Skipping Ahead to Christmas Eve…
"Bella, what do you want Santa to bring you?" Emmett asked. I noticed that Carlisle seemed to pay a little more attention than he had been before Emmett asked.
"I don't know," I laughed as I snuggled farther into Mark's lap. We were all sitting in the living room, watching Christmas movies and enjoying each other's company. "Santa hasn't visited me for years. Why would he start again this year?"
"Because he loves you," Emmett answered solemnly.
"Have you been drinking?" Mark questioned. I snorted, and Emmett looked offended.
"I have not," He answered with much dignity. "I can't drink."
"Why not?" Mark asked curiously.
"I, uh, well, Rose won't let me," Emmett lied. "She says I'm strange enough as it is."
"Smart girl," Mark complimented her, and she grinned.
"Seriously, Bella, what do you want from Santa?" Rose asked.
"I think the thing I really want Santa can't bring me," I answered after thinking for a few moments.
"And what is that?" Carlisle asked.
"That's for me to know and Santa to never find out," I answered with a shrug. "He can't bring it to me, so I won't tell him."
"We aren't Santa, or his helpers," Alice said. "Tell us!"
"No," I said.
"What do you want for Christmas, Mark?" Edward asked. Mark and Edward had been getting along much better over the past few days. They were still a little awkward around each other, but it wasn't quite as tense as it had been. It seemed to be a large improvement.
"I'm like Bella, I'm not sure I want Santa to know," Mark answered.
"What about you guys?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"I want a new car," Alice said. "Edward still hasn't made good on his promise from Volterra!"
"Voltera?" Mark asked. "As in, Volterra, Italy?"
"Yes," Alice answered. "We went there on vacation once. Edward promised to get me a new car that I saw there, but he hasn't yet."
"What were you doing in Volterra?" Mark asked.
"Showing Bella Italy," Alice answered. "I think she liked it, except she didn't speak the same language as most of the people there."
"Several spoke English," I reminded her, trying very hard not to remember the trip.
"What did you think of Volterra?" Mark asked me.
"It was… scary." I said.
Mark laughed. "You aren't afraid of anything except getting us killed by rolling the car down a ditch, Alice taking you shopping, and Alice and Rose giving you a make-over. What was so scary about Volterra?"
"It was just rather scary," I answered with a shrug. "It was Saint Marcus' Day, and there were people all around us. I got scared when I was… separated from Edward."
"Did he run off or did something else happen?" Mark asked. Edward tensed at the implied insult.
"The crowd separated us," I answered.
"But getting separated from someone in a crowd isn't something that frightens you," Mark said gently.
"There were people trying to kill Edward," I said defensively. "That was enough to frighten me."
"What?" Mark asked, and he looked at Edward for confirmation. "People were trying to kill you?"
"Yes," Edward confirmed.
"Why?" Mark asked.
"We don't know," Carlisle answered. "Bella was trying to find Edward, they were trying to kill Edward, and it was a very stressful time for all of us."
"What happened?" Mark asked.
"We went to the authorities," Alice said. "We talked with them for a little while, and they let us stay somewhere slightly safer than on the streets until the main festivities were over. After that, we left and came straight home."
"Charlie said you hadn't ever been out of the country before our honeymoon," Mark accused me.
I blushed. "I told him I went to L.A."
"Isabella!" He scolded me, but grinned anyway. "You're such a little liar."
"I can be," I answered with a grin and a kiss on his cheek. "Anyway, Alice wants a 911 Turbo Porsche, Edward, what do you want?"
"I believe I will maintain the precedent that you both established and say that Santa does not need to know," Edward answered. I rolled my eyes.
"You're too formal for your own good," I informed him. He kept a straight face and gave me a deep nod. I rolled my eyes again and turned to Emmett. "How about you?"
"More games for the XBOX," Emmett answered immediately. "Or Maybe a Nentendo Wii. Those sound like fun, and I heard that they've come down in price since they're a few years old."
"As if price ever mattered!" I taunted him. He grinned in response.
"How about you, Rosalie?" Mark asked.
