A/N: Thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision.

The first story of my very short fiction (under 1000 words), or flash fiction as it is commonly called will debut in Apollo's Lyre magazine online. I'll provide the link when I respond to your reviews, if you're interested.

YULETIDE CANTICLE

Chapter 6, Return to Washington State

The Cullens settled simultaneously in Seattle while Edward would celebrate Christmas in Forks with Bella and her family. On the drive over to Forks from Seattle, Edward assured her his family would travel to Forks after Christmas to meet her and her parents and celebrate New Year's Eve at their home north of town. Edward would spend his first day in Forks opening the Cullen house and cleaning it sufficiently for him to inhabit until his family arrived.

Bella learned through Edward that Esme was to interior decoration as Alice was to fashion, but they complemented each other well in their tastes and their penchant for the latest fashion trends. Apparently Rosalie did not do domestic, she just did Rosalie, Emmett… and cars. Edward also warned her that of the three Cullen women, Rosalie would likely be the least tolerant of his choice of mate. Of all the Cullen family, she was the most unhappy with what they were. Bella was determined to get to the bottom of that, should Edward's concerns be proven. Her priority now was getting her father to relax and accept Edward.

Bella introduced Edward to her parents, who came out to greet them almost as soon as rental car pulled up to the curb. Edward charmed her mother immediately with his genteel good manners and his movie-star good looks. Charlie regarded Edward with a look that Bella could only categorize as suspicion and took Bella's heaviest suitcase from Edward's hand and carried it into the house. Renee smiled and fawned over Edward like he was royalty, offering food, drink, and even Charlie's La-Z-Boy, but Edward chose to occupy the sofa with Bella.

Renee perched on an armchair and couldn't wait to begin the inquisition. "So, where did you two meet?" she asked with a wide, happy smile.

"We ran into one another while Christmas shopping," Bella said, as Edward smiled and took her hand in his. "We were both shopping for our mothers."

"But we met early in the semester on campus and hung out together quite a bit with other exchange students," Edward embellished. "We've been going out ever since we literally collided earlier this month. Once we discovered how much we had in common, and that we were returning to UW together in the spring, all the things that could have been complications sort of worked themselves out."

"That's lovely," Renee said.

Charlie narrowed his eyes as he addressed Edward. "I guess that explains why Bella never talked about you before." The quintessential law enforcement officer, Charlie was distrustful by default. A man of few words, Charlie's modus operandi was to reserve judgment about people until he had time to observe them a while, especially males interested in his daughter. This was compounded by the seriousness of her medical condition.

"This is why I wanted to come and meet you straight-away over the holidays. We've been busy getting to know one another better for the past several weeks," Edward said.

"Mmhmm," Charlie grunted.

Bella breathed a heavy sigh. "Dad..." Her admonishment of him was so plaintive, Charlie immediately relented.

"So how long has your family lived in Seattle?"

"They just returned to the area," Edward said smoothly. "My father was on staff at a hospital in Fairbanks."

"Is that right?"

"But they've always wanted to return to the lower forty-eight, so they felt it was a great time to do so, since I'll be graduating in May."

"So, you and Bella will be graduating together, that's great," Renee said. But what her parents didn't know is that Edward would opt not to walk at graduation, because he would not be known by any of his fellow pre-med students.

Bella was so glad the Cullens had the means to create a paper trail that would satisfy Charlie's curiosity. On the flight over from Montreal, Edward and Alice briefed her on the particulars of Edward's matriculation at both McGill and UW, which they found easier to do than fabricating a past for the whole family. They chose to tell the truth about the rest of the family's whereabouts prior to their recent relocation. Now, if Charlie had the inclination to snoop around, he would find that Edward had been in Montreal the previous semester, his family was indeed in Alaska, and compliments of Jasper and a Mr. Jenks, Edward had been enrolled at UW for three years and also had been at McGill on exchange during Bella's semester there.

A bit of subterfuge was necessary, considering how fast their relationship was progressing, and the minute detail that her boyfriend and his family weren't even human. Edward and his family would go to any lengths to make sure her parents were protected from that knowledge.

