"Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
It's the best time of the year
I don't know if there'll be snow
but have a cup of cheer
Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
And when you walk down the street
Say Hello to friends you know
and everyone you meet"

(Have A Holly Jolly Christmas -Burt Ives/Johnny Marks)

Title: Surprise

Christmas 2008

The last couple of days had passed by at a deathly slow rate, but maybe that's because of how excited I was. Jake had caught onto my building anxiousness, but didn't remark on it too much. It didn't matter now that it was Christmas morning and my excitement could finally be released when Jake saw the presents I got for him. I had snuck them into the house as best I could last night after he had fallen asleep; it wasn't an easy task. His hearing is so keen that I had to tip toe throughout the entire time in order to not wake him.

Our little Christmas tree was beautiful; adorned with a strand of lights, gold garland, and a few ornaments. I couldn't help my excitement at the thought of our tree growing as our family grew. We had spent Christmas together before, but this would be our first year as husband and wife so it made it more important. It made me more excited than I could ever remember being.

Christmas was always one of my favorite holidays. It wasn't because it was the day where you would get presents, but you got the chance to make the important people in your life happy with a gift and spending quality time together. I only spent a few Christmas' with Charlie, but they were really special to me. Those were the memories that I'd never be able to forget, no matter how old I got. I based my feelings for my family Christmas' off of the ones him and I had not the ones I spent with my mom.

Renee and I always had erratic Christmas'. Sometimes we wouldn't be home for Christmas, so we'd have a little Charlie Brown tree we'd set up in the hotel in whatever city we were in. She always did her best to get me something special and I always loved it, whether it was big or small. I especially loved her homemade gifts. She was the best at knitting and creating beautiful designs with fabrics. I still have the quilt she made me out of all the t-shirts we collected from our trips around the states. It had been a few months, but I really missed her. Charlie was so happy when Renee was around and it brought me joy that only they could. It wouldn't be long before she'd visit again; things are hitting a rocky point with Phil, but she doesn't let on about it. I couldn't wait to tell her about the baby, but I still had to figure out how to; hopefully before she'd call today.

I had already slipped out of bed on this chilly morning before Jake woke up. It wasn't too early in the morning; around 9 or so, but there was Christmas 'dinner' at 2 or 3. I wanted to make sure we got through our gifts and had time to talk about everything before spending time with our family and friends. We made everyone special bracelets and necklaces, besides Billy and Charlie; they'd get their own presents. I also got Emily something special too. Jake had given me an early gift of his handmade bracelet for me with a wooden carved wolf that he did himself; perfect.

I set up a boom-box to play classical Christmas tunes that Charlie and I used to belt out together during my childhood. I opened the door and grabbed the muffins before they froze and sat them on the counter. Emily really did play Santa Claus with these. I smiled to myself as I lit a cinnamon candle, making it really feel like the Christmas I remembered having.

My footsteps were as quiet as I could make them as I snuck back down the hallway and went towards our bedroom. Jake was snoring lightly, the covers thrown all around the bed. He was adorable in his sleep, but it wouldn't be like that for long. Quickly, I pounced onto the bed and started to jump up and down, startling Jake out of his peaceful slumber. He looked defensive till he realized it was only me jumping up and down. He groaned and threw himself back on the bed before laughing.

"It's Christmas!" I exclaimed like a child. Jake's eyes filled with adoration as he pulled me down to him and kissed my lips softly. I smiled widely at him before shaking his shoulders playfully. "Let's go see what Santa brought." He chuckled at my eagerness, but I truly wanted him to see his gifts. I had since the day I first bought any of them. Taking his warm hand in mine, I dragged him down the hallway and towards our living room where everything was set up. I hadn't noticed that there were presents I didn't put under the tree. Sneaky Jake!

"Ho ho ho?" Jake shrugged playfully when I looked between him and the tree. I rolled my eyes before giggling. How did he sneak those past me? "It smells delicious in here. Did Emily bring the muffins?" He didn't wait for an answer as he found the basket and began to chow down on one of the muffins we made yesterday.

