DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Cullens spend Christmas at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia

Christmas 6 – Hope you guys like this chapter as much as I do. I made it a little longer for you guys and threw in a Lemon for the heck of it – Like you people mind! You all know you want Edward for yourself (or Emmett, Jasper, or Carlisle depending on who you fancy).

I took my time walking down the stairs, letting Emmett squirm as he watched me approach. His thoughts betrayed the calm exterior he was trying to put forth. From the panic in his mind, I guessed that Rose and Esme had already had a few choice words with him. Rose and I had agreed earlier that we would allow Emmett to think that I was going to harm him for stealing Bella.

I put my hands out in front of me and cracked my knuckles while scowling at my brother as I came down the last few stairs and entered the living room area.

Emmett gulped audibly and took a step back. "Edward." 'Please let someone come out here and calm him down. I really don't want to go through the pain of having my arms ripped off and put back on.'

"Emmett," I replied, holding my head up high and keeping myself tense. "We need to talk, Emmett."

"Talk is good. As long as we're talking with our mouths and not so much with your fists, little brother." 'Where is everyone? Edward never just talks with his mouth. Crap! Look at how black his eyes are.'

"Emmett, I really don't think you're in the position to be making jokes right now," I warned him, taking a step closer as I rolled up one of my sleeves. My body was slightly vibrating from the tension in my muscles as I held back the urge to pounce my idiot brother.

"Would it help at all if I told you just how sorry I am?" he asked, taking another step back. 'Four more steps until I'm near the window. Would he throw me out of it? Or should I throw myself out of it, just to get away? He'd just catch up to me and then Esme would be even more upset with me. No, I'll just stand my ground. Yeah, that's it. It won't be that bad.'

"It might," I replied. "But probably not," I added, rolling up my other sleeve. My forearms flexed from my anger as my hands clenched into fists.

Emmett took another step back. "Edward, you know I would never purposefully put Bella in danger." 'Please believe me. Please believe me. Please believe me. Shit! His eyes just turned darker. Gotta get out of here.'

Emmett tried to run around the couch, but I pounced on my brother, knocking him to the floor, and kneeling on his back with his arm drawn up behind his head. His other arm was pinned beneath his body.

"Funny thing about you, Emmett, is that you never do anything you shouldn't, on purpose. It's always an accident with you," I snarled, right next to his ear.

"Edward, can we please talk about this without anyone losing any arms?" 'I really think he's going to do it this time. He's actually going to leave me armless. Where the heck is Rose?'

"You know, it's been awhile since I've been this angry with you. I think you've forgotten just how capable I am of taking you down. Maybe I should remind you." I wrenched his arm further up behind him.

"Shit! Edward! Please!" Emmett pleaded. "Edward, seriously, I swear to you that I will never do anything like that again."

"You will keep your hands off of my wife. If she tells you to leave her alone, you will do it," I commanded.

"What if I'm trying to save her life?"

"Emmett," I roared, letting my eyes turn even blacker. I wrenched his arm further, my own shirt splitting at the shoulder seams as I forced his fist to touch the back of his neck.

"Okay. You just ripped your shirt by pulling on my arm. How is this talking?" Emmett asked.

"Do you think this is funny?" I hissed, lowering my face to his.

"I swear, I'm not being funny."

"Honestly, Emmett, I think you enjoy enraging me. I think you like to push me just to see if I really have it in me to rip your damn arms off. Let me assure you of something, dear brother. If you ever take my wife against her will again, and it is not to save her life, you had better pray I don't find you."

"Edward, I really and truly do not need a demonstration of your anger and strength. I know what you are capable of."

"Oh, no, Emmett. You haven't the faintest idea of what I am truly capable of. You might have seen me angry in the past, but that was before Bella, before the most important thing in my entire existence. Put her in danger again and I will show you just what lengths I'm willing to go to in order to protect her. Bella has been worried about going to Italy all these months, when Italy should be worried about me coming to them. I will not tolerate anyone putting my Bella at risk," I hissed, right into his ear.

"I swear I'm not joking when I say this, but Edward, you are freaking the hell out of me right now."

"Your point?" I asked, digging my knee into the middle of his back.

"Shit! Edward! Please, man!"

"Did you have a point, Emmett?"