"Mom, do you want me to help you with dinner?" Bella asked, hoping to grant Edward a reprieve from the Q&A.

"Oh, I'm not cooking tonight. You know we always go to the reservation on Christmas Eve to celebrate the holiday with Billy, Jake and the girls."

"That's right," Bella said. "How could I forget?"

"You know Billy and Jake would love to see you, Bells," Charlie said, then added with a sly grin, "Especially Jake."

"Billy is my dad's best friend," Bella explained for Edward's benefit. "His son Jake and I were close in age and good friends when I was in middle school." She cut her eyes sharply at her dad. Bella couldn't believe he was using Jake to try and deflect romantic interest in her, when Jake had pretty much kicked her to the curb when she was interested.

Renee clarified further so Edward wouldn't get the wrong idea. "They go so far back, Jake and Bella made mud pies together. He was dating Leah Clearwater, Harry's daughter, last I heard." Bella could have kissed her mom.

"So what do you say, Edward? Care to join us at our friends' party on the Quileute reservation?" Charlie asked, taking on the persona of a gracious host.

Edward begged off, "I still have quite a bit to do to get the house ready for my family, and I was hoping Bella would keep me company while I'm working."

"That's no way to spend the holiday. You have until New Year's Eve to get all that work done," Charlie said. "Heck, Renee and I will come out and help after Christmas."

"I wouldn't impose on you in that way. I would hire a cleaning crew first. To be honest, I wanted Bella to come out so I can give her our Christmas presents." Edward was so charming, Renee was pulled in immediately.

"That's so romantic," Renee gushed. "You two go ahead and have fun. You can see your friends at the reservation some other time."

Bella and Edward left when her parents did. Always thinking of her first, Edward stopped in town at the diner to order some food for Bella for later. On the ride over, she felt compelled to apologize for her father's behavior.

"Edward, my dad is very...protective of me. I'm sure his reaction to you isn't personal."

"I would have been disappointed had he not been fairly confrontational considering what I am. However, I'm concerned that he doesn't mind exposing you to the Quileutes so readily."

"Why is that? The Quileutes have been friendly with my dad since before I was born."

"Let's just say, our family is not the only one with secrets."

"You may as well tell me theirs. I already know yours."

After a brief hesitation, Edward answered. "Years ago when we lived here, Ephraim Black, Billy Black's grandfather made a treaty with us, of sorts. They promised not to hunt us because we convinced them that we wouldn't hunt other humans in the vicinity."

"What? They'd hunt you guys with guns, or something? How barbaric!"

Edward gripped the steering wheel. Bella didn't often see him nervous, but clearly he was now. "Nothing like that. Our proximity to them made their young warriors change into powerful creatures that don't need guns to hunt us, believe me."

"I heard some of their legends growing up. Jake told me that many of their elders believed they were descendent of wolves. So, werewolves exist, too?" Her eyes grew wide at the very implication.

"Not in the way that is glamorized in literature and American television," he said. "The Quileutes and a few other tribes around the world are shape-shifters who exist to limit the proliferation of our kind. Now that we will be back in the area, Carlisle will need to renew our treaty with them."

"So my family's oldest friends are your enemies?"

"We are natural enemies, but the Quileutes and my family are allies, if you define the term loosely. We aided them in keeping nomadic vampires out of the region when we lived here before."

"I understand why you didn't want to go there tonight, then. Will you and your family contact them before the party?"

"At some point. I'm operating on the assumption that the treaty forged long ago is still intact. As long as I don't hunt game on their lands, or humans in the surrounding areas, I should be good."

Bella hoped that was the case. Jacob could be hot-headed and she didn't want to think what his reaction might be to her seriously dating a vampire. That remained to be tackled on another day. She was too happy to dwell on 'what ifs' at the moment.

~888~

Bella's Christmas gift from Edward was an exquisite set of diamond and emerald jewelry. She chastised him because she knew it was probably very expensive, but he assured her he hadn't spent any money on the jewels.

