A/N: This chapter is much shorter. But I left the decorating for the next chapter. I decided this would be more ideal for a mother-daughter moment, which Bella and Nessie share at the beginning.

I stirred from my sleep, thirsty. My curls were a mess, but I didn't care. Mama and Daddy were going to brush my hair before I could fully wake up. I slipped out of bed, stretched, and lazily walked into the front room, where Mama had a cup of donated blood for me. She was stronger than my first memory of her as a vampire, she could hand me a cup now without issues.

Looking around, I couldn't find Daddy. I didn't care to ask, he could have been doing anything. And after the Volturi a month ago, life was peaceful once more. Most of the friends of Grandpa I met promised they visit on my birthday. I looked forward to the pretty pictures again.

I walked up to Mama, who was sitting on the love seat. I took the cup and sucked the straw hungrily. Once finished, I looked at her, smiling. "How was your night, Mama?" I asked her.

"Perfect, like always," she opened her arms for me, and I sat in her lap. I showed her my dreams that I could remember from last night. Colors, mostly, but there was a dream of Jake and Leah snuggling. A nightmare to me; the colors got dark around them, their bodies highlighted in a blood red color. I did not like this dream.

"I fear this will happen," I whispered to Mama. "That he will leave me for her… They are in a pack, after all." Not for a romance. I understood that Jake had no urge to be with girls since I was born. But they were close; I could feel it whenever they were near. Like they were destined for each other if I hadn't been born.

Mama laughed and brushed my hair behind my ear, kissing my forehead. "Leah and Jacob share a mutual feeling. Or shared, really."

"Love?" I asked. Mama noticed my worry, and nodded her head.

"Not for each other though. Leah cared for Sam, but then he imprinted on Emily. Jake—"

"Imprinted on me." I interjected.

"Right," Mama said in a 'way to go' tone. "Before you were born, he was very upset. Daddy and I got married, were about to have you, Leah very bluntly yelled at me. Next time I saw them, they were close. I think it has to do with the fact they both had unrequited loves."

"Unrequited?" I asked, showing her colors of confusion, since I hadn't removed my hands since the beginning of the conversation we were having.

"It means it's not returned," Mama leaned over me, to the fire place mantle, and got the brush, to comb my hair. My curls fought with her, but she won ever so gently. I looked at her, and flashed an image of Daddy's face into her mind.

"Shopping with Alice," Mama said simply.

"Why?" I stood up and tossed my plastic cup away in our small garbage bin in the 'kitchen.' It was for show, like if Charlie ever wanted to see the cottage. I don't think we've told him of our little home, and I don't think Mama intended to. But it was for show, nonetheless.

"Daddy hasn't celebrated Christmas like this," Mama told me as she stood up. "He was changed in the early 1900's. With a house full of vampires, why celebrate a human holiday?"

She handed me clothes. Jeans, wooly socks, and a thick, long sleeved shirt; I didn't think much of it until Daddy walked into the cottage. Alice followed him inside. They looked bundled up to prevent loss of warmth, but they had no warmth to give. Snow trailed them inside, and I remembered that it was winter, and fresh snow was regular in Forks (apparently).

I raced to get dressed, and before I could blink, my shoes were on. I zipped up my jacket and ran back out into the front room. Alice and Daddy were setting boxes up, and opening them. At least I think they were, I didn't pay attention to them, I wanted to get Jake and play in the snow. "Mama, I'll be outside!" I shouted eagerly, reopening the front door.

Outside, Jake was in wolf form, slouched under a nearby tree, still asleep. His body moved in a slow rhythm, tired. The top of his body was covered in snow, and his tail was gone in the snow. I pranced my way over to the sleeping wolf, and dusted off the snow on his back. Jake's head moved slightly, and then arched his neck and shook the snow off.

He looked over at me and seemed to have smiled, and I smiled back at him. My eyes briefly scanned the area. No immediate signs of Leah or Seth. Perhaps they were visiting with their mother, Sue, and Charlie back in La Push? Whatever it was, Jake didn't feel danger, and neither did I. He nudged me back into the house, and I understood why.

"Jake needs pants, Daddy," I opened the door and stuck my head in. Mama looked shocked, almost to the point of horrified. Alice looked at Mama, and back at me, back at Mama and shook her head as she laughed.

"She's not even a year old, Bella."

"She's a mature girl!" Mama managed to blurt.

"I look seven or eight," I interjected.

"See?" Alice stood up, seeing as Edward was busy setting the ornaments out. She vanished into one of the back rooms, and I could hear a lock on a chest open, and then close. She came back out, and whooshed past me with the jeans for Jake. By the time she was back in, Jake was calling me outside. I shut the door, and opened my arms, telling Jake I wanted to be lifted.

He picked me up, and I replayed the incident inside. Jake looked annoyed, his jaw tightened, as did his grip on me. I didn't complain. Warm, safe, smelled nice. It was very comforting to me. I could have fallen asleep in his arms if I hadn't just woken up about fifteen minutes ago.

The snow under me looked white; my skin almost looked identical to the coloring. Mine was just a bit darker, but from a distance, I bet no one could have seen me. Human, that is. I looked at the snow, eager to play in it. Jake set me down, and the first thing I did was throw a snowball at him and run into the woods. He followed, yelling threats. I loved days like this.

An hour of playing like this, Jake picked me up, I pouted in defeat, and he carried me back to the cottage. The walk was oddly slow. Maybe it was from the rush of running around like a maniac dodging snowballs being thrown at you from a wolf. But the few miles Jake walked with me in his arms seemed like hours. It was at most one hour, since I dozed a few times from exhaustion.

I woke up on the couch, Alice was gone but Mama, Daddy and Jake were all around me. Which annoyed me a little, but not to the point that I would complain to anyone. Who else had such a devoted family to cherish and love her?

"Where is Alice?"

"Home, this is a family day." Daddy told me, and he moved behind Mama, showing me the tree with boxes of ornaments, red and white canes, lights, and sparkly rope-looking stuff around it. It took me a moment to register it, but they promised we would decorate the tree today.