A Christmas to Remember
By Lady of Spain
Disclaimer: S. meyer owns Twilight.
Money was tight—oh hell, let's face it—money was always tight, so it really didn't matter much. Jacob and Bella were used to it. They lived that life since childhood. They saw it as a challenge to be met—how to stretch that buck till it squealed for mercy.
Bella had taken a sewing class last semester to save a few dollars on clothes, and Jacob still did odd jobs here and there in addition to his regularly scheduled work. There was always an extra car, truck or motorcycle parked in his garage needing some attention.
It was the middle of November and Bella's thoughts turned to Christmas. A year ago, she only had Charlie, Renee, Jacob and Billy to buy for. This year there was an addition of Sue, Rachel, Rebecca, the wolf pack and their girls. Needless to say, necessity was said to be the mother of invention, so . . .
Savmart had a sale on flannel—a dollar a yard. She bought three bolts. That Saturday was also half price day at the Goodwill thrift store, where she purchased eight old fashioned quart jars with lids. Along with the jars, she found a rubber stamp which said Happy Holidays and a black ink pad to go with it. A spool of red ribbon completed her shopping list.
Jacob in his own way, had his wood carving tools and metal embossing set laying out on his workbench. Every spare minute he had was spent in the garage fashioning some gifts for his sweetheart. He wasn't worried a bit about the rest of the gang. He knew Bella was on it. Damn, that woman was a whiz at creating gifts for pennies.
Thanksgiving was over, and the next day Bella was busy with the pattern pieces for some pajama pants. She was laying them out on the kitchen table which was serving as the cutting board. She heard Jacob coming in from outside. Oh good, she needed his help.
"Hey, Jake," she yelled, "can I borrow you for a minute?"
Jacob swaggered into the kitchen, looking smug. "Borrow? You don't need to borrow—
you own me, hotstuff." He wrapped his brawny arms around her waist and snuggled his head against her ear. "What were you gonna borrow me for anyway?"
"I need to measure you, so these PJs I'm making will fit the guys."
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Quit smirking. I mean, measure your waist and inseam you idiot, geesh!"
She slapped his arms away and stepping behind him, circled his waist with the tape measure. Unexpectedly, he spun around, cupping her face and kissing her sweetly.
The tape dropped from her hands. Her eyes rolled as she pulled his hands down from her cheeks. "Will you stop already? Be serious now."
"How serious did you want to get?" That grin was permanently parked there on his face. How she loved that grin even when he was being naughty, but she had to get back to her project—no time for detours, mister!
Bella took a step away from him and with arms akimbo, she chastised, "Jacob Black, are you going to cooperate with me or not?"
"That depends . . ."
"On what?" Sometimes this man could try her patience. She always forgave him though. That stupid smile and those puppy dog eyes undid her every darn time. She was such a sucker for his irresistible charms.
"On whether or not you're gonna cooperate with me later on."
"Give me a break. I always cooperate with you, and you know it."
"Hey, there's always a first time." His grin slowly faded as Bella stood her ground, glaring at him. "Okay, Bells, you win." He bent down and retrieved the tape measure, handing it to Bella. He raised his arms over his head.
She measured his waist, and started on his inseam, when he quipped, "I said you could cooperate with me later, honey—unless you're really in a hurry. I've got plenty of time. Or, maybe just a quickie?"
"Honestly, Jake, what am I going to do with you?"
He winked at her. "Whaddya got in mind, hotstuff?"
She ignored the innuendos. "We're done—now go back outside so I can get these cut out."
While Bella worked on the PJ bottoms, Jacob got busy with his tin snips, cutting out a small rectangular piece from a sheet of copper flashing. He trimmed off all the rough edges and holding it in a vise, smoothed them with an electric buffer. Whistling Jingle Bells, he punched a hole at the top and the bottom of his creation, and looped some thin hemp cords through both holes. As he began placing beads on the top cord, his two best friends showed up at the garage door.
"Looky, looky," Quil teased. "Isn't that precious? Big bad Jake is makin' a sparkly for his sweetie."
"Yeah, I am, and if you're gonna stand there and mouth off, I'll have to throw both of you out of here."
Embry walked toward Jacob. "Hey, man, I didn't say a word. What are you doing anyway?" He looked over Jacob's shoulder at the embellished strip of copper. "That's really nice. I've seen some of those at the book store. They're pretty expensive too. You want some help?"
