Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and happy Saturday. Thanks for the patience on this one. It has been a week. Also, I had NO IDEA that I had lined these up this perfectly, but here is Christmas in Skyelynn.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 18

"How are you feeling?" Edward asked.

"Fine."

"No nausea?"

"Not this morning?"

"Dizziness?"

"Nope."

"Are you tired? Achy? What about—"

"Edward, I said I'm fine." Isabella felt frustrated. She understood that his concern came from a place of love, but it was suffocating so early in the morning.

"Bre, love, can you let me go?"

Isabella turned to see Edward standing on one leg, the other raised as if he'd stopped mid-step. His expression was amused, even in his awkward position. Isabella shook her head and his foot fell heavy onto the floor.

"I guess we know that frustration is definitely a way to strengthen your magic." Edward said with a laugh.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but couldn't hold onto her scowl.

Edward stopped going deep into the woods after Isabella told him she was pregnant. He could play around with his glamours with her close by if she needed him.

Meanwhile, Isabella was treating her patients and working on her magic when she was alone.

Those first weeks were a learning experience for both of them. Edward's one trip to town had him returning with a phone, tablet, yarn, and knitting needles. Isabella had laughed at his behavior when he got the yarn ready to work with, but Isabella soon found there was nothing sexier than the way he flicked his wrists as he quickly worked on his new hobby.

His tablet had a library of books on pregnancy and when he wasn't knitting, he was reading. It endeared Edward to her even more. He was diving head first into fatherhood, even if it meant following Isabella with crackers and ginger candies at the first sign of an upset stomach.

The fall settled around them. Argus would gleefully skitter through the leaves on their frequent trips into the forest when Isabella wasn't working. Edward would sit and watch Isabella train, Argus often perched beside him.

Having the pair of them with her was all the motivation Isabella needed. They were her family, her inner circle, and the ones she would fight to protect.

Her gardens were now dormant and winter preparation was underway. There wasn't much snowfall in Skyelynn, but the cold would soon descend. As if thinking about it brought on the winter, Isabella was soon standing at the indoor market, picking out Christmas gifts for her family.

She'd gone to see Sue, who was the local midwife, and she seemed pleased with her progress. Isabella had the tiniest of bumps visible, and at three months from Alice's calculations, it seemed about right.

Even though their children wouldn't be born for months, Isabella couldn't help but shop for them, and if the bundles Edward had brought home were any indication, neither could he.

Isabella had confided in Rosalie when she bought some roomier clothing, and the seamstress was already crafting things for the babes. Emmett was happy to have an invitation to Christmas with his sister and new brother since their father was still away. Isabella was happy to have her brother close, because he always added to the festivities.

As the weeks to Christmas turned to days, and then dwindled to the hours before the clock read midnight, Isabella enjoyed the warmth of Edward's embrace. They sat in front of their tree, decorated with ornaments from her past, and new ones to mark their beginning.

The idea of bringing a tree inside like that had confused Edward, but once he saw the twinkle of the lights and ornaments hanging from the boughs, he understood.

"And our children will come down Christmas morning to open the gifts left for them by this saint?"

"St. Nicholas is one of the other names for Santa, but yes. I used to set out cookies for him and carrots for his reindeer, that way they'd have a snack on their way to the next house. Then, in the morning, we'd run to the little tree we had inside the castle and open all of our gifts. My father always made sure Emmett and I had one from mom, so she was a part of the holiday."

"That was a sweet gesture from your father," Edward admitted.

"He's a good man, but he's so afraid of suffering any more loss. Even as a little girl, I knew he wasn't the same after losing her."

"I can only imagine how painful it was to lose the love of his life so young."

"We won't have to worry about that," Isabella vowed.

Isabella fell asleep in front of the tree, and was shocked when she opened her eyes to find herself in a padded rocking chair, her feet propped up on a matching ottoman.

"Merry Christmas, Bre. I have a second one in the nursery, but I wanted to see how well you'd sleep in it."

"I'd say quite well, since I didn't even know you'd moved me."

"When do you expect Emmett to arrive?"

The sound of horses whinnying outside caught their attention. "There he is now."

Isabella went to the kitchen to make breakfast, while Edward stepped outside to help Emmett. Isabella had just gotten the bacon into the pan when Emmett walked in and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Merry Christmas," Emmett told her.

"Merry Christmas, Emmett."

"Breakfast before presents?" he asked.

"Yes. So get everything laid out in front of the tree and by that point, I should be almost done."

"Then I'd better get to work."

Isabella laughed as he headed back outside to do what he was told. But in the time it took for her to make breakfast, her brother and husband had arranged the last of the gifts and then sat down to eat.

Emmett ate with enthusiasm, something Isabella loved. She was excited to share their news with her brother. He would be a wonderful uncle. Equal parts protective and co-conspirator.

When the morning's festivities moved to the living room, Edward sat close to Isabella's rocker and Emmett sat on the far side of the couch. The gifts were piled up beside the seats and they began to open them.

The majority were gifts of necessity. New clothing or items for around the house. Emmett needed those more now that he was living on his own. There was no word on when Charles might be returning, but Isabella knew the reason. As long as there was a threat coming to the island, Alice and Jasper would keep him at a distance.

When the piles of unopened gifts grew smaller, the less practical gifts began.

Emmett stopped as he picked up one; his eyes flew to Isabella. "Dad hadn't done this in years, Isabella. What made you do it?"

"Do what?" she asked.

"Address a gift from Mom." he held out the gift.

"I didn't," she assured.

"I did," Edward admitted. "Bre told me the story and I'd gotten each of you gifts I thought were appropriate for your mother to have given you, so I changed the tags."

Isabella opened her box to reveal a set of journals that looked so much like Renee's. "These are beautiful."

"I thought you could use them for all the work and research you've been doing. A place to make sense of everything."

"Thank you, Edward. They're perfect."

Emmett opened his and looked at it, confused. "It's a jar."

"It is a savings jar," Edward clarified. "Rosalie has a lovely shop, but the apartment above it is hardly a place to raise a family someday. So use that to save for a future with her."

"But, I haven't. I mean, we—"

"I've been in that shop when you're there. The pair of you are dancing around the possibility of happiness for unimportant reasons. You're seventeen. You're not a boy and she's not that much older than you. Eight years isn't that large of a gap. Tell her you're interested."

Isabella looked at her husband, so touched by the gesture and the care he took with her brother. She'd not seen her brother and the seamstress together, but Rosalie did carry men's clothing, so it made sense that Emmett would stop in there as well.

When those gifts were put aside and Emmett picked up the one Isabella had been waiting for, she held her breath. Emmett struggled with the fabric at first, until he held it out in front of him.

"I'm confused. This looks like a baby sling. Why would I need that?"

"For when you're watching your niece and nephew," Isabella told him.

"Twins?" he asked.

"Alice has seen them. She was actually the first one to tell me I was with child. But the midwife has confirmed it, and I have every faith that Alice's vision will come true."

Emmett put down the gift and stood, crossing the distance to engulf his sister in a hug.

"If you are half the mother to your children as you were a sister to me, those babies will be the luckiest in the world."

Emmett didn't know it, but his words were exactly what Isabella needed to hear.