I don't own Twilight or its characters; they belong to Stephanie Meyer. This is just what they got up to in my mind.

I stood on the familiar doorstep, but I couldn't raise a gloved hand to knock because I was holding my two-year-old daughter on my hip with one hand, and my husband's with my other

We didn't need to knock anyway. Edward merely pushed the door open, sent our five-year-old son in, and then ushered me inside.

Lucas ran ahead, alerting his grandparents and everyone else in the house to our presence.

Esme appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron as she held her arms wide ready for Lucas to run into. Katie wiggled in my arms, letting me know she wanted to follow her brother. I removed her shoes and set her down on the plush carpet, watching her with a smile as she ran, with much less speed and coordination than her brother, towards her grandmother.

Before she could get there, Carlisle appeared from the family room doorway and intercepted her. She squealed in delight as he lifted his granddaughter up high and tickled her.

I felt Edward's hands resting on my shoulder, guiding my coat off and I turned to smile at him. After he hung them, he placed the kids discarded shoes with ours, out of the way.

"I'm so glad you got here. It's threatening to snow tonight," Carlisle explained, greeting us both. There was a manly backslap for Edward, and a more gentle but heartfelt hug for me.

I looked around the familiar hallway; the house was decorated for Christmas in the same manner as when Edward and I spend Christmases here as teenagers.

I knew the seven-foot Christmas tree was up because we had dropped the kids off here a month ago. Lucas and Katie had added their personalized ornaments to the tree themselves while Edward and I spent the day Christmas shopping. We then had to return the gifts home, and hide them, which had the added side effect of giving us some alone time before collecting our two little live wires.

Lucas looked just like his dad. At five, he was already strong, physically and morally. He hated any unfairness and was fiercely protective of his little sister. Katie was just finding her voice and had a lot to say. She was sweet and easygoing and had her grandmother's kind eyes and her dad's wild hair.

As we walked further down the hallway, I looked at the photos on the wall. A few remained of little Edward, Emmett, and Alice, but most now showed pictures of the Cullen's grandkids. Petey and Sophie looked so grown up I felt it was impossible they were already teenagers. My favorite photo showed Edward in a tux, grinning widely, but not at the camera, at me, as I stood next to him in my white wedding dress. That picture made me smile every time I saw it because the love shining in Edward's eyes was so obvious, so unguarded, and on show for the whole world to see. Well, the sixty or so guests we had at our wedding.

Edward saw me looking and squeezed my hand as we walked together into the hustle and bustle of the Cullen's living room on Christmas Eve.

We greeted Alice and Emmett along with their families, but Edward and Emmett lingered longer, talking and laughing. They had grown particularly close since that Christmas ten years ago when Edward and I found our way back to each other.

"Bella, you're glowing," Emmett hugged me tightly.

"Thank you," I replied before Emmett bent and picked up Katie who was tugging at his legs. Katie loved her Uncle Emmett more than anyone she didn't live with, and always wanted his undivided attention whenever he was around.

"Hey, my Katie girl." He swung her effortlessly onto his hip, dropping a kiss on her head as she giggled.

"Geez, it seems like only yesterday Sophie was this age. Now she's all makeup and boys. Boys! Damn boys!"

I chuckled. "Don't worry, I don't think any fifteen-year-old damn boy would be brave enough to take you on, you'd scare the crap out of them."

"That's the plan," he told me before turning to Katie. "Yes, that's the plan isn't it, Katie, girl? Huh? And if you wanna have a tantrum anytime soon, you go for it. I'm trying to show Soph you toddlers aren't all cuteness and cuddles."

Edward laughed before Emmett turned to him. "Ed, in thirteen years, when this cutie is fifteen, I'll remind you of this conversation."

"Go for it, I'll probably be able to tease you about being a grandpa by then!"

I laughed as Emmett's face fell. "Jesus, am I that old!"

Edward bent down to listen to something Lucas was telling him before he turned to me with a smile.

"Come with me."

I took his pre-offered hand and followed him, knowing Katie would sit comfortably on Emmett's hip for the rest of the night if he allowed. I let Edward lead me through the kitchen, out the back door, and onto the deck.

