Title: You Found Me

Full Summary: Edward Masen has lived the life of a nomadic vampire, travelling with James and Victoria since he awoke as an immortal. His ability to read minds has had the unusual side effect of making him a vampire with a conscience. Despite the ridicule from his coven mates, he's confident he's making the best of his existence and doing what's morally right... until he stumbles upon a brown-eyed girl reading in a meadow in Forks. As he attempts to befriend her and learns more about the sleepy town of Forks, Edward finds there's a lot more to being a vampire than he ever thought possible.

Pairings: Canon

Rating: M, for language and sexing.

Chapter: Forty; Merry

POV: Bella

AN: This is about as mush-filled and silly as it gets. Hope you enjoy it :) This is the second from last regular chapter. After that it's the epilogue and we're done… can you believe it?

xx

I knocked on the door of my mother's bungalow. Edward was a couple paces behind me, loaded down with the assortment of gifts that Alice had insisted we bring my mom and Phil. While I had slept in, she'd been busy terrorizing the stores of Chicago, the day before Christmas Eve, no less.

I was just glad that she had been the one to brave the bustling shops. On a good day I hated crowded shopping malls and I was still drained from the previous day's events. Even after lounging in bed with Edward and spending half a day passed out, I still had some recuperating to do.

Spending more than a month sick with worry and topping the experience off with a brush with death did that to people, I supposed. I didn't think I had the energy to face the wrath of agitated last minute shoppers too. Alice assured us that my mother and her husband would adore the gifts she had chosen and I was content to believe her.

She was a godsend, arranging everything so Edward and I would arrive in Jacksonville before sunset. After saying goodbyes to the others and offering Jake and Alice overdue apologies, Edward and I took off for O'Hare, loaded down with suitcases Alice had the foresight to fill with all the clothes we would need for the weeklong stay with my mom. It was a wonder someone so tiny had been able to drag that much crap through the mall.

I'd slept through most of the flight, leaning on Edward's shoulder, satisfied to have him next to me once again. It was crazy how much I had missed him, how a part of me ached with happiness, knowing he would still be there when I woke. All too soon we touched down in the sunshine state and were catching a cab to my mother's little beach-front home.

I knocked on the door again, eager to see her after having only the phone to communicate through for months. She opened the door with a flourish I recognized from having spent most of my childhood with her. A bright smile dashed across her face at the sight of me.

"Bella!" She gripped me in a tight hug. "Hey baby! What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you. Was I? Did Phil forget–"

I stopped her before she could blame Phil for forgetting to remind her I'd been coming.

"We just decided to come visit today," I told her sheepishly, returning her hug just as tightly. "There were some last minute deals going cheap and it's been a while since I've seen you… I missed you. I hope you don't mind."

"We?" My mother brightened as she caught on that I wasn't alone.

Her eyes fell on Edward who was mostly hidden behind our newly acquired belongings.

"Oh, you brought Edward!" She ducked past me, beaming at him like he'd laid the stars in the sky. "How lovely! Phil! Get out here! It's Bella and she brought Edward!"

She took an armful of immaculately wrapped gifts from Edward, talking over her shoulder as she dragged us into the kitchen. She discarded the gifts on the table, turning to divest Edward of our suitcases too. She abandoned them unceremoniously in a corner, using her freed arms to embrace a stunned Edward. He returned her hug with a tentative smile, unsure how to respond to the whirlwind that was my mother.

"Look at you," she gushed, pushing him to arms length to examine him with shrewd eyes. "So adorable. My daughter wasn't lying when she said you were really cute." She winked at me.

I flushed, embarrassed for Edward more than myself. Edward had heard every word of every conversation I'd had with her since we'd been dating. He was usually in the room when I spoke with her, so he knew very well what I'd told her. It was another thing to hear the words directly from my mother.

"Mom." I shot her a harsh stare.

"I'm just saying," she trilled, waving off my scowl. "Oh, the two of you are going to make absolutely gorgeous children." Her eyes turned stern, bouncing between us. "Someday, of course. I'm much too young to be a grandmother. The two of you have been using protection, haven't you?"

Edward seemed unaffected by the intrusive line of questioning but my cheeks threatened to combust, their temperature rising exponentially. The truth was, we hadn't been, but for reasons Renee would never guess, it was unnecessary.

Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my hair before giving my mother his heart-stopping grin. "I assure you, Renee, Bella and I have no plans to have children anytime in the near future."

I released a breath at the diplomatic answer. That told Renee nothing about our sex life, thank god. Renee looked torn between disappointment and relief. Then she gasped, her fingers rising to touch my collarbone.

I looked down, confused, until I realized she had spotted the necklace Edward had given me. "Oh. This is pretty. Is it real?"

I shrugged, deferring to Edward. I didn't know much about it, other than that it had been his mother's engagement gift. He nodded, gracing her with a shy smile. "It's an old family heirloom. I'm an only child, so I gave it to Bella as an early Christmas gift."

My mother held a hand to her heart. "That's just the sweetest thing." She turned to me coyly. "I bet the next piece of jewelry he gives you will be–"

"Mom!" I cut her off before she could even begin to process that thought. Sure, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life – and all eternity – with Edward but I was still only 18. I felt much too young to contemplate the "W" word much less the "M" word. I wasn't ruling it out, rather I thought it was something to consider more seriously a few years down the road.

Phil peeked hesitantly around the archway that led to the living room. "Is the squealing done? Is it safe to come out?"

"Just get in here, Philip," my mother said playfully.

I waved him in, glad to have a buffer from my mother's well-meaning but unsolicited meddling in my relationship.

He grinned, stepping into the room. He stopped to peck my mother on the cheek as he passed her, wrapping me in a paternal hug.

"Nice to see you again, Bella." He glanced at Edward over my shoulder. "You gonna introduce me to your boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes at the look akin to fatherly protectiveness that glazed his expression. I got enough of that from Charlie. I didn't need two overprotective dads fretting about what went on between me and my boyfriend. Phil had to have heard enough from Renee to know how serious Edward and I were about one another.

"Phil, this is Edward," I introduced, leaning to kiss Edward on the cheek for keeping his cool despite my wacky family. I couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of thoughts were infiltrating his head right now. "Edward, this is my stepdad Phil."

They shook hands congenially. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," Edward gave them his GQ model grin, charming my mother in person just as he had over the phone. "Bella talks about you so much I feel as though I know you."

Phil squeezed my shoulder. "I hope Bella hasn't been gossiping too much," he teased.

I nudged Phil jokingly. "You know me. Bella the gossip. I told him all about the time you dropped the ball in the tenth inning of the semi-finals and lost the game for the team and everything."

Phil winced at the reminder. "And I was about to tell you I missed your cooking. I think I'm starting to remember why I was so relieved when you left."

My mother rolled her eyes. "If the two of you are about done being silly, we have a guest to entertain." She turned soft eyes to Edward, already under his spell. Not that I could blame her. He was pretty perfect in every imaginable way.

Phil jerked a finger in the direction of French doors that led outside to the even smaller bungalow that served as a guest house. "Should I set up both the guest rooms for them?"

My mom winked at us. "One should be fine, I think."

I wove my fingers with Edward's, surprised to find I wasn't as embarrassed by the thought that my mother knew I would be sleeping in a bed with Edward as I once would have been. Maybe I was growing up. Or perhaps I was finally starting to become immune to her mortifying openness in all aspects of life.

Phil glanced between the three of us, slightly scandalized. At my mother's loaded look, he shrugged and grabbed our luggage, heading outside.

"Well, this changes our plans," Renee confessed. "Phil and I were planning to leave for Disney World tomorrow. He got me tickets for Christmas. You know how much I love fireworks."

"We should have phoned ahead," I said, remorseful that I was intruding upon her plans, though I knew it would have been impossible to warn her any sooner than this morning. Less than 24 hours ago my life had been in shambles, not yet reassembled. Still, I didn't want her to go out of her way to accommodate us.

"Don't let us spoil your Christmas plans. I can entertain Edward here in Jacksonville. There's plenty for us to do. We'll see you when you get back. We don't have to be back in Washington until January."

Renee shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. You and Edward should come with us. You remember how much you used to love Disney World?" she asked me fondly. "You would ride the spinning teacups over and over… I still have those old polaroids of you dressed up as Minnie Mouse. Oh, Edward, you have to see them. They're the cutest thing."

She disappeared into the next room, returning with a photo box in hand. She flipped through it, locating the one she had mentioned, holding it out to Edward who took it with a smile.