"Let's open some gifts, Jake! I don't want to wait any longer!" I whined, grabbing his arm and pulling him over towards our tree. It was difficult and looked more like the squirrel from Ice Age trying to pull his acorn out of the ice than a successful movement to the other room. He laughed, nearly choking on his muffin, before plopping on the ground in front of the tree.

"You go first." He murmured handing me a box with a glittery silver wrapping paper and fluffy white bow. I opened my mouth to protest but Jake held a finger there, silencing me. Sighing with a jutted out lip of defeat, I began to unwrap the sparkly box. Once I got through the armor of tape and got the waterproof box open, it revealed to me a beautiful comfy sweater with beige and black patterns on it; the patterns I loved.

"Thank you. I love it." I said with a soft smile. Jake's smile looked relieved, like he was unsure if I'd like it or not. He reached for one of the gifts with his name on it, but I swatted his hand away. "I have to pick them out." He pouted at my objection, but smiled when I handed him a bag with a snowman on it. He quickly tore through my attempt at taping it closed and pulled out several pairs of jeans and cargo shorts. He went through them so quickly and needed more for his time working at the shop.

"Just what I needed." He murmured thankfully before handing me another shimmering box. "You know, Emily helped me wrap these. It's harder than it looks! I just did the taping." Jake laughed deeply in his chest and it made me laugh along with him. This box was easier to open and I smiled at what I saw. It was a new jacket that looked completely warm and fuzzy. It was a purple color with a black fur around the hood. Something that I needed since I was always getting cold.

I handed Jake another one of his gifts. He only had two more to go until he got to the big one. He grinned at the tiny wolves in Santa hat's on the wrapping paper before opening the larger box. He laughed heartily at the bath kit I got him. It had everything you could possibly think of that a man might want in the shower to clean up; so the woman said at the mall.

"Are you trying to tell me I stink?" Jake teased which brought a smile onto my face.

"It's the complete hygiene kit for men. I thought you'd like it." I murmured, uneasy that he didn't.

"I do." He said with a smile before handing me another one of my gifts. It looked like there were only two more gifts left for me as well. I opened the small box to find a jewelry box inside. I gave Jake an apprehensive look before opening the clasping box. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace that had a heart on the end of it. "Turn it over." He whispered. I flipped the heart over and felt the tears well up in my eyes as I read what it said. 'My heart belongs to you'. I reached over the mound of gift wrap to hug Jake snugly. He laughed and held me to him for a moment with his hand in my hair before we returned to our spots; smiles plastered on our faces.

"It's beautiful." I mused, looking at the fine piece of jewelry; not wanting to think about how much money he spent on it. It was incredibly gorgeous and it made me question what I had done to deserve a man like Jacob. I handed Jake another bag and he took it eagerly. His eyes went wide as he pulled out the jersey.

"No way…" His gasp was full of excitement as he looked it over. "A signed Mariner's jersey?" He asked incredulously. I grinned and nodded happily, thrilled that he loved it. He looked it over once more before his famous Jake grin came onto his face. "Have I told you that you're the best?" Jake said with loving eyes that melted my heart.

"You could stand to do it a little more." I teased playfully as he examined his jersey still. He finally set it down and handed me my last gift.

I opened the bag that was decorated in kittens with scarves and candy canes carefully and reached inside. There was a smooth velvet book inside. The cover read 'The Story of Us'. Tears started to brim in my eyes, threatening to spill over as I looked through the book. It told our love story with pictures of us and cute little graphics. It covered everything from the day on Charlie's couch when Jake said he imprinted, our one and two year anniversaries, to our wedding. The page after the one of our wedding said 'Till Forever'. My smile was huge as I pulled Jake close to me. We embraced tightly and I didn't want to let go of him. He was the most amazing man in my life; no doubt about it.

"Looks like that's all then." Jake said with a smile after we let go of each other. He started to clean up the wrapping paper, but I grabbed his arm, making him look at me. I shook my head and a puzzled look came over his face as he sat back down. My heart was pounding in my chest as I reached behind me and pulled out the small box adorned with a tiny bow.

