Chapter Thirty Two

Bella

As soon as the Volturi jet was back Jazz, Peter, Char, and myself flew home, all I wanted now was a peaceful time, time to make a home with my mate but I didn't forget all that Rose and Emmett did to keep me safe at enormous risk to themselves and decided to thank them in a way that they might just enjoy. First we needed to decide where we were going to live, Peter and Charlotte wanted us close to them but I wanted to live in the house Jazz had built in the forest so we compromised, or at least I think it was a compromise although no one seemed to be a loser to me. Peter and Charlotte would go home and give themselves a little time to heal, it had been hard for them being parted and if they felt the way I had about Jasper's absence then they badly needed a little down time. Then we would meet up for the winter at our place and decide where to go from there. I rang and spoke to Rose and Esme, Carlisle was at work but invited them for a winter break. I deliberately didn't mention Christmas because I knew it was a touchy subject with Rose and Esme accepted with pleasure but Rose explained that Emmett was still upset about Felix but she promised to pass the invitation on and all I could do was keep my fingers crossed and put my cunning plan into operation.

Using Jasper's knowledge of old-time Christmas celebrations we decided to decorate the house with holly, mistletoe, and ivy, which was abundant here in the forest. Jasper found a huge log for the hearth, an old-fashioned Yule log but wouldn't tell me why he'd drilled several large holes in it, "A surprise" was all I could get out of him. I bought hundreds of thick cream, red, and green, candles to light the house and oranges, cloves and cinnamon sticks to perfume the air. Peter and Charlotte arrived first and I set him to work, his task was to find old-fashioned winter songs, no carols, no Merry Christmas songs, just winter ones. Charlotte was busy sewing red, gold, and green throws for the couch and chairs and we debated a tree,

"Do you think it will be too Christmassy for Rose?"

Like me Jasper wasn't sure so we put it on hold for now.

"What about games? Emmett loves playing games and this is for him too."

"I went on the internet and researched old parlor games deciding on a few I thought he might like, charades most definitely, bullet pudding which he would enjoy just as much although I'd never heard of it before and had to read the instructions,

"You must have a large pewter dish filled with flour which you must pile up into a sort of pudding with a peak at the top. You must then lay a bullet on top and everybody cuts a slice of it, and the person that is cutting it when it falls must poke about with their noses and chins till they find it and then take it out with their mouths which makes them strange figures all covered with flour but the worst is that you must not laugh for fear of the flour getting up your nose and mouth and choking you. You must not use your hands in taking the Bullet out"

That sounded perfect, and of course Trivial Pursuit to quieten him down later. Jasper pointed out that with Peter and Emmett in the same room quiet was an impossibility but it was worth a try.

"How about chess?" he suggested with a grin,

The crack as I hit his arm could be heard for miles, I would never live that one down.

Esme and Carlisle were due to arrive on the 14th of December but we still hadn't heard from Rose or Emmett and I had to admit I was beginning to think that they wouldn't come. Esme rang the day before they were due to fly out to ask if there was anything they could bring and I asked timidly about Em and Rose,

"They aren't here Bella so I don't know"

"Oh, where are they?"

"Rose took him away for a few days, its been hard all round because Alice brought up his human life that he'd more or less forgotten and he's been very depressed. We'll just have to hope for the best, we're looking forward to seeing you anyway"

When Jazz saw my face he knew it wasn't the news I had hoped for,

"You have to give him time Bella. He'll come round, it isn't like Emmett to be depressed for long."

"I feel responsible though. If I hadn't started all this Emmett wouldn't have found out about Felix and his wife."

"Her name was Amelia"

I whirled round to see Emmett standing in the doorway. I'd been so wrapped up in my own feelings I'd missed his arrival.

"Emmett"

I flew into his arms with relief,

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me Emmett."

He pulled back to look at me then pulled me close again

"How could I not little Sis? It wasn't your fault, it all just got a bit much but I had good news too."