He bent and flicked the switch for the outside twinkle lights, which illuminated the darkness and showed the snowflakes falling lightly from the sky.

"Lucas told me it had started snowing."

I laughed and snuggled into Edward's side.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?" He sounded proud as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm to keep me warm.

"Absolutely." I thought of the first apartment we lived in after my first year at college. The rooms were tiny, but we had everything we needed because we were finally together in our own home.

I thought of the Christmas after Edward got his final medical qualifications, the one where we sat around the dinner table, only for Edward to grab a hinged, ceramic ornament off the tree, get down on one knee and propose, opening the ornament to reveal a diamond ring … the engagement ring I was now wearing next to my wedding band.

I thought about our wedding; the bright summer day when I legally became a member of the Cullen family, even though by then I'd been one in all but name for over a decade.

I thought about our first house, a washboard, three-bedroom place where we decorated the nursery for our first child before bringing him home from the hospital, all seven pounds, seven ounces of him.

I thought about the larger brick house we were in now, only a few streets away from Edward's parents, and around the corner from Emmett and his family, where we welcomed our little Katie.

I stretched up on my tiptoes, reaching up for a kiss that Edward gladly reciprocated. His strong hands pulled me closer to his frame, sandwiching me between his warm body and the cold railings of the decking.

"I love you ... so damn much," he muttered, in between kisses and nibbles to my neck.

"Hmmm…" I hummed contentedly, "you too." I took a step back so I could study his face. He was even more handsome than when he was a teenager. His hair was just as rowdy, but his jaw was even more striking. His stubble was just how I liked it, short but noticeable. His green eyes shone bright with happiness as I rested my palms on his chest, the chest I knew so well.

"You just get better and better with age," I informed him.

He scoffed and laughed. "You're the one who's had two kids and still looks like the woman I fell in love with," He complimented.

"Sure." I disagreed. "Those kids have aged me a few decades, I swear I'm going gray!"

I tugged at my hair, but Edward stilled my hand. "You're not. And even if you were, I'd still love you."

I dropped a kiss on his lips but then pulled apart. "We should get back inside, I don't wasn't us to get sick for Christmas."

Edward nodded and guided me back inside, through the kitchen, which smelled amazing, into the living room where we checked on Katie, who was still more than happy in Emmett's arms, and Lucas who was fascinated by the toy train running laps around the Christmas tree.

We took a seat on the sofa, pleased to be able to relax while the rest of the family entertained our energetic kids for a while.

After only a few minutes, Petey sat down next to Edward looking overly serious for what was a relaxed Christmas Eve.

"Uncle Edward …"

"Hey, Petey ... sorry, Pete, I'll get used to that, I swear! How's school?"

"It's fine. I'm actually looking at colleges right now, and my dad said I should talk to you about it."

Edward scoffed before turning more serious himself. "He did, huh?"

Pete nodded, and Edward took a deep breath. His hand found my knee and held on. I didn't know if he was bracing himself or trying to support me. Either way, neither of us liked to revisit that time in our lives. We'd made peace with it and moved on almost a decade ago, but, as we built our life together, we build everything we almost lost.

Edward looked out to Lucas who was now climbing excitedly all over Sophie, and Katie who was happily chatting to herself, on Emmett's lap.

I placed my hand on top of Edward's and smiled softly at him.

"Petey ... damn, sorry. Pete … where are you looking to go?"

"I like the look of UCLA, Chicago, and Washington but I'm undecided."

Edward nodded. "Well, I don't feel overly qualified to give advice, all I know is you have to make the decision for yourself. At your age, if someone had told me that Chicago wouldn't work for me, I wouldn't have listened. I had to find that out for myself."

"Dad said you did a term at Chicago then transferred closer to home."

Edward nodded. "Transferring back was one of the best decisions of my life. As long as you know you have options, you can't go wrong; follow your heart, not family alliances. Your dad, he flourished at Chicago, he made it work and loved his time there. I'm sure you can do that, too, but just know you can also stay closer to home and make that work too."