"Sure, sure. Quil, you wanna help too?"
"Are you kiddin' me? I've got a reputation to protect. Damn, I can't believe this. You are so whipped. "
"And lovin' every minute of it," Jacob sighed.
With a crooked finger, Embry motioned to the reluctant jerk. "Come over here, Quil. You gotta see this."
"Not on your life. You two aren't gonna make a freakin' sissy outta me." He turned to leave. "I'm outta here."
"Don't you wanna be a hit with the girls?" Embry taunted.
Quil's head snapped to attention, his feet changing direction. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I can see some fringe benefits from any girl getting one of these. And you and I know we're all about the benefits."
"Yeah?" Quil strode over to the workbench, shoving Embry and Jacob aside. "Hey, Jake, hand me those tin snips."
Three days later, all the PJs were done, along with matching pillow cases. Renee had given her some leftover fiber fill from the time she made the tee shirt quilt, so she decided to make Jacob a nap-time pillow to go with the case.
It was a hassle trying to find extra minutes to fit in preparing any more gifts, so Bella grudgingly waited impatiently for the weekend. That whole week was filled with patrolling, working, and studying for upcoming exams.
That Saturday, Jacob was jumping with excitement as he announced, "C'mon, woman, get your coat on. The guys and I are gonna get us a Christmas tree." He was dragging her by the hand to the living room closet so she could slip one on.
"Hey, not so fast, big boy. I've got too much to do. You can pick out a tree by yourself; I trust you."
With his face clouding over, he whined, "Aww, Bells, this will be our first Christmas together. I want you to come with me to help pick one out."
Bella touched his arm, rubbing her finger along it gently. "Can't we go next weekend instead?"
"We're using Paul's pickup, and Sam and Emily are borrowing it next weekend." He pulled her to him and nuzzled her ear, whispering, "Please, honey?"
She kissed his cheek. "Maybe next year. I've got to get this stuff done."
Jacob slumped onto the sofa. "Jeez, this isn't gonna be as much fun without you."
"I'm sorry; you know I'd go with you if I could."
There was a horn honking outside. Jacob stood up, hugged Bella and kissed her goodbye. "See you tonight," he said halfheartedly.
As soon as the truck pulled out of the driveway, she rushed to the phone. "Emily? Yeah, the coast is clear. I'm on my way." She loaded up all her ingredients and containers and headed out to the Uleys' place.
The two little elves busied themselves cooking up holiday treats. Bella made Jacob's favorites—penuche and divinity. She needed Emily's KitchenAid for the divinity; Bella burned the motor in her portable mixer last year making the same candy. Darn—that stuff was hell on mixers.
They worked together baking pumpkin rolls and a huge batch of peanut brittle. Santa himself would have been proud. She got out the tin containers from her tote bag.
Holding up one of the containers, Bella said, "I've got some extra tins here, if you want one."
Emily was rolling up the second pumpkin roll in a dish towel covered in confectioner's sugar. "Don't worry about it. I've got plenty. Can you get them down for me? They're in the top of that cabinet." She pointed to the cabinet above the stove.
Bella moved them to the table. She looked up at her friend when she finished lining the containers with wax paper. "So, do you think Sam suspects anything?"
"I doubt it. He was in too much of a hurry to join in the search for the perfect tree. I swear those guys were acting like a bunch of kids."
Breaking the peanut brittle apart with a heavy knife, they divided it up and arranged the pieces in the tins. Bella put the penuche and divinity in separate containers, leaving some out for Emily and Sam.
"I can't take this home with me, Emily. Can I leave it here with you? I don't want Jacob to find it. This is basically his Christmas present."
"Okay, just put it back up in the cabinet. Sam won't notice it, since I've got some extra here." Emily finished filling the last tin. "This really sucks, doesn't it?"
"What does?"
Emily's scarred face took on a wistful expression. "When you really love someone like we do, you want to give them something special for Christmas.
"I know that's not what Christmas is all about, but one day I'd like to give Sam a present he'll never forget, something besides home made candy from the kitchen. I guess that's just wishful thinking."
They cleaned up the telltale mess, and Bella took home a pumpkin roll and the remaining ingredients she had brought with her.