"See? What did I tell you? Cute, right?" She handed the box to Edward. "The two of you should look through the rest of these. There's some good ones from when we went to Grandpa's cabin in Phoenix. The one of you stuck in the intertube is in there."

"Great, thanks," I said, sarcasm seeping into my tone. Ten minutes into our visit and already my mom had thrust a boxful of embarrassing family keepsakes on my boyfriend.

"Oh, don't be so sour, baby. Edward loves you. He'll get a laugh out of them. I'm going to go talk to Phil about ordering those tickets. He knows all about Google and how to work all that internet ordering stuff."

"Mom," I tried to get her attention, not wanting her to go out of her way to include us, but my energetic mother was past listening. She was already halfway out the door, calling for Phil.

Edward chuckled from the vicinity of the kitchen table, still perusing my mother's photo box. I glanced at him dispassionately.

"Isn't it enough you saw the photo album I have in my room?"

Edward shook his head, playful. "No. I'm a sponge for everything Bella. And this is prime material." He held up a photo – the one that Renee had mentioned – of me in a frilly purple bathing suit, stuck in an intertube.

I groaned and buried my face in his shoulder. When he pulled my chin up so he could drop a kiss on the corner of my mouth, I couldn't help but smile at him.

"So… have you ever been to Disney World before?"

xx

"Aw, come on, we're at Disney World, the happiest place on Earth. What's your problem?" I nudged Edward who appeared to be pouting, for no good reason as far as I could discern.

He shook his head as if to clear it and offered me a lopsided smile. "Nothing, I am happy. I'm with you. I'm just trying to figure out the appeal."

"What do you mean?" I glanced around as we walked down Main Street; the bright, colourful atmosphere was perpetually cheerful. What was there not to like? "This is awesome!"

"Strapping yourself into death-defying mechanisms and being tossed around like you're in a washing machine after eating loads of junk food is fun?" He glared at Space Mountain off in the distance.

"Um, yeah! What did Space Mountain ever do to you? Come on, you can't tell me you're not having any fun."

"I didn't say that," he grinned at me, the little black raincloud that had been chasing him dissipating. "I'm simply worried that you might puke on me if we ride another. You did eat two soft pretzels and a half a bag of cotton candy." He held up what remained of the bag, an eyebrow raised.

"Please," I shrugged it off, "you ain't seen nothing yet." I pointed where he'd been glaring at moments ago. "Let's ride Space Mountain again! We've got a couple of hours before we have to meet up with my mom and Phil."

Edward looked doubtful. "We've already been on it twice, Bella."

"So?"

"Do you want to give me a heart attack? Because that's what's going to happen. Having to stand by idly as these rickety machines that masquerade as 'fun' toss you around like a ragdoll… you could get hurt."

Edward looked miffed when I burst into a fit of giggles. I didn't bother responding to the nonsense about a vampire having a heart attack. "Is that what all the pouting has been about? You're worried about my safety?"

He shifted uncomfortably, recognizing he was caught and gave a bashful shrug. "You're my mate. I don't want you to be in a position where I could lose you."

"You're not going to lose me. There's tons of safety codes and restrictions in place. If there was a chance that anyone who was following the rules could get hurt, the park wouldn't still be open. They're safer than the car we were in on the way here, trust me."

He enfolded me in his arms, holding me tightly. He must have been more affected by our near miss with James and Victoria than I realized. Then again, he had no experience with theme parks as I knew them, so maybe he really was worried. I hugged him back, wanting to give him the reassurance he needed.

"Promise?"

I stroked his cheek, standing on my toes so I could kiss him lightly. "I promise," I vowed. "If I thought there was a chance that either one of us would get hurt, I wouldn't do it."

"Sure you wouldn't," he teased. I was glad to see the lightness had returned to his eyes. They were a muddy hazel colour, caught between amber and what remained of the burgundy. "Because you've been known to turn and run when confronted with danger."

"This is different," I insisted, hauling him in the opposite direction (we had been heading straight for Space Mountain) leading him to the relative safety on the other side of the park. "Come on, I think you might need a break from the big boy rides. It's been a while since I've been on 'it's a small world.'"

"Like the song?" he asked, letting me drag him down the bustling streets of downtown Disney.

I nodded, finding it endearing how little he knew about the place where I'd spent countless hours as a child. Everyone of my generation knew the ins and outs of Disney by the time they were ten.