"I don't know, maybe some new parts for the car I'm building right now," she answered. "Or make-up. I'm not picky about Christmas. No matter what I get, I'm still receiving things, and I won't complain about free things." She flashed Mark a smile, and I heard his breath hitch in his throat. Apparently the female vampires are good at dazzling people too. She gave a little laugh and turned to Carlisle. "What do you want from Santa, O-father-of-ours?"
"I don't really need anything," Carlisle answered. "However, I wouldn't object to receiving more medical books."
"You really love your job, don't you?" Mark asked.
"There isn't anything else I would rather do," Carlisle answered. "I love to help heal people and save lives, not for the credit, but because I have a good life, and I want others to experience everything that life can offer to them."
"What do you want, Esme?" Alice asked.
"I really do not need anything," Esme answered quietly. She leaned her head on Carlisle's shoulder and added, "I have all of my family here this year; that is enough for me." She gave Edward a smile, and he returned it.
"What do you want from Santa, Jasper?" Carlisle asked.
"Books," Jasper answered immediately. "I don't care what kind or how many."
"What are we doing tomorrow?" Alice asked, changing the subject. I gave her a quizzical look and she winked.
"Isn't the party tomorrow?" Mark asked confusedly.
"It is, but that's not until the evening," Alice giggled. "What are we doing during the day?"
"Renee's coming and we're having lunch with her," I answered.
"What?!" Alice exclaimed. "How come I didn't know about that?" She glanced at Carlisle, and then glared at Edward.
"I didn't tell anybody," I answered. "Billy invited Charlie, Mark, Renee, Phil, and me to his house tomorrow for lunch. Jake will be there, along with a few other of his friends. I think they rented the cultural hall or something since there will be so many of us."
"You're going to La Push?" Edward asked with an edge in his voice.
"It's not that big of a deal," I said dismissively. "We'll be back in time for this party."
"I think Edward is just worried because people keep seeing the big wolves close to La Push," Carlisle said. He glanced at Edward and I knew he was mentally telling Edward to calm down. "Just be careful, and don't stop anywhere."
"We will," Mark promised.
My cell phone rang, then, and I stood up from Mark's lap to go outside and answer it.
"Hello?" I asked once I was outside and flipped open the phone.
"Hey, Bells," Charlie said. "How close are you two to coming home?"
"We can come home any time," I answered. "Do you want us to come home now?"
"That would be nice," he said. "Somebody came to visit."
"Who?" I asked.
"They said they want to surprise you," he answered.
"We'll be there in a little bit," I said hesitantly. "Love you, Dad."
"Love you too, Bells." Charlie answered. He hung up and I hurried back inside.
"Hey Alice, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a sec?" I asked. Jasper realized that I was worried and he whispered something in her ear. She stood up almost too fast and walked over, pulling me in the kitchen as soon as she passed.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
"My dad wants Mark and I to go home because I have a surprise visitor," I answered quietly. "Can you help me out and tell me if it's safe to go home?"
Alice's answer was to close her eyes immediately. I waited patiently while she tried to figure out what was going to happen.
"It's safe, I think," she finally murmured, still with her eyes closed. "The real guest is safe, but you may have an unexpected visitor later tonight. I think a few of us will need to camp outside your house, just in case."
"Who?" I asked, the worry making my voice thick. Alice opened her eyes and locked her gaze with mine.
"Victoria, but this time she has a few friends."
A/N: Okay! So I'm done with that semester, and I'm on to a new one now, but the important thing is that finals are over and I can write fan fiction again! Yay! celebrates
Anyway, I'd like to thank likeadoll for asking the ever thought provoking and time consuming question, "Do you have an actor in mind for Mark?" The answer, at the time I replied, was no. However, many hours of trying to find just the right actor on internet movie database (IMDb), I finally found one that's kind of close. I put a link to his picture in my profile and an explanation of how he's different for any who are interested.
Read and Review, Please! Tell me if you like where this is going or if it's starting to seem like other stories. I'm not trying to steal ideas, I swear, but sometimes certain plots lines (like Victoria ultimately showing up) are unavoidable. And there's only so many ways Victoria can arrive. So please tell me how to make this better!
Until the next chapter (which happens to he halfway typed),
Addie