"If I did, I forgot it. Look, could you just rip my arm off and let this be over with? The anticipation alone is killing me. If I was human, I would have pissed my pants by now."

I fought hard to keep my face controlled and hide the smirk that wanted to come out. I covered it up by growling deep in my chest. "You want me to end this, Emmett?"

"Not in the very permanent, forever kind of ending, Edward, because I really love my wife, and our whole family, and I would seriously like to keep living with all of you."

"What have you learned today, Emmett?" I growled.

"Keep my hands off of Bella, stop laughing on mountaintops, and rocks propelled forward with enough force can knock a vampire out."

I jumped off of Emmett and moved over to the sofa, sitting down on the arm of it. I looked down at my shirt, taking a close look at the busted seams; Alice would probably have something to say about it before the night was over.

Emmett slowly sat up, rotating the arm I had been keeping behind his back. "Why aren't you ripping off my arms?"

"Rose and I talked," I said, glaring at him still. "We've come to an agreement to spare her the whining that would accompany me removing your arms. You are banned from playing pranks of any sort for the next six months. You are banned from challenging and betting for three months. And I believe Rose and Esme have already explained your other punishments."

"Yes," he sighed, looking away from me. "It's going to be a very lonely existence for me for awhile."

"Maybe it will help you refocus on what's truly important, and to keep you from acting like a thirteen year old."

Emmett nodded his head and then looked up at me. "Bella didn't get hit by anything, did she? Not like me with the rock?"

"No, Emmett. You shielded her from harm. And that is the real reason that I am leaving your arms attached. Had she come to any type of harm, this conversation would have ended very differently."

"So it's over? This is all you're going to do? Just yell and threaten me?"

"Would you like something more permanent?" I growled, moving toward him.

"No, no!" Emmett yelled, jumping to his feet and backing away from me. "This is just fine, Edward. In fact, if this is over, I'll go start on some of my punishments for Rose and Esme," Emmett said, quickly fleeing the room.

I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.

"Thank you, Edward," Rose said softly, entering the room. 'It must have been very hard to not hit him.'

I snorted. "Harder than I can explain to you, especially with the way he talks. I never know if he's being serious or if he's trying to piss me off some more."

"If he's smiling in any way, he's trying to aggravate you. But just now, he was truly frightened of you. Hell, I wasn't even in trouble with you and I was afraid."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Rose." I looked up at her. "Was there even a point? Is he actually going to listen this time?"

"Edward, he's a slow learner, but with the punishments we have lined up for him, I'm sure we will all be seeing a calmer, more thoughtful version of Emmett. Not that I don't love the big bear just as he is, but we certainly can't have him taking off with Bella and getting her buried under snow."

"No," I chuckled. "I really don't want to repeat that again."

"Well, I'm going to go find out where he's hiding and get him started on one of his punishments. You should go up and see Bella. I'm sure she's curious as to whether or not Emmett survived your talk with him."

"Yes, and I still need to speak with her about this morning's incident."

"Edward, remember that she's young when compared to us."

"Alice told me the same thing earlier. I'll do my best to keep that in mind." I stood up and headed toward the stairs. "Hey, Rose?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"I like being an ally with you much better than fighting against you."

Rose laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, it's not so bad. Just don't bring home anymore humans, okay?"

"I have everything I'll ever need and she's right upstairs."

"Then what are you still talking to me for?" Rose teased, grinning. "Get upstairs."

I smiled and nodded before heading up the stairs and into the room Bella and I shared. I entered the bathroom and found Bella still in the tub, resting her head against the side with her eyes closed.

"I didn't hear any blood curdling screams, so either Emmett is alive or you took him far away to have your 'talk'," Bella said softly.

I chuckled as I knelt down next to the tub, brushing a few strands of wet hair from her face. "He's alive."

She turned her head and opened her eyes to look at me. "I'm sorry about this morning."

"I know. But Bella, you really have to stop trying to prove yourself to me. I don't need it. I already know you are the bravest, smartest, and fiercest woman I know, whether you can do everything perfectly or not. You have your own unique way of accomplishing things, and I happen to like you just as you are. You never need to feel as though you have to prove anything to me."

"I just wanted to show you that I was ready to try something more."