"They were my mother's," he explained. "And she would be pleased that I have found someone worthy of them."

"Then, I would be honored to accept them," she conceded with a sheepish smile. "Thank you, Edward." Knowing the origin of the jewelry, she felt bad complaining about the gift. Besides, her life was too short to quibble over baubles.

Edward was not discouraged by her near-refusal of his gift, or he didn't show it. He then proceeded to give her gifts from the rest of his family, which included three more ensembles from Alice, one of which she'd labeled Bella's New year's Eve outfit, with a post script that said, "You'll want to wear the emerald and diamond earrings with this." It was a green cocktail dress with adjustable spaghetti straps attached to a rich beadwork textured bodice over a skirt of sheer, layered chiffon.

Bella had the best Christmas vacation she'd had since she was a little girl. Edward squired her around town to meet up with those of her high school classmates who were in town for the holidays. For the first time ever, she had a boyfriend and wasn't the odd girl out. Bella was glad she'd already told Angela about Edward, because Angela thwarted Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory's plans to be the first to flirt with the gorgeous man driving Bella Swan around town.

Angela dished the details grinning like an imp. "Lauren says to Jessica, 'I'll bet he's a relative or something. He couldn't possibly be her boyfriend. He's too good looking,' and then I leaned around the booth, settled their squabble and dashed their hopes all at once, and said, 'the guy you're speaking of is Bella's boyfriend, Edward Cullen. They met during her exchange semester at McGill, and from what I understand it's serious.' You should've seen their faces, Bella."

Using his gift to read minds, Edward played along, too, whenever they were around. He was attentive as always, but when he heard less than flattering thoughts from them, he amped up the PDA with Bella. Jessica and Lauren quaked with jealousy, even though Jessica was technically with Mike Newton and Lauren was with Tyler Crowley.

In the whirlwind that was Edward Cullen, Bella felt as if she'd known him for years rather than weeks. Since Edward didn't sleep and was as protective as Charlie, when her parents retired each night, Edward scaled the wall and joined her in her room. Charlie would've had a cow if he discovered Edward there, despite the fact that she was twenty-one, but her vampire boyfriend was stealthy, and careful to leave before her parents stirred in the mornings.

Before she knew it, it was New Year's Eve, and she was getting dressed for the Cullen party. There was a knock on her door as she put the final touches on her hair and makeup.

"Come in," Bella called.

Renee peeked in. "Almost ready?" Then her eyes bulged, and she slipped in and closed the door.

"Who are you and what have you done with my Bella? Honey, you look so beautiful! Is this new? It looks expensive."

Bella figured she might as well level with her mother. "Everything I'm wearing is a Christmas gift from the Cullens."

"That's some convincing looking costume jewelry."

"Actually, this jewelry belonged to Edward's mother."

Renee gasped, and her eyes widened. "So, your boyfriend's family is loaded. Have you thought about what this all means?"

"I have, Mom. Edward knows about my condition and he still wants to be with me, which is huge, and he and his family are lavishing me with gifts that I'm not especially comfortable with. But in the grand scheme of things, they're only things. Doing what he does for me makes him happy, so I let him."

Renee's eyes moistened. "You love each other, baby. I can tell."

"Oh, Mom," Bella moved in and gave Renee a hug. "You're going to ruin your mascara."

Bella supposed the whole vampire mating thing was a stronger form of love. She certainly had strong feelings for Edward in a short amount of time, and he was making declarations about what was his was hers. Was she in love? She hadn't said the actual words, yet, but she hoped her mother was right.

~888~

On New Year's Eve, Charlie drove them out to the Cullen house for the party. As police chief, he knew every highway, street, and back road in the county, so he knew exactly where the house was. As they pulled off the road onto the long winding entry to the Cullen estate, Bella was intrigued to see the trees on both sides of the drive illuminated with thousands of white lights.