When she got back home, she layered her clean jars with chocolate chips, sugar and flour. Each jar was topped with a circle of leftover flannel, and cinched over the lid with red ribbon. She dangled a tag that she had hand stamped from one of the ribbon loops on every jar, along with the recipe printed on cardstock. Christmas was in the proverbial bag. All the gifts were wrapped and stacked in a big box in her bedroom closet, but Emily's words kept echoing in her mind.
Jacob came home—without a tree. He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I couldn't do it. It just wasn't the same without you there with me. So next weekend we'll go by ourselves, okay?"
"Yeah. For now though, let's hurry up and eat. I believe I promised to do some cooperating with you tonight."
Jacob ran toward her as she ran laughing in the opposite direction. She squealed as he caught her up in his arms. "Supper can wait, beautiful. Jacob Black never passes up an opportunity to serve up some lovin'. Think of it as an appetizer." He carried her, giggling into the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him with the heel of his shoe.
Saturday came, and unfortunately the snow did also. It was cold and wet, and windy, but a promise was made and so Bella got into her ancient truck with Jacob and they headed into the mountain areas.
They tramped around for more than an hour as the feathery confetti swirled around them. The snow was getting deeper, making it difficult to move—at least for Bella. Her boots were getting some of that cold white stuff in them too, soaking her feet and freezing her toes. Jacob was whistling Sleigh Ride and jingling the car keys in his pocket as an accompaniment, clearly as cheerful as ever, darn his hide.
Every time Bella spotted a possible candidate, Jacob nixed it. He had a specific type in mind. He wanted one to tower over him. A six footer wouldn't fit the bill—not if he could help it.
Bella was starting to resemble the weather—cold and wet, and blustery—okay, so she was getting little grumpy. "How about we stop and eat in the truck? I packed some chili and hot cocoa," she entreated. "Besides I feel like a popsicle; my toes are so frozen I think they're liable to fall off."
The snow crunched under his feet as he walked toward her. "Jeez, honey, why didn't you say something sooner? I don't want you to get sick." He picked her up and carted her off to the truck. He opened the door and sat her on the seat. Taking off her boots, he peeled off her wet socks. Then he removed his coat, "Here, I don't need this; I brought it for you anyway." Jacob took the coat—still warm from his body heat—and wrapped it over her feet.
Jacob closed the door and got in on the other side. He slid Bella's feet onto his lap and rubbed his hands over them, massaging his warmth right down into her bones. It felt so good she nearly moaned with pleasure.
"There . . . better now?" He moved her legs over and scooted her closer to him, kissing the side of her temple as he did so.
"Lots! You know, I'm really glad you're always so hot."
"Hey, you said it, not me." He flashed her that Jacob smile.
When the chill began to subside she reached down and pulled out the thermos bottles and spoons for lunch.
Between bites, Jacob spouted, "We'll just stay another twenty minutes. If we can't find a tree worthy of the Black residence, we'll settle for a smaller one."
After lunch, Bella put on an extra pair of clean socks that she had brought along and threw her boots back on. Jacob draped his coat on top of her own and they restarted the search for their Christmas tree. Within five minutes, there it stood—at seven and a half feet, and symmetrical all around. Thanks goodness!
Jacob swung his axe a couple of times. With his strength, the tree hit the ground quickly. In no time at all, he and Bella had the branches secured with rope close to the trunk. The tree got tossed easily into the bed of the truck and tied down for safety.
When they got home, Bella had to swallow her laughter. It seems that Jacob had to saw off several inches from the bottom of his prized specimen. Their ceiling wouldn't accommodate the height of the tree! He muttered all the way into the house, dragging it behind him.
Christmas was inching nearer—only nine days away. Exams were over, and Winter break was in full swing. Wouldn't you know it; she got out of bed that morning and promptly threw up. Crap! Just what she needed, the stomach flu right before Christmas. Eww, it felt as bad as the time she went to the movies with Jacob and Mike. Jacob and his tree excursion—she knew she'd live to regret it. What a rotten time to have the flu. Why did she have to get sick now, so close to the holidays?
Bella was nauseated for most of the early morning, but began feeling better as the day progressed. Most of the laundry and cleaning got done, and by the time she fixed some sandwiches for lunch, the nausea had all disappeared.