"Then you should have talked to me about it instead of doing something dangerous and stupid."

"You're not always the most receptive listener."

"That may be true, but I would hope you would still give me the chance, before writing me off. And personally, I think I've become a lot more receptive over the last couple of years."

"I know. I should talk to you to get your reaction, instead of imagining what it will be."

"That would be preferable," I chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Your cheek is warm."

"I had my head under the water before you came in."

I lifted her hand from the water and locked our fingers together. "You know, when you were human and you would do that, part of me worried that you would drown."

"Drown in the tub? Seriously, Edward?"

"You were quite the danger magnet, love."

"Still am apparently," she pouted.

"At least you're more durable now and I don't have to worry so much about losing you. But honestly, there's no way I'll ever stop worrying about you completely. You mean too much to me. When something like this morning happens, I'm never angry with you, just your choices. Bella, I don't think I can accurately convey to you what my life would be like if I ever lost you. You call my behavior overprotective, but Bella, it's really self-preservation, because without you, I would certainly cease to exist."

"You would think I could understand that, seeing as how worried I was for you, already knowing you were practically invincible."

"Yes, but knowing and understanding are two different things. Your human mind couldn't grasp the concept of just how truly durable I was simply because of your own human frailty."

"And since I'm not a normal vampire, and I'm not as durable as you, you worry for me."

"Exactly."

Bella sighed and sat up in the tub. "The water's getting cold."

I stood up and grabbed a towel for her. After wrapping it around her body, I pulled her from the tub and set her on her feet.

"Thank you," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist and hugging me.

"You're welcome," I replied, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You should get dressed now."

"Are we staying in for the rest of the day?"

"Yes, I think that's best. Don't you?"

"Yes. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't have to change if I put my pajamas on now."

"I was thinking we could take out your laptop and start looking into concerts."

Bella lifted her head up and smiled at me. "Really?"

"Yes. I'll get the laptop turned on and ready while you dress."

We walked out of the bathroom together and then set about our separate tasks. I sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, with the computer on my lap. I looked up to see Bella grinning wickedly at me and biting her lower lip. She sauntered over to the end of the bed and then slowly crawled up toward me.

"You really need to stop that," I warned her.

"Stop what?" she asked, sounding much more innocent than she was being.

"I have your laptop in my hands, love. I'd hate for any misfortune to come to it because you made me lose my self control."

"You've got plenty of control, Mr. Cullen, so I better not find a single mark on that laptop." She slowly lifted her upper body, making sure I looked down her tank top, before sitting back on her legs.

"Bella," I sighed, shaking my head at her. Now that she knew I wasn't mad at her, she was trying to be playful.

She lightly kissed my cheek. "See? Perfect self control."

I chuckled and pulled her against my side, shifting the laptop so she could see the screen. I pointed to the line that I wanted her to see.

"Spill Canvas! Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes. I know it's a band we both like. And with it being so close to Valentine's Day, I figured it would be an acceptable gift."

"Absolutely. Oh, but this might be a bad idea," she said, looking up at me through her lashes. She was absolutely trying to kill me today. First the tree, then the avalanche, and now she was being coy. "The last time we had their CD playing, you attacked me," she giggled. "That would not be good at a concert full of humans."

"I promise not to attack you at the concert."

"So does that mean you'll be doing it before or after?" she asked, in a seductive tone.

"Isabella, you are going to cause me to crush your laptop."

"I'm not doing anything, Edward," she giggled again. "So are we going to go alone, or with everyone else?"

"I was thinking we could go alone this time. I know it will be easier for you to use your power if you aren't trying to focus on blocking humans, while letting our siblings in at the same time. There are rules, though," I cautioned her.

"Seriously, Edward? Rules?" she cried.

"Do you want to go?" I asked, leaving her no room to argue.

"Yes," she sighed.

"Then here are the rules. Number one, you are hunting before we leave and as soon as we get home. Number two, you are only going to dampen the voices. You are not to try to completely block everyone there. Number three, if you feel weak at all, you will tell me right away and we will leave. If I find out you risked yourself over a concert, I will stop your training sessions."

"I agree to your rules, but with one exception."

"I'm listening," I said, lifting an eyebrow.