"Exactly like the song. Except it's set to a boat ride and it's kind of dark. People have been known to make out on it."

He nodded thoughtfully, the tempo of his stride increasing. "I suppose I could get on board with that."

I squeezed his hand. "I thought you might."

xx

"Did the two of you have fun?" Renee asked, as we all huddled around Cinderella's Castle. The spotlights that shone on it cast it in a dreamy purple glow. We were waiting for the fireworks to start. My mother was aglow as much as the castle.

I nodded from my vantage point wrapped in Edward's arms. Without the sun overhead there was a slight briskness to the air, through with the snow and slush of Forks as the alternative, it was pure heaven.

After his minor freak out about the safety of Disney's more adventurous rides, we'd had a fun lazy afternoon, taking on many of the park's more lethargic rides. It was a perfect counter to the stress of the last week and I found it was exactly what I needed, even though I tended to prefer rollercoasters. Getting to second base on "it's a small world," before we'd had to quit it or risk getting kicked out had helped put Edward in a better mood, too, if the indolent smiles were any indication.

"It's been a great day. Thank you so much for inviting us along, Renee," Edward added.

"He's never been to Disney World before," I told my mother, who seemed horrified by this revelation.

"What about Disneyland?" She asked, certain there had to be a loophole.

I shook my head. "Nope. Neither. This is his Disney cherry being popped right here," I teased, realizing a moment too late what I had said and the floodgates it would unleash.

To my astonishment, Renee ignored the blatant sexual innuendo, patting Edward on the shoulder as if his puppy had just died. Apparently consoling Edward for the misfortunes of his childhood outweighed an opportunity to grill us about our personal lives.

"You poor thing. Your parents really dropped the ball on that one, I'm sorry to say. Though I suppose you did say you grew up in Chicago… still, no, that's no excuse."

Edward smiled obligingly. "I'm glad that I could share my first visit with Bella. She seems to know the park inside and out. It's made for a very enjoyable trip so far."

"We used to come up every summer. Bella would always write out an itinerary for us. Every ride had a timeslot, including estimated wait times based on popularity," Renee smiled at me fondly as she reminisced. It seemed so long ago now, though my mother's young-at-heart mentality remained the same.

Phil chuckled. "That sounds like the Bella we know and love. It seems she's loosened up over the years."

A flush rose up my neck as the memory came rushing back with the force of a sledgehammer. I must have blocked out my anal childhood habits. Even as a kid I'd insisted on being the parent in our mother-daughter relationship.

"You remember that?"

"Of course, baby. Grandma Higginbotham had an excellent memory and so do I. I remember everything that matters and those summers were some of the best of my life."

It seemed strange to me that someone as absent-minded and flighty as my mother could claim to have an excellent memory, but then, maybe she had a point when she said she remembered everything that mattered. Hanging onto the details concerning mundane, everyday tasks was unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

"It's starting." Phil pointed to the sky, where the bursts of colour were beginning to appear, claps echoing across the park.

My mom turned to sky, engrossed. She was wrapped up in Phil's arms, just as I was in Edward's. It made my heart clench to know that she was the same happy, effervescent person I had always known and that her marriage to Phil was all that it had promised to be.

"They seem happy," Edward noted, his head ducked low against mine so he could whisper in my ear.

"They do," I agreed, my eyes on the colours blossoming in the sky. "I hope we're always as happy as they seem to be."

His arms tightened around my middle. "We will be. I'll do everything in my power to ensure we are."

I glanced at him, surprised to see his eyes weren't on the sky but on me. "Is the magic of fireworks lost to vampires?" It made me sad to think he might be unable to appreciate their beauty.

He shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Not at all. I have no basis for comparison but I'd guess they're even more beautiful. Colours are brighter and more luminous to us, and against the backdrop of all the stars and planets in the sky, they're really gorgeous."

"So what are you looking at me for, then?" I teased.

His grin widened and he pulled me closer still. "Guess."

xx

"Wow, this place is so… fancy," I observed, unable to find another adequate word to describe the room.

From the moment we stepped foot in the lobby of the resort it was as if we'd travelled through a portal into the past. It was all Victorian all the time. Rich velvets, lush patterns and ornately sculpted wood in warm finishes were everywhere. Calling it elaborate was an understatement. The concierge and the bellboys were dressed in period costumes. Even the elevators seemed a hundred years old. It was only us in our modern dress that seemed misplaced.

