to keep it inline with LLC, the action is more glossed over than descriped. SO! For all the adult readers who have been chomping at the bit for Sexy Edward, there will be a separate one-shot for you guys. I'll post that at the same time as the two OLM chapters.