Author's Note: The end of this chapter will have bad words, nothing too sexual though. Edward & Bella are normal teenagers and I'd like to give them a chance to show it. I'm interested to see what you all think of this chapter. Much love!

"You look happy." I said, looking up into Edward's now golden eyes and reaching out to place my hand on his cheek.

"I am happy. I'm glad Esme convinced Charlie to let you stay." He said, placing his hand on mine. "If you'd like to go to sleep, Esme has made up the bed in Alice & Jasper's room for us since there isn't one in my room."

"How long have I been asleep already? That's twice today."

"Just a little over an hour. I know you haven't slept well in a few months though. I feel responsible for that so I'm glad to see you resting finally. And eating. And smiling." He said, smiling down at me. I lifted myself into a sitting position in Edward's lap and wrapped my arms around him. We spent a few minutes just looking into each other's eyes. I had been missing him so much. It was amazing to me to see him happy and in love with me. This is the last thing I would have expected to happen even yesterday.

I could hear Esme in the kitchen talking on the phone and working on chopping something. When I heard her say goodbye to her caller, I pulled my face back from Edward's a little and stood up to walk into the kitchen.

"Esme?"

"Yes, Bella, dear?"

"Thank you, not only for coming home to keep Charlie calm, but for everything you've done, even spending your holidays away from Carlisle and the family. I know it's hard on you to be away from them."

"You arefamily too, Bella. And you're welcome. I'm delighted to see you and Edward back together and so happy. I know everyone else will join us as soon as they can." She said, giving me a hug. "If you're not ready for bed just yet, can I interest you in some fireplace smores?"

I couldn't hide my excitement even if I tried to. "That sounds amazing!" "Edward," I asked, "You're still prepared to roll me out of here tomorrow if I get too fat to walk, right?"

"Of course." He said with a laugh. "I haven't forgotten."

I returned to the living room to find Edward picking out a movie for us all to watch. He settled on Miracle on 34th Street, which I was happy with. Esme joined us a few minutes later with a platter of graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, and long metal skewers. Edward wouldn't let me even think of touching anything that touched the fire with my clumsy nature. He was all too happy to make them for me and feed me once the molten marshmallows cooled down.

I took a bite that was a little more molten than expected and Esme and Edward both laughed as chocolate dripped down my chin. Esme was handing me a napkin a second later and still smiling as I thanked her. "It's so good to have you back, Bella. Things are different when you're here in the best way possible."

"Thanks mom! I'm really happy to have you guys back." Esme smiled even more at me calling her mom. I had come to think of her as my second mom a long time ago, which was a part of why it hurt so much when they left. I wasn't going to let myself dwell on that just yet. When I couldn't possibly eat any more, I went to sit beside Esme on the couch with Edward on my other side. They each put an arm around me, and we watched the rest of the movie. I could tell that Edward was watching more of me than the TV, but it was so nice for all of us to relax and just be together as family again.

Charlie called the house at midnight to wish me a Merry Christmas since he knew that he would be sleeping most of the day after his overnight shift. He was glad to hear that I was spending time with Esme as I told him about the s'mores and the movie. I didn't mention Edward, so he didn't get the wrong idea after what Esme had told him. I promised Charlie that I would be home the next evening so we could celebrate together after he slept.

After I hung up with Charlie, Edward convinced me to go to bed, promising he'd come with me. Before I headed upstairs, Esme wished us goodnight and told Edward to look in Alice's closet. "What is that little pixie up to now?" he asked, but Esme just giggled and started singing Christmas carols, both out loud and in her thoughts, much to Edward's frustration and my amusement.

When we got upstairs, Edward opened the door to Alice's closet and found a small pile of items. He handed me the note on top:

Bella! I'm so glad you are here! I can't wait to see you! I had a vision that you would need these things if you stayed the night with Edward. Now, you'll always be prepared to stay the night with us. Love, Alice.

Edward sat the rest of the items on the bed beside me. Alice had bought me some new pajamas in the blue that Edward liked to see me in. They were surprisingly warm and comfortable for something Alice picked out. There was another, similar set in a dark green as well as some sweatpants and plain shirts. I was expecting a lot more lace from Alice. I was pleasantly surprised. She had also had the foresight to get me a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, the deodorant, body wash, shampoo, etc. that I use and some extra hair ties.

I stepped into the bathroom for a few human minutes and I could hear Alice call Edward and explain the vision she had that prompted her to stock her closet for me. I was grateful. I had always been paranoid about having bad breath or smelling unpleasant around Edward and his super smelling. I really did feel like the family wanted to have me join them. Edward was the obstacle, I started to cry, remembering his leaving me, but was able to calm myself before he noticed by remembering that he had agreed to change me. I knew that he meant it. It was just hard to recover from the months of loneliness so quickly. I knew we'd have to talk about what happened a little more eventually.

I heard Edward end the call with Alice just as I was finished brushing my hair. I noticed in the mirror that I did look a lot better. The dark circles under my eyes were almost gone and I didn't look quite as pale as I had been. The blue pajamas looked really nice. It was in the mirror that I noticed Alice had "Bella" embroidered on the front pocket, barely noticeable, in a shade slightly lighter than the rest of the fabric. I knew that was her way of wanting me to feel special. A few months ago, I would have told her they were too extravagant and that I was fine with just a large shirt to sleep in, but now, I knew that she meant well and just wanted me to feel loved, just as Edward did with his gifts.

