Here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone reading and a special thanks to magically dorky and Fudgie-chan for reviewing. Much appreciated!

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Ten Lords a-Leaping

Tuesday the Sixteenth of December

I walked around the crowded streets, huddled into my winter coat. I'd been in an irritable mood all morning. Charlie had awoken me with all his clattering around in the kitchen early this morning – he'd been running late for work. I hadn't been able to return to the blissful dream I'd been having, and to my utter disappointment I couldn't even remember what the dream had been about. I hated those mornings.

So I grumbled out of bed and ate some cereal that I had fortunately picked up yesterday. Then I'd decided that I had to go in to town to get Charlie's Christmas present.

Luckily the shopping village was only a ten minute walk from Charlie's place. It was a gorgeous little village too, Christmas trees lined the streets and carol singers battled the cold and sang pretty little melodies. Despite what should have been a peaceful atmosphere, the hordes of Christmas shoppers and endless queues were getting on my nerves.

And Edward.

I couldn't get him out of my thoughts, and it was this fact that irritated me the most. I barely even knew him! I had a feeling that the next time I saw him; I wouldn't be as friendly as I had been so far. It frustrated me how angry I was with him when, in fact, he'd done nothing whatsoever to deserve any of my irritation. Except occupy my thoughts, which of course, probably wasn't his fault.

I made my way out of the crowded cobble-stoned streets, pushing through the seemingly endless amounts of people. It seemed the entire population of Wisconsin chose this little village to shop in.

That was until I exited into a quieter part of town. The street seemed perfectly serene after the bumbling crowds I'd just left. It was like another world. I walked down the quiet street. It was home to a few small cottage-like houses and a church. The church stood high in comparison to the houses that surrounded. As I passed one of the homes I recognised a sign on the gate in front of it: Braille Library, it said. I glanced at the other homes and saw similar signs – everything from Hardy's Costume Design to K & K's optometry. I looked back at the library and continued walking until I walked straight into someone who was heading out of the church. I was on my way to the floor when a pair of arms wrapped around me and pulled me back up. My shopping fell unnoticed to the floor as I looked up to see who I'd ungraciously walked into.

"Hello Bella," Edward said with a smile.

I just stared at him as he unwrapped his arms from around my waist and bent down to pick up my shopping. He handed it to me.

"How are you this morning?" he asked.

"Fine," I snapped. I was just trying to forget about you, I thought bitterly.

He frowned, "I'm sorry I knocked you," he said, "I should be more careful."

I stared for a few more moments, then shook my head, "No, it's me. I'm always walking into things."

He laughed, no doubt remembering my encounter with Rosalie, "Perhaps you should be more careful. You may hurt yourself one day," his tone was light, amused.

I simply nodded with a small smile. My plan to be unfriendly was failing fast. I tilted my head sideways as I looked from the church to him.

"Church on a Tuesday?" I asked surprised.

Edward laughed and indicated to the parcels in his hands, "I was collecting these," he said, "Books for next door," he indicated to the Braille library.

I nodded as he began to walk towards the library, I followed.

"Do you work here?" I asked as he stepped through the gate and held it open for me with the hand that wasn't laden with books.

"Yes and no," he said, "I help out every Tuesday when the new stock arrives, I'm here most mornings too," he explained.

Inside my head my frustrated thoughts towards him instantly dissolved – charity work?

Damn Edward. Did he have to make it so easy for me to like him? All I wanted to do was be a little mean; surely it shouldn't be this hard?

I followed him inside the library and a bell rang as we walked in. I hung my coat on the coat rack and looked around. It was as cosy on the inside as it looked from the outside. It was one big room and every wall in the little house was lined with books– books were also spaced neatly on extra shelves to the left of the house. In the space to the right of the shelves were a few square wooden tables surrounded by cushioned seats. There was one two seater red couch in the middle of the 'reading area'. Everything looked as if it were all placed very deliberately – everything was lined parallel to the walls with a significant amount of space between each piece of furniture. There was a small counter to the right of the door with a small greying woman with glasses seated behind it.

"Hello Edward!" She said brightly but quietly.

"Hello Mrs. Lawrence, how are you today?" He responded politely.

"I'm very well dear," she said, "Who's this you've brought with you?" she asked happily as she looked over at me.

Edward moved closer to me as he said, "This is a friend, Bella Swan. Bella, meet Christine Lawrence."

I shook her hand and said, "Pleasure to meet you."

"And you," she said and then added, "It's a good thing you're here Edward, the kids have been at me for hours!" She laughed.

I looked around and noticed that, at one of the tables, two children sat silently, reading with their fingertips.

Edward laughed too and said, "I've got just the thing," he showed Mrs. Lawrence one of the books from the pile.

Mrs. Lawrence called out to the children, "Edward's here!"

They both smiled widely and said, "Hi Edward!" and then made their way to sit expectantly on the floor in front of the red couch. Even thought they couldn't see the library, they seemed to know their way around it. They looked to be twin boys of about seven years.

Edward called out, "Hey guys! I'll be there soon; I just have a few books to stack!"

