A/N: I'm back. Thanks for your patience. Hopefully will have a little something for you on Christmas, but for now, I hope you enjoy the update.

When he was a boy, the lure of presents under the Christmas tree wasn't one Edward could resist. He was a meticulous child, and so he was patient and careful enough to take a razor blade to his parents' crisp, clean wrapping job. He unwrapped his gifts, peeked, and rewrapped them. His parents were never the wiser.

Of course, it was only shooting himself in the foot. For a week or two before Christmas, knowing what was under the tree, just out of reach, Edward almost died from the anticipation. That peek—the forbidden peek was lethal.

That was how Edward felt now as he opened his front door to find Bella standing on his stoop. His mouth went dry. She wasn't wearing anything remotely revealing, but he'd peeked, dammit. Now, all he could see was what she looked like wearing the lingerie she'd had on the day before. Just like his Christmases past, it would be awhile before he could unwrap that incredible gift.

As though she knew exactly what he was thinking, Bella's cheeks went pink. The air between them started to buzz and vibrate. Edward's fingers twitched, and it was all he could do not to wrap an arm around her waist to bring her crashing into him.

A looming presence came up behind him. "Oh, good." Emmett's booming voice made Edward jump, shattering the heated bubble. "Bella's here."

"Says who?" Bella quirked an eyebrow. "Good morning, Emmett."

"Good morning, Sis." He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"Emmett," Edward said with a sigh, watching as his elder brother put an arm around Bella.

But then, Emmett put his other arm around Edward and pulled them both in close. "Now, I wanted to talk to you two. Disneyland is a family park. We're bringing my precious, innocent, baby boy along with us, so you two are going to have to behave."

The night before, it hadn't gone unnoticed by Emmett that Bella had emerged from Edward's room wearing ill-fitting jeans and a t-shirt she hadn't had on when she went in. Edward was about ninety-eight percent certain everyone had noticed, but they had tact and Emmett didn't.

Edward gave his brother a mostly-playful shove. "If you can't stop being an ass, I'm not going to let you use my annual pass for discounts. Don't you know the dangers of bringing a very small child to Disneyland without a discount?"

"Pfft. I brought my mother. All I have to do is get Henry to pull out the puppy dog eyes. Mom will buckle in a heartbeat, and you'll buckle because you love your mother."

"It's a character flaw, I'll admit," Edward said.

The door behind them opened again and Rosalie was standing there. She looked at her husband and the two of them trapped in his hold and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is he being an ass?" she asked Bella.

"Nothing I can't handle," Bella said with a smile.

Emmett gasped, looking wide-eyed between Bella and his wife. "Babe. She said she was going to handle my ass."

Rosalie arched a cool eyebrow. Without a word, she reached out and took Edward's hand, pulling him out of Emmett's grasp. Then, she took Bella's hand and likewise pulled her away. She pushed the two of them together. "Problem solved." She turned to go back into the house. "Your brother has the better ass anyway."

"What the— Hey. Come back here." Emmett bolted after her, leaving a cackling Edward and Bella alone on the stoop.

Edward tilted his head, abruptly realizing he had Bella in his arms. He tightened a hand around her waist, pulling her just a little bit closer. "Hey."

A shy smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Hi." She tilted her chin up—a clear invitation if Edward ever saw one. He didn't have to be asked twice. He leaned in, bringing his other hand up to cup her cheek as he kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, but a thorough one.

It didn't escape Edward that if Bella had gotten her way last night, this would be the morning after. He groaned and pulled away from her kiss. He needed to not let his thoughts start down that path or there was no way he was going to be family friendly for an entire day.

He sighed and smiled, brushing a thumb over her lips as he looked down at her. "How did you let yourself get roped into this anyway?"

She rolled her eyes. "Your mother is devious. She looks innocent, but she talks fast."

Edward snorted. He made a mental note to tell Bella about his Christmas escapades. Maybe his mother wouldn't be so shocked to learn that he wasn't an angel. "We're a family full of brats, I suppose. Emmett's just the loudest about it."

"Your poor father."

"Hah. My father is more like Emmett, believe it or not. He's not sneaky, but he is a brat. He and Emmett are the worst when it comes to practical jokes. They'll go to incredible lengths."

Bella grimaced. "Something to look forward to, I guess."

Warmth spread through Edward at the idea she was planning to be around long enough to prank. He pressed his hand to the small of her back and let himself taste her sweet lips again. "I love going to Disneyland with you, Bella, but I know this is pretty intense. Don't let my mother sweet talk you into going with us if it's too much."

She took a deep breath and let it out again, her hands at his waist and her eyes serious on his. "It's a lot. I'm not saying it isn't." Her brow furrowed the slightest bit. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, I dropped by your house with not a lot of clothes on in front of your entire family." She seemed to go pale at the memory but persisted. "And now I'm horning in on your visit. You don't get to see your family often, and you seem to like them."