"I have one last gift for you." I whispered, my voice nearly cracking with my nerves. I thought I was going to pass out from all of my anxiety. I pushed Jake the box and he took it, shaking it by his ear. When nothing rattled, he looked even more puzzled.

"Let me guess…it's a watch?" He asked playfully. I groaned and he laughed once more.

"Just open it." I grumbled, trying to conceal my increasing nerves from turning into a full fledge panic attack. Jake smiled softly at me, his eyes apologetic as he began to open the box; antagonizing slow pace. My heart beat was thudding in my ears like I was stuck inside of a ticking clock. My throat was tight and my hands were clammy. It felt like my stomach lurched to my feet and my breath was struggling to come out normally. Jake gave me a crazy look before focusing his attention back on the little box.

Jake finally opened the damned box and pulled out the little bit of tissue paper inside, revealing the gift. He pulled the pregnancy test out of the box and examined it slowly; his eyes wide and mouth open slightly. I couldn't decipher the emotions in his molten brown eyes. I looked to him nervously, a blush coming onto my cheeks.

"Does this mean what I think it does…?" He asked tenderly, glancing up at me before looking down at the small plastic test in his large hands.

"I'm pregnant." My voice was barely audible and shaky. My eyes were focusing on Jake intently, trying to figure out what he was thinking. All of a sudden he looked up at me and tears were spilling from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks, and right past the massive beam on his face. Swiftly, Jake pushed through the pile of wrapping paper and pulled me into his arms, holding me closely. Tears began to leave me with sobs of joy. Jake pulled back to look at me; love burning deeply in his eyes.

"I'm going to be a Daddy!" Jake cried out in a strangled voice. I nodded with a smile on my face, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Oh my God… no way! I can't believe it. Thank you." He mumbled out while burying his face in my neck as he crushed me tightly to him again. My tears hit his bare shoulders as we cried together in our newfound happiness.

"Are you excited?" I asked quietly after a few minutes. Jake pulled his head up and gave me a smile that made my heart turn into a puddle of emotions. He grabbed my chin and pulled me to kiss him deeply.

"I'm scared as hell, but I know we can do this together. We're gonna have a baby." The excitement in his voice reassured me on any of my doubts as I smiled at him. "This is the best Christmas present you ever could have given me." Jake kissed the top of my head gently.

"Only Emily knows. We get to tell Charlie and Billy and I kind of wanted to surprise them, along with the rest of the pack; but separately." I suggested my idea to Jake. He nodded enthusiastically.

"I think that's a great idea. So, how are we going to do it?" We began to scheme ideas before the dinner.

Announcements

We would be going over to Billy's before the dinner with everyone else. Jake and I used our creative skills to scheme a last minute plan to tell them; it was going to be incredible. Neither of us figured they'd be upset; I mean, we're married after all. It was hard not to tell Renee over the phone when she called to wish us a Merry Christmas, but we had asked her to fly out for New Year's Eve; Renee was going to flip. I couldn't wait to the reactions that everyone else would have at our plan for the dinner.

The fresh snow on the ground made it even more freezing outside. Jake had his arm wrapped around me as we made the short walk over to Billy's house; gifts in hand. There was no sense in knocking so we let ourselves in and found Charlie and Billy sitting in front of Billy's small Christmas tree, drinking a couple of beers. There were a couple gifts under the tree addressed to Jake and I.

"Hey stranger." Charlie joked as we embraced tightly. I breathed in his scent that he always had before we parted. I greeted Billy with the same warmth that I did with Charlie.

"Merry Christmas." Jake said, gesturing towards the bags in his hand. Billy let out a gruff laugh.

"You didn't have to get us anything." He protested, but Jake shook his head to stop him.

"We wanted to." I interjected happily. Charlie and Billy both let out a sigh of defeat.

"You two open your gifts first." Charlie grabbed a box from underneath the tree and handed it to Jake, while handing the bag from underneath the tree to me. I smiled at him gratefully.