All the furnishings had a distinct Victorian luxury, too. It hardly screamed 'Disney,' though it did scream 'Renee.' I understood immediately how the over the top theme would appeal to my mother's dramatic side. I had a feeling Edward would be right at home, too. I hadn't paid much attention to the details of his parents' home as I'd been dragged through it – I'd had other more important issues on my mind – but it seemed like an echo of what I could recall.

"It's like we've stepped back in time a century."

Edward glanced around us with a critical eye. "In some ways." He flashed our key card with a wry smile. "In others not."

"What do you think? Does it remind you of when you were a kid at all?"

He shook his head, an eyebrow raising in challenge. "Hardly. Despite what you may think I'm not that old. I wasn't yet born when the Victorian Era came to a close. I was born in the Edwardian Era."

"Oh, so you think you're special enough to have a whole era named after you?" I straightened my face into the picture of befuddlement, not wanting to give away my teasing. I knew perfectly well what he meant, but it was more fun to rile him up. "It doesn't work like that, Edward."

Edward rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "It's named for King Edward, Bella."

"Oh so now you think you're a king?" I said playfully, unable to keep the mirth from spreading to my eyes. Edward's eyes lit with understanding, recognizing that I was playing with him. His eyes darkened and he stalked toward me, his expression unreadable.

I blinked and I was laying flat against the cushiony bed, Edward hovering over me like the predator he was. I was suddenly very glad the only room available in the resort on such short notice was several floors away from my mother and Phil's.

"You think you're funny?"

Grinning, I nodded and attempted to pull him down on top of me but he refused to let our bodies touch. "Did you really think I didn't know when the Victorian Era ended? I mean, I got a 98 in history. And you never answered my question… do you like the room?"

Edward flopped down on the bed next to me, still a good distance away. Too far. I twisted to face him, scooting closer. "It's lovely. Though I'm not one for nostalgia where furniture is concerned. I much prefer clean, modern lines. This is much more my parents' aesthetic than mine."

I dragged a hand through his hair gently. The humming sounds that sounded so much like purrs gently rumbled the bed. "I still learn something new about you every day."

His eyes shone brightly. "It's the same for me, you know. As soon as I think I can predict how you're going to react to any given situation, you turn around and do something completely unexpected. One thing is a constant, though… your aversion to gifts. Unfortunate, since it's Christmas," he said sourly. The clock on the nightstand revealed he was right. It was two minutes past midnight on Christmas day.

He disliked being denied the opportunity to give me something without risk of (much) complaint, though we had both agreed because of the timing that we'd nix this year's exchange.

I shrugged. "It doesn't really matter does it? It's not like either of us had the opportunity to go out and buy gifts. We've had a lot going on. Speaking of buying stuff, there's something I've been meaning to apologize about…"

Edward's eyes tightened, worry lining them. "What is it?"

"Um, well you know how I told you I came to Chicago at the last minute? Well, um, I kind of used your credit card to pay for my ticket. And Jake's, since he insisted on coming with me. And well, with the last minute fees and stuff… it was ridiculously expensive. I'm sorry. I'll pay it back, I promise," I added guiltily.

Edward chuckled. "That's all? You got me concerned over a little bit of money? Bella, how many times do I have to tell you what's mine is yours? I know it's a foreign concept to humans, but I don't need legally binding ties to share everything I have with you. I don't know how to make you see how little money is worth to me, especially in comparison to you."

I shrugged. "I know. I'm sorry that you think I'm being stubborn about this but if I just let you give me a free ride on everything, I wouldn't feel right about it."

Edward growled softly at my refusal to understand his way of thinking. "Do you think it's unfair for divorced women to retain a share of their spouses' fortunes?"

I thought about it a moment. That was different. People who built lives together deserved to share any profits of their time together. Unlike Edward and I who were balanced precariously on a very uneven see-saw. From the very beginning he brought much more to the table than I had. It wasn't like I'd had any role in supporting him while he had amassed what he had.

"No…"

"Well, this is no different. Our lives are bound now. I've trusted you with my heart and soul and the rest of my life on earth. Those are the true things of value I have to offer and you already own them all. Everything else is unimportant."

"I hope it's a little different," I joked, "since I don't plan on divorcing you."