He gave a startled laugh. "Do you not like your family?"

"Sure. I like my family, but there's liking your family in that enjoy them twice a year kind of way and then there's you guys. It's like you're actually friends with them." She shrugged. "It's just a new experience for me."

"Hmm." He rubbed his hands up and down her back, considering what she'd told him about Jasper. His relationship with his parents had been estranged even when they moved to California to be with him. Bella's own parents lived in different states. "Is it a scary thought? The idea that being with me means dealing with my family on occasion."

Her eyes went wide. "No. It's not...Well. Yeah, it's a little scary, but not the kind of scary you run from."

"No?"

She pushed up onto her toes and kissed the tip of his nose. "Not me."

Again, the front door came open. This time, it was Edward's toddler nephew, Henry. He glared up at his uncle, showing off his mother's perfect bitch face in miniature, chubbier form. "Unca, what are you doing?!" Each word was its own sentence, pronounced with every bit of the exasperation a tiny child could muster—which was a lot, it seemed. "We are going to be late."

"You can't be late for Disneyland."

"Yes-huh." In an instant, the irritation drained from his face and his eyes went big and watery. "Unca, I know you're kissing on your lady, but they'll close the doors. If we're late, they close them. Daddy told me to tell you if you keep kissing, they not let us in."

"Your daddy is…" Edward huffed, knowing better than to disparage Henry's father in front of him. He shook his head. "Daddy isn't from here like I am. I go to Disneyland all the time. They don't lock the doors except when they close for the night." He looked to Bella and gave her a big smooch. "And they definitely don't close the doors if you're kissing on your lady."

"You are so gross."

"I know your parents, Bub. They're the grossest."

Henry nodded solemnly. Poor, traumatized child. Edward curled an arm around Bella and looked to her. "Last chance to back out."

"You know, I've never actually been to Disneyland with a child. Gotta cross that off the bucket list."

"Ha. You'll rue the day." He chuckled, shaking his head. "So, how's our timeline looking? We met five minutes after the demise of my relationship and one minute after yours. Dated accidentally. Meet the parents only days after we've decided to figure out what we have going on here, and now our first official date is with my entire family."

Her smile was wry. "Good thing we don't live in Vegas. We'd be married by now."

~0~

Disneyland with a child was both fun and tedious. Everything had to be carefully planned around bathroom availability and snack times. And meltdowns, like the one that occurred when Henry had to be told he was too short to ride Indiana Jones.

"Uh oh. Whoa. Ooooh!" Edward flailed around a bit to catch Henry's attention and then made a show of falling into a squat. "Oh no! Look, Henry. I shrunk. I can't go on the ride now either."

Henry stuffed two fingers in his mouth and looked at his uncle, dubious. "Nuh-uh." The nonsensical word made even worse by his full mouth.

"I am. I'm short now. Look." Edward walked in a crouch.

Henry giggled. Edward stood up, offering his hand. "Come on, kiddo. How about we see how fast we can get those teacups to go?"

As he straightened up back to his full height, he was surprised to find Bella standing so close to him. She blinked too, leaning backward, but not before he caught the look of adoration on her face. The air hummed. Edward reached out to take her hand with his free one, and shivered at the intimacy of the connection.

A hand clapping him on the shoulder made Edward startle. "Let's get going. Out of sight, out of mind." Carlisle pointed them in the opposite direction of Indiana Jones.

Edward glanced at Bella ruefully. This was yet another reason you weren't supposed to do the meet-the-family gathering at the very beginning. Edward was in that space where he wanted nothing, could think about nothing except Bella. To taste her lips, to touch her, to just sit and stare at her. It had taken nothing—merely her nearness to make him forget they were surrounded by other people.

He loved his family, but he wanted to get her alone. The buzz in the air between them was a heady, distracting thing. Edward was hyper-aware of the feel of her hand in his, every place their skin connected alive with electricity and heat. His mind skipped, cataloguing all the semi-secretive places he wanted to pull her—pretty areas where he could kiss her away from the main crush of the crowd. Snow White's Grotto would be nice, or maybe under the dancing waters near the fairies.

Maybe a lot of things, except that he was here with his family. Whom he loved, he had to keep reminding himself. He'd love them even more if they were back in Alaska at this particular moment, but he supposed it wasn't their fault timing seemed to have some kind of vendetta against him.

They were stuck in lines, pressed up close to each other, that connection and desire a tangible presence. Edward couldn't speak for Bella, but it was making him slow on the uptake. He kept losing track of the conversation, his attention pulled by the idle stroke of Bella's finger along the inside of his wrist.

"What?" Edward asked, startled to realize his sister-in-law was staring at him expectantly.