"If everything goes fine and I'm still stuffed from feeding before we left, you don't fuss if I only drink a little when we get home. I'll even let you have Jasper check to see if I'm feeling tired."

"I accept your compromise."

"I love when we compromise!" Bella cried, clapping her hands together and bouncing on the bed. "Click the button. Buy our tickets, Edward," she urged.

I chuckled and shook my head as I clicked the areas on the screen and purchased our two tickets. "It's in New York, so I thought we could spend the night in a hotel near the concert. Is that alright?"

"That sounds perfect, Edward. Can we stay somewhere with one of those huge whirlpool tubs?"

"What happened to the lecture about extravagant hotel rooms?"

"You can't do it all the time, but this is a special occasion. Our first concert together, and it's also the first one ever for both of us!"

"Alright. Let's see where we will be staying." I pulled up a list of hotels and Bella and I looked through the pictures of the accommodations each one offered.

"I think we should stay at the Ritz Carlton near Central Park," Bella stated, pointing at the screen.

"The Royal Suite would be perfect."

"Are there pictures?"

"Not of that particular one, but I have stayed there before. I'm sure you'll love it."

"Then book it."

I stared at her for a second. "Why are you letting me spoil you so easily?"

"Because it's not about me," she replied, pressing her hands against my face. "It's about us. This is something we're doing as husband and wife, together."

"But it's only a concert, Bella."

"No, it's not. Don't you understand? All I want is to be with you, and to feel like your equal in some small way. That's what this is. I will be helping you to experience something you could never do on your own, just as you've done for me countless times."

I could only stare at her, my beautiful, loving angel of a wife. She kissed me softly before releasing my face.

"Book our trip, Edward," she said, pointing at the laptop.

I put the laptop down on the floor and took her into my arms instead, holding her tightly against me while pressing my cheek to hers. "I love you so very much, Isabella."

"I love you, too, Edward," she sighed, her sweet breath swirling around my head.

I moved my head and kissed her neck softly. "You are so completely amazing."

BELLA'S POV:

I moved so that I was sitting on his lap. I kissed his lips softly. "I love you." I moved my head under his chin. "I love your messy hair." I made the opening in his shirt wider and kissed the newly exposed portion of his chest. "I love your eyes." I opened a second button on his shirt and kissed this new skin. "I love how they get misty when I tell you I love you." I moved onto the next button and part of his chest. "I love the mischievous glint that appears in them when you want me." Another button and another kiss… "I love how much of a gentleman you can be." This was the last button, but certainly not the last kiss. "I love when you lose control." I moved his shirt off his shoulders and kissed his lips. "And I love when you are sweet and tender. So as you can see, there are many things I love about you." I rubbed my thumbs against his temples. "And I have never regretted my choice to be with you forever, not even for a single second, even while missing my parents."

I pulled my shirt off and threw it to the side as I pressed my chest against his and kissed his lips again. "You know another thing I love?" I whispered. "The way we fit together, like two puzzle pieces made perfectly for just each other."

I suddenly found myself beneath him, feeling every inch of his body pressed against mine. His eyes shimmered with love and tenderness.

"I love you, Isabella Cullen."

"And I love you, Edward Cullen."

"You are mine forever and I love you."

I smiled, a little shocked at how much control I still had left. Between my training and all I'd been through lately, I seemed to be gaining more and more control, as well as confidence. He smiled brightly, realizing I was still in control.

"You will let go once in awhile, won't you?" he teased, slowly lowering his head to mine.

"Only when you do."

"Not tonight," he whispered, shaking his head just enough to cause a few of his untidy locks to fall near his eyes.

I brushed the hair away from his forehead. "And what do have planned for tonight?"

He kissed my cheek sweetly. "Very gentlemanly conduct on my part. Slow and tender."

I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "That's not gentlemanly conduct! That's torture, Edward Cullen style!"

"Oh, I have my own style?"

"Stop acting like you don't know just how completely you dazzle me." I pulled his head down and gave his lips a quick kiss. "You know, if anyone ever wrote a book about our life, there would be throngs of women dreaming about you and your romantic ways."

"I highly doubt that," he chuckled, kissing my forehead.