Edward's eyes sparkled at the allusion to us being married. "You'd have to marry me for that to be a possibility, Miss Swan. Until then I'll be patiently waiting… suffering the cold of loneliness."

I shoved him, but was unable to contain my giggle, amused by his doleful antics. "Shut up."

"If we're going to live together this summer forward, it might please your parents." His lips quirked into his I-know-how-persuasive-I-am half-grin.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, ducking my head into his chest so he wouldn't see the blush that rose on my cheeks whenever he fixed me with that hopeful, adoring smile. "I'll think about it, okay?" I added on a more serious note.

He kissed the top of my head. "I suppose that will have to be good enough for now."

I tugged him closer to me, sick of the serious conversation and the distance between us. I claimed his lips with mine.

His hand skimmed over my bare leg, caressing most of the way up my thigh before he met cloth. All the clothing Alice had picked out consisted of shorts that were nearly indecent and tank tops. If it hadn't been for the pair of cardigans she'd included in the bag I might have felt naked walking around in public like that.

Edward seemed to enjoy his freer access to my skin, unaccustomed to seeing me in warm-weather clothing at all. More than once I'd had to stop him from groping me in public. As much as it didn't bother me, I was pretty sure Disney had rules against that and there was no way I'd live down the shame of getting kicked out of Disney World.

"These were crafted by the hands of evil," he told me, tugging on the button of my shorts. "Do you know how many teenagers I had to hear thinking about what you might look like without them on?" He shook his head as if to erase the thought. "23. Stupid children. I can't really blame them, you are the sexiest creature that will ever grace their line of sight. But you're mine. Only mine."

I fisted his shirt in my hands. It was ridiculous how much I loved him telling me I was his. It might have worried me if I hadn't known he was just as much mine.

I pulled his face to mine, letting him feel how much I wanted him in my kiss.

We had a luxury room all to ourselves and I intended to make full use of it. The soft velvets scraping across my bare shoulders promised to add a new level of divine torture as Edward and I joined together. I could just imagine the lush feel of it on my naked skin as he moved inside of me.

Of course imagination was rendered unnecessary.

xx

"Come on," I urged, unsuccessfully trying to drag Edward toward the Tower of Terror.

After spending all of the previous day in the Magic Kingdom we were splitting our second day between what we'd missed of it and MGM-Studios. Once again, we'd split off from my mom and Phil who had an itinerary of their own.

"You expect me to go on a ride where you will be dropped 13 stories?" Edward whined, glancing at it balefully. "Can't we go back to the Magic Kingdom? You liked the ride with the elephant with the big ears… or 'it's a small world.' I liked that one." A sly smile stretched over his features.

I rolled my eyes. "I wonder why?"

His grin grew. "You seemed to enjoy it. So what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is you promised you'd be more open-minded," I reminded him. "You know I'm not going to get hurt, so man up and let's have some fun. We laid low yesterday. I'm not going on the kid rides again today because you're scared."

"I'm not scared," Edward insisted. "I'm merely… concerned. This park deems its engineers 'Imagineers,' Bella." He scoffed in derision. "Do they sound like professionals who care about maintaining pinnacle of safety? Can't we just go watch the spectacle of dancing lights? It only happens at Christmastime, you know. You won't get another chance…" he let the offer dangle in the air tantalizingly.

I laughed. "Stop making excuses and let's go!" I grabbed his hand again. This time he let me lead him toward the looming tower. He stared it down like one might a dueling opponent.

I stopped us in the middle of the busy street, wrapping my arms around his waist, forcing him to look at me. "Chill out, please. You're ruining my Disney buzz. If I have to kick your ass I'm not going to be very happy with you. So please, please, just relax so we can have some fun."

He mumbled incoherently for a moment. "Are you really not having fun?" he asked eventually. He seemed stricken by this realization.

"I would be if my boyfriend wasn't such a buzz kill." He shot me an affronted look. "Truth hurts," I teased.

"I'll try harder," he promised. This time it seemed he actually meant it. The creases of worry in his forehead smoothed somewhat and he donned his most charming smile, though I wasn't certain it was entirely sincere. He was trying, though.

This time when I led him to the Tower of Terror, he actually maintained his happy, if somewhat incredulous, disposition.

"I'll never understand humans. The sole purpose of this ride seems to be to frighten and terrify if the name is an indication. You screamed for two minutes straight on Space Mountain, yet insisted upon returning. I don't understand."