Meanwhile Jacob was still spending hours in the garage working on a carved jewelry box and a couple of wooden charms. Quil and Embry had finished their projects long ago and were not as adept as Jacob in the wood carving arena, so they stayed clear of his garage for the time being. They showed up only when he required their assistance with someone's vehicle.
The whole rest of the day was uneventful; relaxing actually. No schoolwork, no decorating, no wrapping presents—except for Jacob's gifts for Bella—how nice for a change.
That night they watched Trapped in Paradise and hit the sack early since Bella was obviously making amorous moves on her more than willing partner. The poor boy couldn't resist.
The next day, Bella was feeling awful again. Groan . . . She took her temperature, but it was normal. She was sick for the next three days, so Emily came by to see how she was doing.
The two women were seated on the couch, facing each other and sipping some chamomile tea. "It's the weirdest thing," Bella was saying. "I'm ready to hurl in the morning, but when noon rolls around, I feel fine."
Emily put down her cup and looked straight into Bella's eyes with no hint of humor. "I hate to tell you this, but it sounds like you're pregnant."
Shaking her head, Bella replied, "No, that's impossible. I'm on the pill. I only missed one tab this month and I took it as soon as I remembered."
With eyebrows raised, Emily snorted. "One tab, huh? Don't you know that they're not 100% effective even if you didn't miss a single pill? And you have no idea how sneaky and stubborn those speedy little wolf sperm are. I'm tellin' ya—you are pregnant girl."
Bella's mouth dropped open, and she rose from her seat. "You think so?"
"I know so! Look, I've got a pregnancy test sitting in my medicine cabinet. I don't need it right now, so I'll bring it over tomorrow. Will that satisfy you?"
"Okay, but don't say anything to Jake or Sam."
"Wouldn't dream of it." She patted Bella's hand, and stood, ready to leave. "You need to stop shaking your head, Bella, These things happen. Well, I better get going. I have grocery shopping to do yet. I'm glad to see that you're not sick though."
Emily delivered the test kit the next morning. Luckily, Jacob was otherwise occupied. So, leaving Emily seated on the couch, Bella walked into the bathroom. With the box sitting in her hand, Bella read the instructions—twice. Then she opened the package and nervously removed the contests.
She urinated on the apparatus and waited. Finally a blue plus sign appeared. She stared at the results. Oh my gosh, was she really . . .? No, it couldn't—it just couldn't be true. Maybe the test was defective. That was unlikely. But if this was the truth glaring back at her, how was she going to tell Jacob? They were still in school for Pete's sake. Jacob was already working so hard and if she had to quit her job that would be another burden on his shoulders. She was well aware of his feelings about having children, but this was the absolute worst time to have a baby.
The front door squeaked as Jacob entered the house. She overheard him talking to Emily, and then his footsteps sounded on the wooden floor coming closer to the bathroom. He yelled down the hall. "Hey, Bells, where you at? Emily's here to see you."
"Yeah, I know. Be there in a minute." Bella grabbed the kit, cleaned it quickly, and stuck it back in the cellophane sleeve and into the box it came in. She shoved the box in the cabinet beneath the sink, hiding it from Jacob. She needed time to think of how to break the news to her sweetheart.
Emily was sitting there patiently waiting for the verdict. Bella walked into the room and looked around.
Answering her unasked question, Emily commented, "He's not here. He just came in to pick up the car keys. He said to tell you that he needed something from the hardware store." She leaned forward, in anticipation. "So . . ."
The expression on Bella's face was enough for Emily to decipher.
"You are, aren't you? Well, congratulations. Just pray it's not twins."
Now Bella was really in shock. Her hand went to her head as she plopped down beside Emily. "Whaaat?"
"Well, you know Jake's sisters are twins. Not that it would happen to you, but you have to admit, it is a possibility. It runs in his family." Emily hesitated, and then stated the obvious. "You don't seem very happy."
"I'm . . . I'm just in shock. It's too much to think about. I'm not prepared for this yet. How did this happen?"
Emily smiled and put an arm around Bella's shoulder, squeezing her gently. "When a man and woman love each other, they want to get really close . . ."
"Oh God, Emily, how is Jake going to react to this?"
"I don't think you need to worry about that. He's always telling Sam how he can't wait to have a little one crawling about the place. I'll admit the timing's lousy, but Jake would be ecstatic—I'm sure of it."