"They're from both of us." Billy grinned as we started to open the presents. Inside of the bag there was a Traditional Native American cookbook and there was a picture frame that had beautiful oak running around the edges; a picture of Jake and I at our wedding in it. I gave a thankful smile to my fathers'. Jake opened the heavier box to reveal a complete kitchen set; pots, pans, utensils, and everything else. My eyes went wide at the box before I jumped up to hug them once more. These crazy, money spending old men!

"Thank you both. They're perfect." I murmured after taking my seat once more. Jake set our gifts to the side and handed Charlie an envelope. "It's for both of you."

Charlie quickly opened the envelope with Billy looking over his shoulder. He gasped as he read over the paper; the boat license. Billy's eyes went wide as he read it over and they both turned to look at Jake and I with incredulous but happy expressions.

"It's around back." Jake grinned before rolling his Dad's wheelchair outside with Charlie following closely. He would have run Billy over if Jake wasn't moving fast enough. I tagged along right behind them. We went back into the cold and around the side of the house to where Jacob's old garage was. Jake pulled open the doors and both men were in awe. It was a really nice red fishing boat that was compatible with Billy's chair. Jake and I agreed to only get each other a few presents so we could do this for our fathers. It didn't take long before they were right next to it; touching it and admiring every detail.

"Wow…this is incredible. I don't know what to say…thank you!" Charlie blurted out as he came to hug both Jacob and I. I grinned with joy; it made me feel incredibly happy to see my Dad smile and get excited over something I was able to get for him. Billy expressed the same amount of gratitude as he hugged both of us tightly, whispering thank yous' into our ears. They both started towards the boat again, but Jake clearing his throat stopped them in their tracks.

"We have another surprise for you." Jake announced with underlying giddiness. I smiled softly at him.

"What can be more surprising than a boat?" Billy asked with a laugh, but also concern that we were spending all our money on them. Jake held up the bags he brought outside with him before we walked into the garage; to spare me from freezing to death.

"We wanted to give you something bigger than a boat." I murmured excitedly; anxious for their reactions. I could hardly stand the wait and wanted to blurt it out, but I controlled my urges.

"An airplane?" Charlie asked with a hint of sarcasm. I playfully shoved him before Jake handed them their bags.

"Go ahead and find out." Jake was barely able to contain himself as well. He rolled back and forth on his heels while Billy and Charlie both tore through the tissue paper only to find two bundles of wrapping paper.

"Are you pulling our legs about something?" Billy questioned with a skeptical manner as he started working on the next part of the unwrapping. He and Charlie finished unwrapping at the same time and held out two shirts in front of their faces to read the front.

"What does it say?" I inquired with a playful cluelessness. Charlie glanced up at me before returning his eyes to the shirt.

"Mine says 'World's Best Grandpa'." He murmured, the confusion thick in his voice. Billy looked over at him and then as us.

"Mine says 'World's Coolest Grandpa'" Billy's voice was slow as he said it out loud to himself. Abruptly, Charlie looked directly at me and I smiled as if saying yes. His hand covered his mouth as tears began to form in his eyes. Billy caught on quickly and he buried his head in his hands as his sobs left him. I couldn't control my tears from leaving my eyes as I ran to hug my fathers. Charlie embraced me tightly; tears still streaming down his face, while Jacob and Billy hugged. We switched and I squeezed Billy close; excited laughter coming from all around.

"You're gonna be grandpas'!" Jake cheered excitedly once we parted from them. Both men were complete emotion wrecks of happiness.

"You guys did it the right way, unlike my daughter. You were married first. When are you due?" Billy asked happily, his voice hoarse from crying. The smiles could not be swept off of their faces even if someone forcefully tried.

"I'm not sure yet. We still have to see the doctor." I answered truthfully. I wasn't sure what all went into pregnancy, but as long as Jake and I did it together, everything would be fine. Charlie admired his shirt once more before grinning wildly at me.

"Wait till you tell your mom." Charlie laughed lightly while holding onto his shirt in a tight grip. Jake laughed with him.