"Not all of us can run as fast as the wind. Some of us have to get our thrills in other ways. And you didn't seem to mind when I screamed last night," I said saucily, knowing bringing up sex was a sure way to distract him from his fears.

"That's different," he countered, a genuine smile taking the place of the manufactured one. "You weren't screaming in fear."

The rest of the day flashed by in a blur of rides and cheesy stage shows jam-packed with equally cheesy musical numbers. Edward made a genuine effort to have fun and let loose. I couldn't remember a time when I'd laughed so much.

He got into shooting laser beams with me on the Toy Story themed ride and proudly declared his numbers at the end, consoling me when he realized mine were less than half of his.

He didn't flinch when we rocketed down Splash Mountain. He actually laughed, getting a kick out of seeing me dripping wet. I laughed, too, happy to see him happy. Disney just wasn't the same thrill when I knew he was miserable.

He even insisted we ride Space Mountain again without a single derisive comment.

By the time the sun began its decent behind the horizon I was dead on my feet, tired from walking and standing in endless lines. Edward supported me, one arm splayed on the small of my back.

"See, what did I tell you? Fun, right?"

"Actually, yes." He kissed my head, seemingly surprised by this fact. "I'm sorry I was being such a buzz kill," he used the recycled word sardonically. "I really did have fun. There's just one more thing I have to do." He led me in the direction of one of the hundreds of Disney-themed shops on-site.

I stopped him before he could think about insisting 'we' eat. My stomach protested at the thought. "I'm not hungry. I ate way too much crap already. I think I'm actually craving vegetables to replace all the sugar."

Edward's eyes gleamed. He loved little more than a chance to ply me with healthy food.

"Don't even think about it. If I eat anything else I'll die. Even vegetables."

Edward shook his head primly, though the gleam was still very much present. "I wasn't planning on getting you food. That was your own suggestion. Don't blame me for what you were thinking. I can't read your mind."

He propped open the door to the store and ushered me inside. There was no food in sight. Just tons and tons of Disney merchandise. Anything that could have cartoon characters and the Disney logo emblazoned on it did and was in this building.

"We need to buy something," Edward insisted. "I heard some of the kids outside thinking about how souvenirs are an essential part of the Disney World experience. I don't want you to miss out." He gave me his most innocent look.

"We said no Christmas presents and that having one another was enough this year," I reminded him.

"Not a Christmas present, Bella," he corrected. "A souvenir. Weren't you listening to anything I said? It's merely a coincidence that today happens to be Christmas."

"Edward–"

"A souvenir, Bella." He pointed at a row of delicate crystal sculptures in the shape of various Disney characters. "Those would make lovely souvenirs, wouldn't they?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not really my style. I don't really collect things like that. They would be wasted on me."

Edward continued on undeterred, walking straight past the T-shirts and pajama sets which I might have been able to write off as actual souvenirs, heading directly for the jewelry counter. I couldn't even pretend to hate jewelry. I wasn't the most feminine person out there but I did have a few cherished pieces I wore often and he knew it.

"How about that necklace," he pointed at a gorgeous sparkling rendition of Cinderella's Castle dangling from a platinum chain. I ignored the price tag not wanting to think about it.

I pointed at the necklace I was wearing. "I'm not taking this off. So no."

Edward grinned, touching the spot where his mother's heart-shaped pendant kissed my collarbone. "Okay, understandable."

His gaze was quickly diverted back to the display cases as he sought the perfect Christmas-gift-camouflaged-as-a-souvenir. It didn't take him long to find a charm bracelet with a mini-representation of Space Mountain as its crowning glory.

He glanced at me surreptitiously, already knowing with certainty that I would love it. I hated that he was right. He must have got the confirmation he was looking for because the salesclerk that had been hovering obnoxiously descended, praising his good taste and declaring what a 'lucky lady' I was as she wrapped the trinket. I tuned her out as she waxed on about how it would pair with my 'pretty' necklace.

"Edward–" I began as we made our way back to our resort. The giftwrap had been abandoned and the charm bracelet dangled from my arm, the silver winking cheerfully in the low light.

"Merry Christmas, Bella," he grinned, kissing me lightly. "This has been the best Christmas of my life. I hope you'll agree."

And just like that I forgot what I was complaining about.