When I walked into the bedroom, Edward had turned the lights off and had only a lamp lit on his side for me to see by. He had pulled back the blankets, fluffed the pillows and was lying in bed, holding his arms out for me to join him. I happily crawled in bed and snuggled up to his chest. He turned out the lamp, ran his fingers through my hair and then leaned down for a kiss.

When our lips met, it felt like there were sparks of electricity were running between us. I broke away only to lift myself up beside him on the pillows, making our kiss more passionate. I couldn't stop touching him. I felt his hair, his face, his strong shoulders, and arms. He was gently tracing patterns on my back or playing with my hair. "Bella." He whispered, backing his face away just a little. "I missed you more than I can possibly tell you."

He pulled me in for another kiss with his hand in my hair. I was so happy, but also overwhelmed with sensation and with love. I felt utterly and completely relaxed with myself, and with Edward, for the first time ever. My sad moment from earlier was completely forgotten. I had no fears or anxieties like the ones that had plagued me since the start of our relationship. There was no worry that he didn't love me or that he might leave or even that someone might walk in and care that we were kissing. It was just about me and Edward, together. I was finally starting to realize that he was every bit as crazy about me as I was about him.

I heard him gasp and wondered if I had done something wrong or hurt him by being too forceful with my hand in his hair. He started laughing and had to pull his face away from me. He was so handsome, illuminated only by moonlight, eyes a deep butterscotch color in the dark, smiling and laughing at some private joke. I'm sure that I must have made a funny face at him because he just started laughing even louder. "Bella," he finally managed to say, "You can't hurt me love, even if you try to. Vampire, remember?" I started to laugh at my own momentary panic when I realized something.

"How did you know that I thought I hurt you? I didn't say anything." And then I realized what was so funny. "You can hear me?!"

"Yes, that's why I gasped. I heard you wondering if you were pulling my hair too hard. I still hear you. And you're amazing, so amazing. You never think or say what I expect you to."

I wish I could say that I used my thoughts to express how much I loved Edward and to make our night ten times more passionate by showing him my feelings, but what actually happened was some form of mental word vomit.

You can hear me, oh my God, I hope I don't think anything embarrassing. You're so handsome. I love you so much. Especially your perfect butt – shit! Why the hell did I think that! Fuck I cursed! Oh my God stop it Bella you're a lady and he doesn't like cursing. You're going to scare him away again. So then, remembering that the others recited poetry or sang songs in their head to keep Edward from reading their thoughts, I tried to recall a song, any song, to help clear my thoughts. Unfortunately, what came up was not some classical masterpiece or even a harmless pop song, it was some raunchy club music I had heard other people listening to at school.

My face turned bright red and I felt myself flush all over. Edward was laughing so loud that it was starting to echo. I was sure that we must be bothering Esme by now, but she didn't come ask about the commotion. I hid my face in my hands, sincerely hoping he could no longer hear me. Edward was still laughing so hard that if he were human, I swear he would have turned blue by now from lack of oxygen. After a few more minutes of torture wondering what he was going to think about me now, Edward sat up beside me and put his arms around me.

"Bella, love, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. You are so much more fun, excuse me, so much more fucking fun, than I realized. I don't hear you anymore, which we'll have to try to figure out, but wow." He said, still laughing like crazy. Hearing the word "fuck" come from his lips was insane. His smile was so large and genuine.

"Did you just curse in front of a lady again?" I asked, lifting my head to smile at him in wonder.

"I suppose you have that effect on me. If you do it, I guess I can too. I might as well act like a teenager in the proper century after being so tight laced all these years. Plus, no stick, remember?" He said, causing me to go into a fit of laughter.

Between giggles, I had another thought. "Oh my God, Edward, does Esme know that we prank called Carlisle?" Which caused us both to laugh super loud and so hard that we had to hold onto each other for support. I could hardly breathe for laughing. Every time I tried to calm down, another wave of laughter hit me.

There was a soft knock on the door, followed by, "What's this I hear about you prank calling Carlisle? I must have already been driving. Did you just get Edward to actually curse?" Esme was clearly amused and we both were still in fits of laughter.

"Come in, mom." Edward said. "How much did you hear?"

"Well," Esme started with a smile. "It seems that you can hear Bella now, at least some. What did you do to my poor husband?"

"We called him on speakerphone and asked him if he was trained to remove the stick up Edward's butt!" I exclaimed, immediately burying my face in Edward's chest to avoid Esme's look, but still laughing.

Esme couldn't help but laugh herself. "Oh son, Bella is more perfect for you than even you realize. I have never imagined you this happy. I'm sure Carlisle was delighted to get your mischievous call. And you're acting a little like Emmett, which I never thought I would consider a compliment! Bella really does bring out the 17-year-old in you. You had to grow up so fast when you got sick. This is a good change for you. Goodnight kids. No more prank calling!" She said as she walked away with a huge smile.

I yawned and curled back up against the pillows with a huge grin on my face. "Goodnight mom!" we said in unison, both still giggling a little. Edward rested his head on my chest this time and I felt myself relax to prepare for sleep. I was almost asleep, feeling as light as a feather, enjoying the smell of Edward's hair close to my face and the feeling of his head unintentionally using one of my breasts as a pillow when I heard him giggling again. "They are the most perfect pillows, love." he said, and I was asleep before I could give it another thought.