I started to describe him, running my hands over each part as I talked about it. "One paragraph alone should be devoted to your perfectly sculpted chest, each exquisite muscle so well-defined. And there should be another for your strong, protective arms, and how amazingly comforting they are. And definitely one for your eyes; so beautiful and so intense, and so easily capable of melting my heart and turning my bones spongy. And let's not forget your messy hair, that's so much fun to mess up even more. Of course, we wouldn't be able to talk about your other attributes or the poor human women would drop dead right away just from the description."

"Bella, you are absurd," he sighed, kissing my cheek softly.

"Nope. Just in love with you."

"If there were ever such a book, I would be even more grateful that men generally don't read."

"And why is that?"

"Because once they read the paragraphs describing my goddess wife, they would all be looking for you."

"Yeah, right," I snorted.

His hands started moving as he spoke. "Your beautiful heart-shaped face alone is enough to capture any man's attention, especially with the way those luscious lips of yours beg to be kissed. Lord help them all if you decide to pout. Then, we have your eyes, so golden and deep; little pools to drown in and lose all thought. I should know, it happens to me all the time." He lifted my arm and kissed each of my fingertips. "And these little hands of yours. You know just how to set every nerve on fire with the barest of touches, leaving behind only one way to quench the desire that burns brightly."

"Oh, but I know my protective vampire husband would never let something like that get out. I'm pretty sure he wants to be the only person to ever know what my touch feels like," I replied, trying to keep a straight face.

A growl came from deep within him and the vibration of it rippled across our joined skin. "Just mine."

"Thought so," I chuckled.

"Just because I'm not willing to allow anyone else to know the parts of you that I do, doesn't mean I'm not right, Isabella. You are absolutely perfect and every inch of you is beautiful." He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me tenderly, but making sure I could feel his love and desire just as strongly as if he had kissed me roughly.

As he deepened the kiss, finding my tongue with his, I moved my arms around his back. I gently trailed my fingertips up and down the well-defined muscles of his back and shoulders. He moaned into my mouth and I was very pleased with his reaction. I moved my hands between us and repeated my technique across his abs and right above his waistband. When I passed my fingertips right above his waistband, his entire body shivered, and I smiled at having affected him so much.

"Bella," he whispered, kissing the hollow behind my ear. "You're driving me crazy right now."

"That's sort of the plan, honey," I said, trailing my fingertips across his torso, earning another moan from him.

My hands were instantly above my head, locked together in one of his hands. He smirked before beginning to assault my neck and chest with those wonderful kisses where the tip of his tongue grazed my skin. My body instantly responded, craving more of his touch as my desire for him skyrocketed.

He let go of my hands, but it was only so he could grip my sides as he continued his kisses across my chest, giving equal attention to both of my breasts. His mouth moved across my skin, covering every inch of my flat stomach, and I couldn't keep myself from arching further into his touch. I felt his lips curl up into a smile against the skin beneath my belly button.

He pulled my pants just a little ways down my hips and then licked from one hip to the other.

"Edward, stop teasing, please," I begged, already breathless from his wonderful torture.

"Don't worry, my love, I will take care of all of your needs," he whispered against my skin, as he slowly peeled away my jeans and underwear, trailing kisses down my legs. He looked down over my naked form and shook his head slightly. "Absolutely stunning."

"Your turn," I said, pointing at his jeans.

"As you wish, wife," he said, grinning wickedly. He stood up, removing his remaining clothing, and then crawled above me again. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Edward." As he lowered his head to kiss me, I realized he'd forgotten something. "Edward, you put the laptop down before you booked our room."

"I'll get to it later," he whispered, his lips just millimeters from mine. "Right now, I have a wife to worship and please."

As usual, Edward was true to his word. He slowly slipped inside of me, causing sweet torture and moans on both of our parts. His kisses and his thrusts continued at that achingly slow pace, making every sensation seem more powerful than the last. By the time we found our releases, we were both panting and shivering from his efforts. We held each other for a long time afterward, neither of us moving, except for our lips, as we whispered loving words to each other. It was certainly not how I had expected the night to go, but there was nothing that could have made it more perfect.

For the first time in nearly two months, the only emotion I felt was love, and it was all for my wonderful husband. I would make sure he enjoyed his first concert, and I would do it while being safe. We would have a wonderful night together and I couldn't wait!