Edward answered the door, embraced Bella, kissed Renee on the cheek, and shook Charlie's hand. He ushered them into the living room to meet his family. The couples were paired, so it wasn't hard for Bella to figure out who they all were from Edward's descriptions, and of course, she already knew Alice. He took them to his parents first.

"Bella, Chief, Mrs. Swan, allow me to introduce you to my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen."

Esme smiled and greeted her warmly with a hug. "Bella, I'm so happy to meet you," she said, her chin quivering as if she might cry. "You have brought my son to life, and I'm so grateful to you for that."

Edward smiled an indulgent smile and struggled not to roll his eyes.

"I'm happy to finally meet you, too, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said. "Edward saved my life when we first met, so I believe we're even, now."

"Please, call me Esme, dear," she implored.

While Esme greeted Renee and Charlie next, Edward placed his hand in the small of Bella's back and maneuvered them to Carlisle, who bowed like a gentleman of old and kissed her hand.

"Carlisle Cullen, at your service." He held her hand a beat longer, a beatific smile on his face and in his eyes. "Bella, you are the hope I've had for my son since he was born."

This time, Edward did not contain the eye-roll.

Bella couldn't help herself, Carlisle was so kind and fatherly, despite his regal good looks, she had to give him a hug.

"I'm sure that most of what I love about Edward is a reflection of your influence in his life."

"I'll take that as a compliment. It warms my heart to know that my son has listened to me over the years."

While Bella's parents greeted Carlisle and Esme, Edward took her hand to introduce her next to the couple who could only be Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie was the most gorgeous blonde she had ever seen, and Emmett was enormous, tall and muscular, with the physique of a professional bodybuilder, and was a pale brunette.

"Bella, this is Rosalie and Emmett," Edward said, gesturing toward his siblings. "Em, Rose, this is my Bella."

"Bella," Rosalie said with a nod and small smile. Emmett wasn't reticent at all, he stepped forward and enclosed her in a bear hug, but despite his size he didn't hurt her. Edward knew Emmett would be demonstrative, but was so alarmed by Emmett's blatant familiarity with Bella, if vampires could have heart attacks, he would have been a prime candidate for one at that moment.

"So glad to meet you, Bella," Emmett said. Catching Edward's eye, he added, "I'm not gonna break her, little brother."

"Em, just be careful. Bella's heart… is fragile," Edward admonished.

"It's all right, Edward." Bella giggled. "Good to finally meet you, Emmett… and Rosalie. I look forward to getting to know both of you better."

As her father chatted with Emmett about sports teams, they moved on to Alice and Jasper, but Alice couldn't wait for them to make it to her. She skipped over to Bella and clasped her in a hug, rocking her from side to side.

"How I've missed you this week. I can't wait for you to get to Seattle so we can go shopping for clothes this semester."

"Alice, Bella's not your personal Barbie Doll to dress at your whim," Edward scolded. "Only if she wants to go."

"Gee, my little brother has become very possessive since Montreal," Alice said, her eyes narrowed.

"I'll go, if you let me make a few choices, and we limit it to one hour," Bella agreed with a grin.

"Oh, yay!" Alice said, clapping her hands like an exuberant toddler. She then extended her had to Jasper. "Jazz, baby, come and meet, Bella."

Jasper hesitated before moving from the corner, where he looked like he was in pain. "It'll be fine," she assured him. Only then did Jasper move to within five feet of Bella to greet her.

"Pleased to meet you, Bella," he drawled. "I'm Jasper."

"Jasper, Alice spoke about you so often in Montreal, I feel like I already know you." Bella advanced to shake his hand, but he retreated a few steps.

Edward whispered a hurried explanation. "Like me, Jasper has a hard time being around humans sometimes." He smiled at his brother. "He likes to err on the side of caution. I'll tell your parents that he's germophobic, so they don't get too close."

Esme and her family had prepared gourmet Italian for the dinner meal. Apparently, they never did anything on a small scale. There was enough food to feed at least twenty-five people. Although none of the Cullens could digest human food, they moved the food around on their plates and ingested tiny morsels for show.