Bella was really good at keeping secrets, so even though her heart was stuttering, she kept quiet about her news. If Jacob noticed anything, he didn't mention it. He probably chalked it up to the upcoming celebrations. At least that's what she thought. In actuality, he was a little uneasy about her nervousness around him, but he figured she'd come clean sooner or later.
It was Christmas Eve. The wolf pack and their families all gathered at Sue's for the reading of Luke Chapter 2:1-20, to share some holiday goodies and to exchange gifts.
Bella's PJs and pillow cases were a big hit with the guys, and so were the cookie jars. It didn't get past them, that they would be eating some of those cookies.
Jacob received a lot of various tools, a picture frame, and some workmen's soap. Bella was the new owner of a dream catcher, a couple of wool blankets and some sewing notions. They all had a good time, despite Bella's secret weighing on her mind.
That night while Jacob was showering, she laid out her gifts under the tree. As she placed them one by one, Emily's words kept repeating in her mind. One day, I'd like to give Sam a present he'll never forget. She thought about the homemade candy and the PJs and the pillow. She knew that Jacob wouldn't care, as long as she was by his side; that's all he needed to make him wasn't enough to show how much her husband meant to her though. She had shared the same gifts with the rest of the pack. Bella wanted to give Jacob something special, something no one else could give him.
Jacob yelled from the bathroom, his voice drowning out the sound of the running water. "Hey, Bells, the shampoo ran out. Can you get me another bottle?"
Why didn't he check before he got in the shower? Honestly . . . "I'm coming—geesh, you'd think you would look at the bottle before getting in there!"
She let out a sigh and reached under the sink cabinet, pulling out a full bottle of shampoo. The pregnancy test fell to the floor at the same time. She scooped it up into her hand and hid it behind her back. Jacob had his arm sticking out of the shower door. She placed the shampoo into his outstretched palm, and walked out with the test kit to her bedroom.
Christmas day dawned. Jacob was so exited to give his presents to Bella.
She was astounded at the detailed work in the jewelry box. Her name was carved into the lid, and leaves and acorns adorned the edges. The copper flashing was a book mark on which was printed: Bella's Book. There also were hearts along the sides alternating with paw prints. All the work was flawlessly done with his embossing kit. At the top was a beaded hemp tassel. At the bottom, the cording held more beads and a charm shaped like a feather. In her jewelry box was a matching pendant with their initials inscribed on the back.
"Oh my gosh," she gasped. "These are so beautiful. Jacob Black, I love you."
He gave her a quick kiss and opened his gifts. He smiled as he opened what he thought was the last one. "A pillow—are you saying I can nap on the couch now without you complaining that I'm wrecking the upholstery?"
"Yeah, you now have my permission, mister."
Brushing his hands together, he brayed, "Well, we can clean up all this paper later. Let's get some breakfast then."
He started to get up off the floor when Bella stopped him. "Jake . . ."
"Yeah?" He frowned at the expression on her face. She looked so solemn.
Bella looked down, not meeting his eyes. "I have something else for you, but I don't know whether you'll like it or not. I wanted to give you something special. I wanted this to be a Christmas to remember."
"There is nothing on this earth that you could give me that I wouldn't love. I mean that, Bells." Little did he realize at the time the truth in those words.
"Stay here," she said.
S he went into her bedroom and returned with a small wrapped box. Placing it in his hands she knelt beside him, closing her eyes as he tore the paper away. Her chocolate eyes peeped open again as he lifted the lid. It was a plain cardboard container with a weird contraption in it. Jacob thought it looked like a thermometer. He turned it over and realized the significance of what he held in his hands. Several emotions played across his face almost simultaneously—curiosity, surprise, shock, and lastly pure unadulterated joy.
He stood suddenly, pulling Bella up with him at the same time. Jacob's eyes filled with tears as he asked, "Does this mean . . .?"
"Yes," she whispered shakily. "You're not angry, are you?"
"Angry? No, absolutely not—this is the best Christmas present ever." He drew her to his chest, and let the tears fall unashamedly. "Oh my god, Bells, I love you so." He kissed her tenderly, feeling her heart beating in rhythm with his.
Christmases came and went, but none could ever compare to the first Christmas that Bells and Jake shared in a little house in La Push. It was a Christmas to remember. By the way, eight months later Bella gave birth to a little baby girl—and they named her ... Holly.
The End