Pete nodded as Edward continued.

"I nearly lost your Aunt Bella …" Edward squeezed my knee and swallowed a lump in his throat before he spoke again. "I could get a medical degree almost anywhere but I couldn't be with Bella anywhere but here, not while she was finishing up school. I quickly figured out I wasn't happy without her, or my family, so a college closer to home worked best for me in my circumstances."

Pete nodded. "I'm not sure I want to move so far away, but Dad liked Chicago so much …"

"Pete," Edward interrupted. "I'm pretty damn sure your dad wants you close to home but won't say anything in case it sways your opinion."

"Really?" Pete looked both happy and relieved at Edward's words.

Edward nodded, sounding certain as he spoke again. "Absolutely."

Pete grinned. "Thanks, Uncle Edward."

Our attention then turned to Carlisle who came crashing into the room.

"Hey, kids, look what I found!" He looked very pleased with himself as he held up a battered, dusty, Scalextric box he must have dug out of the garage.

"Hey, I recognize this!" Pete stood and took hold of the box. He turned it over in his hands before he opened it and started to set up the track. His memory took over, which was a good thing, as the instructions were nowhere to be seen.

Once Pete and Jasper had changed the batteries in all the cars and remotes, it was game time.

"I don't have to go easy on you now, kid," Edward teased Pete who laughed and elbowed his uncle.

"Prepare to go down, old man," Pete joked as Edward's jaw dropped in mock offense.

The evening was spent with us all playing Scaletrix in various combinations, eating Esme's amazing home cooking, and chatting. Pete taught Lucas all he knew about how to play Scaletrix, and now it was his turn to go easy on his cousin until Katie and Lucas got too tired to behave civilly.

Once the kids had finally laid out food for Santa as well as a carrot for his reindeer and said farewell to the damn Elf on the Shelf, Edward and I took them upstairs to one of the spare rooms they always used when we stayed here. We didn't live far away but loved spending the night and waking up together as an extended family on Christmas Day.

We returned downstairs to find the rest of the family digging into Esme's, famous cherry pie and insisting they'd saved us a piece in the kitchen.

"First, we need help emptying our car of all the kid's presents. We may have cleared out some of Target's toy aisles."

Emmett laughed, no doubt recognizing all the years we'd unpacked his kid's toys. These days their gifts were smaller but cost considerably more. I wasn't in a rush to get to those years.

"Actually," I spoke up, making all heads in the room turn to me, "I have one gift I want to give out tonight."

Edward smiled and laughed at me. "Really? You're not moving to Chicago, are you?" he joked.

"Of course not," I replied before getting more serious. "Much like your gift ten years ago, this one is not only for us but everyone here."

Edward looked thoroughly confused as he glanced around the room, presumably for the gift.

I turned to him, pulled something out of my back pocket, and passed it to him.

He and everyone else in the room recognized it immediately.

"Bella ... seriously?" His voice was shaking as his parents gasped loudly.

Emmett cheered as Edward launched himself at me, hugging me so tightly I almost toppled backward.

"Oh my God. Bella, we're pregnant?" He withdrew from his hug and looked again at the positive pregnancy test I'd just given him.

"Yeah, I found out yesterday."

"Congratulations!" Carlisle was up and heading towards us, so we stood and hugged him, then Esme, who was crying happy tears.

"Oh! Another grandchild! We're so blessed."

I basked in the warm hugs from my family. I reveled in Edward's happiness, and I stroked my tummy, pleased Edward now knew about our little gift.

I thought about tomorrow, Christmas day. I looked over to the fireplace, knowing when I came downstairs in the morning, there would be another stocking hanging next to Katie's, saying, Baby Cullen.

I agreed with Esme, we were so blessed.

So, that's it! This story really is now complete. Thanks to Frannie Walsh for being beta for this chapter and M-Sparkle for the great banner. All mistakes are mine as I'm often adding to this story up to the last minute.

Please do leave me a review, we authors give our time and talents for free, and your reviews are a wonderful reward for all the hard work and effort that goes into each and every chapter of every story.