Rosalie smirked and leaned in, dropping her voice so Henry wouldn't hear. "I said, I think naptime is going to hit after this." Her eyes darted to Bella, then back to him knowingly. "You and Bella should go have fun on the grownup rides while we wait."

Maybe Edward should have been embarrassed or said he would stay with the family, but to hell with all that. He wanted Bella alone, dammit. He found himself on tenterhooks after that, so impatient that when they finally did get into their teacups, Edward pushed them to the max. It was as though he thought if he spinned them fast enough, the ride would be over sooner.

Henry, who'd insisted on climbing into Edward and Bella's cup, was delighted. When the ride was over, all three of them stumbled off, Edward and Bella colliding into each other, giggling like teenagers while Henry attempted to dart as his father, teetered off balance, and landed on his butt.

The little boy didn't resist when Emmett lifted him up. As Rosalie predicted, his eyelids were drooping. He was fighting it, but he was going to lose.

"Why don't you give your tired feet a rest, bub?" Emmett said, rubbing his son's back. "Want to ride in the stroller for a minute?"

"Okay," Henry rested his head on his father's shoulder.

Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Edward concentrated whatever latent superpowers he might have into the silent command.

They walked down to a small dock-like area beset with tables behind the face painting stand near the teacups and the Matterhorn. It was one of the places Edward wanted to kiss Bella eventually—set over an idyllic little pond with ducks, trees, and flowers.

Edward went on a churro and popcorn run to expel some of his pent up energy. As he did, he practiced sounding innocent as he excused himself and Bella for an hour or so.

His brother, of course, had different ideas. Edward had no sooner distributed the treats before Emmett announced. "Come along, siblings. I got us a Fast Pass for the Haunted Mansion that's coming up in a few minutes."

Edward blinked, sure he'd heard wrong. "What?"

"Ali's favorite." Emmett slung his arm around his sister and ruffled her hair. She pushed him away, shaking her head but smiling. "Let's go." He plucked four churros from the table and waved his hand. "Daylight's burning, and nap time never lasts as long as it needs to."

Edward looked to Bella. She looked a bit harried, but she reached for Edward's hand as she fell into step behind Emmett and Alice. "I'm pretty sure Henry meets the height requirement on that ride."

Emmett glanced over his shoulder and flashed a grin at her. "It's the wall-to-wall creeps that keep us off that one. Ghosts and kiddos don't always mix."

"Ah. True."

Edward had to work hard to convince himself not to be moody at this intrusion. It helped that it was the Haunted Mansion ride. It was an ideal ride for what he wanted. The Haunted Mansion ride consisted of a Dune Buggy—a pod-shaped seat on a conveyor belt that effectively cut the two people riding in it off from the other riders the majority of the time. It was a dark ride too—through a haunted mansion. Alice and Emmett would catch glimpses of them making out, but they couldn't interrupt.

So, Edward waited. He had to clench his fist at his side to keep from tapping his foot as they made small talk in line. When they got into the first room—a gigantic elevator where the ride's narration started and the haunted room appeared to be stretching—Edward stepped behind Bella. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him. Even in the crowded room, he heard her breath catch. Her hands went over his.

They were on the same page; he knew it for sure then. He'd thought they were—that she was just as distracted, caught up in this pull, struggling to be part of the group when they wanted to disappear into a world of two.

He leaned in, whispering all the words to the narration into her ear, taunting chuckles included. He loved the way her laugh felt, vibrating against her back and his chest.

They were still holding hands as they made their way through the crush of people to get to the dune buggies. Edward imagined how she would taste, wondering if the the cinnamon-sugar of the churro would still be sweet on her lips.

As they stepped onto the conveyor belt, Emmett suddenly grabbed Edward's arm. "Come on, bro. Come sit with me."

It happened too quickly for Edward to stop it. Before he knew it, he was seated next to Emmett and Alice had slid in beside Bella in the car behind them. Both of his siblings were cackling. When he realized what they'd done, he socked Emmett hard in his arm. Not that it did him any good. Emmett just laughed harder.

"You have no idea how much I hate you right now," Edward groused, crossing his arms.

"Oh, little brother." Emmett laughed. "It's your own fault for moving so far away. You make it hard for me to mess with you. I'm the big brother. I have a quota to fill. Besides, it's just karma coming back to bite you on the ass. Or had you forgotten that you made it your mission to cockblock me every chance you got when I was in high school?"

Edward opened his mouth to argue but then stopped.

Emmett was right. He had been a cockblocking little bastard back then.

Well, what? Emmett was a pain in his ass.

Fine, and vice versa. They were brothers.

Emmett laughed again and ruffled his hair. "Love you, bro."

"Hate you, Emmett."

A/N: Heheh My notes were full of threats to Emmett's person (and mine, but I'm used to that). How do you feel about him?