SM owns. NOT BETA'D

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Christmas Eve is spent in bed, the room service cart completely covered in empty plates and half-eaten deserts. We've had a great time just lounging, fooling around, talking, laughing, texting all our friends and family back home to wish them a merry Christmas. Followed by sex.

Lots of good sex.

After one of those lots of sex moments, I lean against the headboard while she leans against me, sweaty and spent.

And happy.

She plays with our linked fingers as she sighs.

"He's right, you know," she says quietly.

"Who?"

"Ian."

"About what?"

"About how what happened between us was as much my fault as it was yours."

"Bella," I start, but she continues.

"It's true. I never had the guts to tell you how I felt. Alice and Rose constantly told me to just say it, that I needed to trust you. And I just didn't. I was scared. Scared to lose you, scared of rejection. And on top of everything I blamed you for all of it. I'm sorry."

"Hey," I'd had enough. I guided her to turn towards me and she went a step further to straddle me. I wasn't complaining one fucking bit. But I had to be serious and fight the urge to push against her.

"No more apologies, remember? It's over. We both fucked up. We learned from it, and here we are. No going back. I'm in it for the long haul. Are you?" I hold her face between my hands and bring our foreheads together. She nods.

"Yes. Totally in." She smiles and presses her lips to mine.

I break away first. "I have something for you," I admit, stretching over to the night stand drawer and grabbing the little box I placed there yesterday.

"Edward, you didn't have to do that. I didn't even know you were coming so I have nothing to give you," she protests before I cut her off with another deep kiss.

"Stop. Your gift to me is you giving us a chance. This is nothing, just something I saw one day and wanted you to have it."

She takes the box and slowly opens it. Her expression when she sees what's inside is totally unreadable. I'm suddenly nervous. Maybe it's too much?

"Edward," she breathes. "This is, this is perfect. It's beautiful."

There are tears welling up in her eyes as I offer to take it out and put it on.

"Do you like it?" I say, taking out the necklace with the little round silver charm.

"Oh, Edward, I totally love it," she gushes, taking the charm in her hand and reading the stamped message.

"I choose you. Always."

"I do. I always will," I say tentatively, watching her reaction.

She smiles, that smile that I've loved for years. My smile.

"I love you so much and I'm so afraid I'm going to wake up from this and it will all be a dream," she whispers as I clasp the necklace around her neck. The charm rests perfectly right under the little hollow in her throat.

"No dream, Angelgirl. Merry Christmas, Bella."

She showed me just how much she loved me well into the early morning.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

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A/N: There you have it :) I might have been listening to James Morrison's sultry/raspy voice while writing this. That's one sexy voice, he's got.

If you wanna see what Edward gave Bella, check out my blog, it will be up in a few... diamondheart78 dot blogspot dot com

Fic rec:

I'm going out on a limb here and rec a Game of Thrones fic. If you've read or watching the show, or both, this is for you. I'm a big Arya/Gendry shipper, and this one's so sweet and intense I had to rec it. It's called "Five Times Gendry Treated Arya Like a Girl" by lit_chick08 and you can find it here: archiveofourown dot org / works / 343665

See you real soon. We're winding down! Thanks for all the reviews and pimpage ;)