They moved into the living room again after dinner, where Esme requested Edward play for them. He seated himself on the piano bench and gestured for Bella to join him. Esme and Renee murmured and tittered about how sweet that was. Edward played three pieces, all with Bella by his side.

At a quarter 'til midnight, the Cullen hostesses served Champagne to everyone, and they toasted the approaching New Year. As the clock struck midnight and the song "Auld Lang Syne" wafted through the sound system, the five couples present shared kisses to herald the arrival of the New Year.

~888~

Renee and Charlie invited Edward over for dinner a few days before Bella would be leaving for Seattle. Edward was honored and challenged by the invitation, but Bella had known from her father's demeanor that this would not be a purely social occasion. They enjoyed Renee's Swedish meatballs for dinner, and Bella silently commiserated with Edward as he choked down a sizeable portion of human food. He had to keep up appearances with her folks, but Bella was touched to find out later that he really didn't want to hurt Renee's feelings by not eating any of her food.

When the meal was consumed, they sat in the living room and talked. Conversation began easy and light. Renee and Charlie plied Edward with questions that he happily answered, mainly about places he and his family had lived before and his plans for the future. Edward explained that because his father was a top-notch physician, his skills and expertise were sought around the world, and his father rarely turned down an opportunity to share his skills with others who desired to learn his techniques. Edward told them what they had agreed to tell her parents about his future. He was finishing up his final semester at UW, as well, and had applied to several medical schools around the country.

Charlie had been mulling over something all night, and Bella could see it in the deliberate way he chewed on the edges of his mustache, all the while regarding Edward like he was arrested, guilty, and about to be interrogated until he broke. He finally got what he'd wanted to say to Edward right in his head and fired away.

"You do realize, Edward, that Bella may not be well enough to go traipsing off to God knows where when you get accepted to some fancy Ivy League medical school later this year. The odds are not in her favor that she'll get a transplant. Have you thought about that clearly? Most young men in your position would run like a scalded dog if they found out the girl they were dating had a possible terminal illness. Convince me that you're with my little girl for the long haul, because her heart can't take anymore disappointments," Charlie said, almost angrily.

He was on the edge of his armchair, and a fat tear escaped from one eye, which he pushed away with his huge knuckles. Undoubtedly, his reference was to the summer divorce debacle which had changed their lives forever. Bella looked at Renee, whose eyes were glassy with tears, and then all their eyes went to Edward as he looked Charlie straight in his eyes and addressed him with emotional intensity.

"Chief Swan," Edward said, "Before Bella, I was an empty shell of a man. By anyone's standards, I have everything a person could ever dream of , and those things that I don't possess, I simply don't want. There has never been a woman I have wanted to share my life with until Bella. Believe me, I have agonized over her health issues, and not because I desired a way out of the relationship, but because I've been trying to figure out ways to make her well again.

"My father has pledged, as have I, to do everything we can to prolong Bella's life until a transplant can be secured. My family has relocated to Seattle, and we will all support Bella at UW this semester until a match is found. Since the day I realized that she was my destiny, I have not entertained any other scenario except the one where we share a long, happy life together." He choked out his final words on what sounded like a sob. There wasn't a dry human eye in the room when he finished.

Bella knew that she loved Edward at that moment. Her parents were not privy to just how old he really was, but for him to admit to her and her parents that he had never wanted to share his life with another woman in all of his one hundred eight years absolutely floored her. Locking her tear-filled eyes with his, Bella took his hand and leaned into him where they sat together on the sofa of her childhood home. Edward bowed his head and kissed the tears from her cheeks. She didn't care that her parents were in the room, and maybe they should have been alone when she first said it, but she simply couldn't help herself.

"I love you, Edward Cullen."

"And I you, Isabella Swan. And I you."

As she looked into his golden eyes, she knew that if vampires could cry, he would be shedding tears, too.

~888~

E/N: Things are certainly looking up for Bella, aren't they? Edward has quickly become besotted with his fragile little human, hasn't he?

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