Rating/Warning(s)/Note(s): T, Shadows
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Prompt: Crest

With Marta and Jacob on their honeymoon life settled down a little. My classes were over for a few more weeks, leaving me free time to visit with my parents and Phil. Carlisle and Esme had asked them all to stay for the holidays, to which they readily agreed, filling the huge house with laughter.

"I honestly didn't think anyone could cook worse than your mother," Charlie whispered to me over a dinner Alice prepared. "I don't think her parents are even eating any of it." There were only humans at the table at the moment. I didn't want to tell them what the Cullens were actually doing with their meal and that there was no way they would like it, even if it was perfect.

"She tried, dad," I whispered back, trying not to laugh when Alice stuck her tongue out at me from the kitchen where my father couldn't see. Charlie would be upset if he knew she could hear him. "Edward made dessert. We can hope it's edible."

"If not, I'm game for going out shopping for a tree. We can make a stop by McDonald's on the way," he offered.

"Can we come along?" Phil asked, pushing the remnants of his meal around his plate. The food was an interesting combination of raw and burned. I thought Alice would be able to see something like this, but it seemed cooking wasn't something she was used to watching.

"Sure. We'll call purchasing the tree our thanks for them asking us to stay," Charlie said, giving him and my mom a wink.

Edward picked that moment to bring out the dessert. It was a huge coconut cake. When he cut into it I could make out six layers of cake, separated by layers of coconut crème, iced with a white frosting and topped with toasted coconut. "If this doesn't taste as good as it looks I might cry," Charlie whispered to me. The corner of Edward's mouth twitched as he tried not to smile.

Thankfully it was delicious. Charlie even ate two pieces as Edward and I split one. "Do you still want to run by McDonald's?" Edward asked me quietly.

I nodded. "I need something to cut the sweet."

His eyes shifted down to my lips and his face drew closer. "Hmm, I might have an idea."

"Enough of that," Renee said with a laugh from across the table, using her fork to point at us. "We all know you two love each other, but we're trying to eat cake here, and that's sweet enough."

Carlisle and Esme laughed as they walked into the room, followed by the rest of the Cullens. Emmett cut himself a thick slice of cake, looking pointedly at Jasper. It seemed another bet was in the works when Jasper smiled and took the slice. "Ready? Go!" Emmett said, diving in with gusto.

"Charlie, Esme and I were thinking about going hiking in the woods to find a tree," Carlisle said, pulling my parents attention away from the fracas happening at the other end of the table. "Would you be interested in going with us to pick one out? We could find a small one for Bella's cottage as well."

"Why do I need a tree?" I asked. All activities were done at the big house, and so far only I was sleeping there. My parents didn't need to know that Edward joined me every night.

"To make it festive, Bella," Alice chimed in, looking with disgust at her partner. Then again it might not be because he was eating cake, considering I could feel waves of revulsion coming from Jasper, obviously using his gift to make Emmett too sick to keep eating. Even my parents were setting down their forks. A quick hiss from Edward made him stop.

"Edward, why don't you, Alice and Jasper go search out a tree for the main house?" Carlisle said, ignoring the feeding frenzy. "I'll take Bella's parents, Emmett and Rosalie to find one for Bella's cottage."

"Done!" Emmett said, slamming his fork down and calling our attention to them. I think I heard the table creak, and definitely saw Esme wince when he did that. Jasper held up his empty plate with a smug smile. "You cheated," Emmett fussed standing up from his chair. "Show me your napkin."

Jasper shook it out. "I'm faster, admit it." My mother's laugh and guilty look made me look at her, but she shook her head with a wink.

"I think you cheated, and that Renee is in on it," Emmett said with a hearty laugh as he moved around to where my mother sat. "So, Renee, did you help Jasper cheat?" His voice was almost a purr as he bent close to my mother. "I won't be upset if you did, but will share my winnings if you fess up."

My mother gave him her most innocent expression. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."

Emmett's eyes narrowed. "Fine. If that's how you want to play it. Make sure Jasper pays you well." He stood up straight again and clapped his hands. "Let's go find a tree!"

After bundling up so much I could barely move my arms Edward put me up on his back, something Charlie rolled his eyes at. Jasper and Emmett picked up long bags with the Cullen crest emblazoned on them and slung them over their shoulders. "New wager, Emmett," Edward called as our group set off into the woods. "Whoever gets back with their tree first, in an acceptable condition for Alice, doesn't have to help with the rest of the decorations."

"You're on! Wait…" Emmett's voiced trailed off as Edward took off like a shot into the woods. The cold air burned my cheeks and made my eyes water, but I loved it. It felt as if we were out for a gentle walk except for the wind and the trees flashing by like they were shot from a gun. I could see Alice and Jasper running along beside us and hear their laughter as they jumped over rivers and huge logs.

Edward's head turned quickly in their direction, followed by a surge of speed as he rushed forward. After another minute he came to abrupt halt next to his siblings. I was the only one panting, trying to catch my breath from the exhilarating ride.

Alice was looking up at a spruce that was at least twenty feet tall. "It's perfect," she said, and from the faraway look in her eyes I knew she was picturing it exactly in the house.

"How do we get it back without surprising the humans?" Jasper asked. For some reason this made me smile. He already thought of me as one of them.

Alice trilled a laugh. "They'll be so surprised by Emmett they probably won't think about it for a few weeks."

Jasper pulled a massive axe from his bag. In four strokes the tree came crashing down, only to be caught by Jasper, Edward and at the very tip, Alice, as I stood watching. "Bella, climb up on the tree," Alice said, pointing to where I should sit.

"Won't I fall off?" I asked, but she shook her head and pointed emphatically. It was all I could do to hang on as they took off running again. When we returned to the house Edward had to peel my hands off the branches. Alice and Jasper cut off the bottom branches and shaped the trunk to pull up water before setting it up in the largest tree stand I'd ever seen. They barely lifted it into place when the other group came trouping in with the tree for my cottage.

"You guys must have found one really close," Phil said as he and the other men carried it out the back towards my cottage. "I swear, we were trooping around the woods for over an hour before we found this one."

Emmett just glared at Edward.

Apparently I was in a fluffy mood this afternoon...