"Really? No one told me"

I looked round at Jazz under Emmett's huge arm that was wrapped around me.

"We thought it was Emmett's place to tell you."

"Yeah Em, get the bad news over with so we can relax and party."

I looked suspiciously at Peter who just shrugged innocently.

Emmett sat down in one of the huge armchairs making it look like something made for a child and pulled me onto his lap,

"Alice told me that you and I are related, on my mother's side. Cousins more or less."

I was stunned at what I heard,

"Really? That's great."

Rose came in then looking around suspiciously but smiling when she saw us.

"I guess he's told you? He couldn't get here fast enough"

I nodded, too full of happiness to speak and when she came over to join us it made my life pretty much complete.

"He wanted to arrive before the others so he'd get some time alone with you, I guess that means that the rest of us should go hunt or something."

"No, I think there's something else we need to sort out first"

We all looked at Peter who stood arms folded with a frown on his face.

"Now let me get this straight, Bella is related to you Em, and you are related to The Major through Carlisle."

"Well foster brothers"

"Don't confuse the issue, brothers will do. Right, Charlotte and I are related to The Major through venom so..."

"Come on Peter we're getting old waiting"

"Wait a fucking minute I want to get my facts straight. The Major is our sire, for that read father, so that makes Bella my step mother as well as sister as she's Jasper's daughter by venom. Which makes it all sound pretty fucking weird to me but it also means that Emmett is my uncle by Bella's connection so not only are you a Cullen and a McCarty but a Whitlock too."

"How long did it take you to sort that out?"

"I don't know but my brain aches now so I think we should go hunt, you ready sister/ mother?"

"You call me that and I'll send you out of the window into a tree Peter. Bella will do."

"OK come on then"

As he ran out I heard,

"Can I go play Mum?"

I think he thought he was safe, a bad assumption to make as it happened and I heard a squeal of pain as he hit a few trees while flying through the air.

"Remind me not to piss you off Bella"

I turned to Rose and smiled,

"No one can do it quite like Peter."

The next day Esme and Carlisle arrived with a huge pile of presents for everyone and I thought Rose might be upset. I think she saw me watching her because she pulled me to one side,

"Thank you Bella for making the effort to make it seem a winter break rather than Christmas but I think Emmett has suffered long enough for my hang ups so can we get a tree and some Christmas songs? Our little secret, I'm going to ask Carlisle and Jazz to take Emmett hunting while we put it up."

Emmett went off quite happily looking for bear with all the guys, he and Peter still arguing about who was related to who and how. It had got to the point where he had everyone's head spinning and we all agreed just to shut him up, not that it worked!"

"Nothing silences Peter. I should know, I've lived with him for long enough"

We all commiserated with Charlotte on that one.

While they were gone we went out and chose a tree which we decorated with candy canes Esme had brought with her and Rose went to town to get some lights and baubles. Charlotte folded a huge star out of tin foil for the top and once finished it looked great. Especially once the presents were piled beneath it. All it needed now was for the candles to be lit and the Yule log and the carols to play but we didn't want to give the surprise away so only the candles were lit for now and we sat down to chat and wait for them to get back. As usual you could hear Peter and Emmett arguing long before they came in sight and Rose waited ready at the CD player for their entry. As Em walked in she hit the play button and "We wish You a Merry Christmas" blared out at top volume. His face was a picture especially when he saw Rose standing beneath the mistletoe smiling at him. Jazz went over to the hearth and lit the Yule log and I gasped in wonder. It flared up in all different colors, red, orange, blue, green and yellow. As we sat together in one of the armchairs he told me the secret, his dad had put different chemicals like salt in the holes he drilled in their Yule log to get the effect and we all sat watching the colored flames dance in the hearth, one big family at last.

The End.

I do like my happy endings! Thanks for all the reviews and to everyone who reads my stories. Look forward to seeing you all again the next time. Jules x