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A/N- Capricorn75 has bullied me into posting the rest of it. Thanks.


I brought Jeannie to the store most of the time, leaving her in a playpen while all my friends who (were physically able with spare time) and I redid the stocking and inventory systems. We reopened a week later, right as school started.

The next three months passed in a blur, I worked so hard. I just wanted Jeannie to have something from her father when she was old enough to remember.

I was putting the final bit of tinsel on the Christmas tree when Jeannie crawled up under my feet. Grabbing a hold of my jeans leg, she tugged her way up onto her feet. I bent down to pick her up and gave her a kiss. She had her father's cheeks, but my curly, uncontrollable hair, only in honey blonde, like her Dad. It was growing out in spriggy little curls. She definitly had a personality. I put her in the glider, and she roamed around the store saying gibberish phrases and giggling and singing. When ever somebody laughed, she joined in, as if she could understand the joke. She was a lover, too. She liked to snuggle and cuddle and be held, by just about anybody.

"OK, Figgy," I said. We had all started calling her that. "Are you ready to see Emmett Claus?"

"Ho, ho, ho," Emmett said, emerging from the back of the store. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit, complete with white beard and wig. Jeannie's eyes grew wide and she screamed in terror. "Figgy, it's me!" he cried, tearing off the wig and beard.

"See? It's just Uncle Emmett," I said. I heard the front door bell jangle- it was a customer. "Welcome to Newton's Olympic Outfitters," I said, turning around. "Hi, Edward!" I cried, seeing him walk through the door.

"Hi, Bella!" he cried, running his fingers through his sleet-littered hair.

"Long time no see," I said.

"Give me a hug," he said, holding out his arms. "I want to see Jeannie, too. How's she doing?"

"Oh, she's great," I said, going to Edward. I had worked ten and twelve hour days six days a week, I had hardly had time for myself. It was mostly Emmett and me, we occasionally had help from Rose in the store, but that was it. I handed Jeannie to Edward, who hugged him and flashed him a smile.

"Is she ready to walk?" he asked.

"She's trying," I said. "She really wants to. She crawls everywhere. I have to keep an eye on her, especially in here."

"Hey, Emmett," Edward called.

"Hey, man," Emmett said, donning the wig and beard. "What do you think?"

"He scared Jeannie when she first saw him," I said.

"Santa Claus scared me when I was kid, too," Edward said.

"So, what brings you to Newton's today?" I asked.

"Uh, I need a hiking jacket," he said.

"We've got some from the North Face," I said. "Here in the back. Where are you going? Hiking out on the peninsula or more inland or what?"

"Oh, I was just going to home after Christmas," he said. "Hiking jackets do the trick against Chicago weather."

"Oh, OK," I said. I went over the different kind of jackets we had and how warm each one of them was. He let me pitch each one of them to him.

In the end, Edward bought an expensive jacket with flannel inside and a polar fleece outer lining. Jeannie rested her cheek on it when Edward tried it on. She liked the feel of the polar fleece against her skin. Her allergies had begun to die down, she could wear disposable diapers, but I preferred to keep her in cloth, just for propriety's sake.

"That's so cute," Edward said, stroking her head. "When did she get all this hair? It's so light, too!"

"When you weren't looking," Emmett said, coming out the back. He had changed out of the Santa suit and back into his normal clothes. "Man, that suit was one hot SOB."

"Emmett, do you mind?" I asked. "She's going to start talking, soon. I don't want her cursing."

"A little color to the language never hurt a vocabulary," Edward said. Jeannie looked like she was going to go to sleep on his shoulder. "Can I take her home to Chicago?"

"A little vacation would be nice," I said. "I'd love a full night's sleep. And to read in bed as late as I want."

"Nah, I wouldn't want to give my parents any ideas," Edward said. He handed her back to me. She kicked and whimpered.

"OK, Figgy, say good-bye to Dr. Edward," I said. "Time for your nap."

"Figgy? Is that what you call her?" Edward asked, smirking.

"It's a joke. Jake came up with it," I said. "It's stuck. I'm sure she'll hate it when she's older."

"Bye, Figgy," Edward said, kissing her on the head. "It's good to see you, again, Bella. Bye, Emmett."

"Oh, hey, before you go," Emmett said. "We need a fifth for poker night. Are you up for it?"

"When is it?"

"Tuesday," Emmett said.

"Uh, sure. It's been a while," Edward said. "But I'm up for it."

"OK, I'll call you with the details. See you then," Emmett said.

Edward left the store.

"Hey, Bells," Emmett said. "If somebody were you ask you out, would you go out with them, now?"

"Why are you asking me this?" I asked, warily.

"Because I think it's time you started considering going out with someone," Emmett said. "Are you ready for that?"

"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "If I liked him enough, yeah."


A/N- By now, you should know reviews are like cookies to writers! Leave me some!