"She'll be here for New Year's Eve. Nobody else knows, we're planning on announcing it at the dinner." He smiled sheepishly and a light blush came over Charlie's cheeks. Billy laughed at his friend before he admired his own shirt again.

"Merry Christmas, Dad." I smiled at both who were too thrilled to form words. It was an incredible to relief to know that they were happy and excited and not upset.

Christmas Dinner

Billy and Charlie were sworn to secrecy about our pregnancy until we could tell everyone else. In the spot where we would have all of our events, there were big tents surrounding it; providing warmth for those who aren't wolves. I grinned happily, knowing how well this dinner always goes, but it was even more exciting since I was married to Jake now instead of just being a girlfriend.

We entered inside of the tents quickly so I could get out of the bitter cold. There were a bunch of tables set up just like they were for all our other events. Nearly everyone was there. People stood around wishing each other a Merry Christmas and having joyful conversations. I loved seeing the smiles light up everyone's faces and hearing their laughter. This time of year brought out the best in everyone and made it all that more special. There was a long table set up with tons of food that everyone contributed. Billy rolled over to the front of the tent and got situated before he began to talk.

"Thank you God for blessing us with another year of prosperity and happiness. Thank you for allowing our families to gather here today in honor of the birth of Jesus. We are thankful for a year that has been healthy, educational, and full of memories. Thank you for our beautiful families and the love you provide for all of us. We ask that you bless in the next year as changes in our lives may come. Amen." Billy's prayers never ceased to give me chills. He was so passionate about his people, his faith, and the love he had for everyone. His voice was always powerful and it always felt like he was speaking directly to me anytime he prayed.

Slowly, people began to work their way over towards the food and make themselves a plate of deliciousness. There was turkey, ham, bread, mashed potatoes, and a bunch of different items. I smiled softly at Jake while he went to get us food while I headed to Emily. She was sitting at a large table meant for the pack and their imprints; it was a tradition they had started when more wolves imprinted. Jared, Kim, and Seth were sitting with her and Sam already.

"Hey you." I murmured as I came up behind her, startling her a little bit. She had a grin on her face when she turned around to face me. I hugged my best friend tightly before handing her the bag in my hand.

"You didn't!" She gasped, looking surprised at the offering. I nodded with a smirk. Hopefully, she wouldn't kill me.

"Open it." I murmured anxiously. Emily gave me a stern look; we had agreed to no presents this year, but I couldn't resist. She opened the bag quickly and pulled out a photo frame that had 'Best Friends' scrawled onto the front in a pretty cursive font. There was a picture of us smiling on a rare sunny day in Washington. Underneath the picture it said 'Emily and Bella'. She smiled up at me with tears brimming in her eyes.

"It's beautiful." She mused before hugging me tightly once more. Sam watched her admiringly as we embraced and I wiped her tears away. "No more breaking the agreements!" She chided with a laugh.

"I couldn't resist!" I said in my defense. Emily stuck her tongue out at me playfully before sitting back down at her chair. I took a seat next to her as Jake came back with two plates of food. His looked like it was meant for the both of us.

"Did you get enough food?" Emily asked teasingly. Jake rolled his eyes and gestured to Sam, Jared, and Seth's plates which were quite full as well.

"When the food is this good, you can't pass up taking extras." Jake said with a laugh before starting in on his massive plate of food. He had a point; the food was delicious. There was never a shortage of food to go around either.

Rachael, Paul, and Sarah came over to our table to join us. I smiled at the adorable 8 month old little girl. She looked like the spitting image of Paul with Rachael's beauty. Jake grinned too after swallowing his food.

"Who wants to see their favorite uncle?" He asked in a high pitched tone to Sarah. She giggled and reached her arms out for Jake. Paul passed his daughter to Jake with a laugh. Sarah loved Jake more than any of the pack members. Jake bounced Sarah up and down on his lap while her giggles amused all of us. I reached out to grab one of her hands and she wrapped her tiny fingers around one of mine. Jake and I exchanged a smile and soft look as if thinking the same thing; soon we'd have our own baby to share this with.