I followed him over to the shelves as he whispered, "I read to them every weekday morning – Mrs. Lawrence takes care of them while their parents work. I met Mrs. Lawrence at the carnival about five years ago, I've been helping her out every December since," he explained as he carefully found a place for each new book.

So, I mused, for a few weeks in December every year, Edward read to blind children. I smiled. His voice interrupted my thoughts, "I met Patrick and Cody," he indicated to the kids, "Three years ago. They were only four then. I helped teach them Braille," he smiled at the memory.

I just stared at him gobsmacked as he made his way over to the couch. He read Braille? I followed and sat down next to him without really noticing what I was doing.

He placed the book on his lap and spoke to the kids, "Patrick, Cody, there's someone here I'd like you to meet. Her name is Bella."

"Hi Bella!" the two boys chorused.

"Hello," I said quietly, snapping out of my reverie.

"Are you reading to us too?" One of the boys asked me.

I looked at the Braille copy of The Night Before Christmas in Edward's hands and said, "No, I'm here to listen," I smiled at Edward.

He opened the book as he said to the kids, "This story is called The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore."

He placed his fingers on the small protrusions on the page and began to read.

He could read Braille. I listened to his calm and clear voice as he read. I couldn't imagine myself ever frustrated with him again. Unless being frustrated because I couldn't be frustrated with him counted.

As he finished reading the boys thanked him and went over to Mrs. Lawrence to ask her for more books. Edward turned to me, smiling sheepishly.

"You can read Braille?" I asked, obviously impressed.

He laughed, "It's really not that difficult to pick up."

After a few moments he turned to face me and grabbed one of my hands gently. He placed it on a deliberate section of the page.

"Now this," he said as he traced my finger over a few of the bumps, "is a 'T'."

I tried to concentrate as he tried to teach me Braille, but I couldn't get over the feeling of his hand on mine. This is getting ridiculous. I mentally slapped myself.

"...and so each letter has a Braille equivalent," he finished his brief explanation and I looked up at him.

"It's not that Braille is easy," I told him, "It's that you're incredibly talented."

He seemed embarrassed, "I have to go and collect the rest of the books from the church and finish sorting them out here, would you like to join me?"

I nodded.

For the most part of the day we sat of the floor or the library, sorting the books into alphabetical-by-author order.We spoke easily and moved from subject to subject without hesitation. That's when I asked him about the carnival.

"So why exactly do you work at the carnival?" I asked, "I mean, you're obviously quite smart – you could be doing anything you wanted."

He looked at me, thoughtful, "I only work at the carnival during holidays," he said, "I go to school in Washington with Alice," he paused. "I love it though," he said, "the Carnie life," he laughed.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

He thought. "Well, I guess for the most part it's the people that make me love it. Carlisle and Alice and heck, even Rosalie. They're like family. I don't tell them often enough how much they mean to me."

I desperately wanted to ask him more – is your actual family back in Washington? Do you have a girlfriend back home? But I didn't want to interrupt his sudden openness or happy mood.

"Why do you work the carousel?" I asked him instead.

He smiled, "I love the innocence about it," he said, "I love seeing the parents watch their kids enjoy their childhood. It reminds me of home," he glanced at me with a strange look in his eyes which told me that there was a lot more to it than that.

He seemed to shake himself out of it, "Let me walk you home," he offered.

On the way back to Charlie's it was his turn to ask me questions. I told him of home with my mother Renee and her boyfriend, I told him of school life and my favourite books. I explained to him the joke me and Charlie had that explained the socks I'd brought him for Christmas. He was even surprised to hear that I didn't have a boyfriend back home.

"Why is that so shocking?" I asked him, laughing.

"Well, you are gorgeous," he charm-smiled at me and my heart skipped a few beats.

"Uh, erm... thank you," I said, blushing.

He just continued to smile and ask me more questions – What's your favourite colour? Your favourite subject at school? What do you want to do after you finish school?

I answered all his questions and he seemed to hang on my every word. I'd never met someone so interested in me before. Before I knew it we were at Charlie's front door.

"Will I see you tomorrow night at The Sullen Cullen annual Christmas Ball?"

I'd never heard of it, "I don't really dance," I told him sheepishly.

He smiled as Charlie pulled up in the driveway.

"I'll see you tomorrow night then!" he said as he walked down the drive.

"Afternoon Charlie!"

"Hey Edward!" Charlie answered, surprised.

I rushed upstairs to hide Charlie's Christmas socks.

I raced back downstairs to meet Charlie's questioning gaze in the kitchen.

"Spending more time with Edward I see?"

"Dad..."

"Hey, I'm not gonna give you I lecture, I like the kid."

He didn't push the subject. He reached into his pocket and threw something to me. I caught it.

"Present from Emmett," he said, "he came to visit me at the station and made me swear to give it to you."

I looked down and, sure enough, it was a miniature 'lord a-leaping'. I laughed, "Thanks Dad."

I shook my head at the childishness of it all as I placed the little lord on my bedside table beside my drumming drummer. I fell asleep that night thinking of more questions that would go unanswered by Edward.

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