"You two are more weird and gushy than normal today." Rachael remarked, taking Sarah back into her arms. I couldn't stop the sly grin from coming onto my face. Jake sent her a wink and she just rolled her eyes.

"What if they poisoned the apple pie they brought!?" Jared scoffed with a mock horror.

"Are we sure the pale face can cook?" Sam teased lightly. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Bella's helped me cook for all our get-togethers. I wouldn't judge her." Emily spoke up in my defense. We shared a smile before Seth interjected.

"I don't think it's poisoned." He grinned as he finished his last bite of the apple pie he had. Laughter was shared around the table.

The dinner continued on happily; Christmas music was playing, people were dancing, kids were playing games, and there was tons of laughter and smiles. Jake rubbed my arm softly and I looked up at him. The question was burning in his eyes along with his excitement. I nodded slowly, a nervous smile coming onto my face. He flashed me his famous grin before standing up.

"Hey everyone!" He called out into the tent, making the music quiet down and silence start to overcome the area.

"Hi Jacob!" Claire called out from Quil's side. The five year old waved her hand happily to Jake, who waved back. Even though she was only 2 when Quil imprinted, he loved her deeply. Not in the creepy way, but in the way of he would do anything to make her happy. One day when she was old enough, Quil would be able to tell her about the imprinting and what it meant.

"Bella and I were married a couple months ago and since this is our first Christmas spent together as husband and wife, we'd like to take a picture to remember it with all of you special people! So please, start gathering around and I'll set up the camera!" Jake cheered joyfully as he started to set the camera up on the stand, far enough away to get everyone in the shot. He waited till everyone was grouped together before hitting the timer and running to stand next to me. "It's going to take three pictures, so don't leave after the first!" He announced while smiling tenderly at me.

"Everyone say Merry Christmas!" Emily called out and received several replies as the first picture was taken.

"Everyone say Seth stinks!" Leah laughed while people responded to her request. The timer on the camera started to beep again as it counted down towards the next picture. It felt like my heart was beating incredibly fast as we were about to make our announcement.

"Everyone say Bella's pregnant." Jake exclaimed excitedly. People started to say it, but slowly realized what it was that Jake had actually said. Murmurs of excitement and confusion filled the area as the camera flashed, capturing the incredible moment.

"Are you serious?!" Sue cried happily, leaning forward from her spot to look over at Jake and I. More people followed her gaze with curious expressions. We both nodded cheerily and she cried out again with her own delight.

Soon, everyone was congratulating both Jake and I, pulling us separate ways to talk. Jake was surrounded by the pack as they hooted and chanted loudly, clapping Jake on the back or hugging him in a brotherly manner. I was taken by most of the girls in the tribe who were chatting animatedly and hugging me tightly. Congratulations and talks of baby were coming from everyone as we stood there in that blissful moment.

"I think it'll be a girl." Emily mused with giddiness. I laughed and shook my head. No way.

"I think he is going to be a boy." I murmured while she laughed.

"We'll see who's right." Her voice was playfully challenging. It continued like that for a while; there were so many people to hug and talk to about it that it felt it would never end, but I loved seeing how excited and happy everyone was.

"I'm so happy for you!" Leah said excitedly as we hugged. I could feel the amount of love and happiness that everyone had for us in that moment and it made me feel completely warm inside. Any doubts that I had or nervous feelings went away as I realized how truly accepted I was here. It was where I belonged; where I had always belonged. These people were the ones I could count on in a moment of need, celebrate with during happy times, and connect with emotionally at any moment. There were such loving and amazing people around me that it made me gush with emotions. We were truly a family and I couldn't wait to bring our new addition into it.

This chapter put me in the mood for Christmas! It also made me want to have a baby to tell everyone in an awesome way, but that's not going to happen for a long time! No boyfriend no problem, right? Plus, I have college to focus on soon and there will be no time for shenanigans!

Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! It was a pleasure to write it and I can't wait to see what you all think!

Coming up next:

Chapter 13: Getting Ready for Baby

Please review and let me know what you thought!

Love,

GVE