A/N: Happy Friday, everyone! As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing. My new story (which is still untitled) will start posting at some point in August (most likely in the second week).

BPOV

After I returned from dropping Edward off, I was a wreck. I'd almost lost it as I'd watched him board the plane. It was stupid. I was going to see him in a week, and it wasn't like I wouldn't be talking to him.

I had to roll my eyes at myself. I was being absurd.

"You okay, baby sis?" Em asked as I walked past him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a bit sad that I won't see Edward on Christmas."

"Who says you can't?" he asked, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "There's this wonderful invention called Skype. I'm sure the two of you can figure out a time to talk."

My eyes lit up at the idea. Sometimes big brother had good ideas, and this was one of them. I gave Em a hug and a kiss on the cheek as I thanked him, giggling when he made a disgusted face.

"Don't tell Jasper, but you're my favorite brother," I whispered to him.

"Yes! I knew it!" he shouted, punching the air with a fist.

Rolling my eyes at my goofy brother, I headed to my room and pulled out my phone. I sent Edward a text even though I knew his phone was shut off. I wanted him to have something waiting for him when he turned it back on.

I spent the rest of my day, holed up in my room, busy wrapping presents. I tended to wait until the last minute to shop for presents and with so many people in our family, it was sometimes hard to sneak away. I'd ordered some stuff online and had it delivered to the police station so that my nosy siblings couldn't get to them.

Of course, once I'd ordered Dad's gift, I'd had it sent to the Cullens so that Dad wouldn't open it. He was as bad as Emmett. He'd shake the damn thing until it broke, and I couldn't have that.

Yesterday, I'd gone and collected all the gifts so that I could begin wrapping them. Our sad tree had a total of two presents under it. I'd put out presents for Jasper, Rose, and Mom. Dad, Emmett, and Alice would have to wait. They were shakers and some of the stuff I had bought was fragile.

I had just finished wrapping up a new video game that I'd bought for Emmett when my phone buzzed. Grabbing it, I was thrilled to see that it was from Edward. It was a quick text saying that he'd arrived safely and he'd talk to me later.

I texted him back telling him that I loved him and was glad he'd had a safe flight.

It was silly how one little text from him, made my day. Boy, I had it bad. If we weren't careful, we'd end up acting like my mom and dad. All sweet and googly-eyed, unable to keep our hands or lips to ourselves. Not that that would be a bad thing.

My gaze fell to the wrapped box that was sitting on my bedside table. Edward and I had agreed to wait and exchange gifts when he got back. I'd had no idea what to get him and then last week, he'd been complaining because his watch had died. I checked with Esme and Carlisle to make sure they weren't getting one, before buying him an awesome Doctor Who pocket watch.

Edward was a huge Doctor Who fan. I'd watched a few episodes with him and it had appeal, but I wasn't too sure it was my thing. However, I was excited to give him his gift, and I hoped that he'd like it.

"Hey, Bells! Dinner's ready!" Dad hollered down the hall.

Stowing the gifts under my bed, I left my room and headed to the kitchen. I was thrilled to see several normal pizzas sitting on the counter.

After dinner, I headed back to my room to curl up with a book and read before bed. I'd just turned my light off when my phone rang.

"Edward! How are you?"

"Can I come home now?"

"Why? What's going on?" I asked, concerned by the anger and sadness in his voice.

"It's a nightmare. I've only been here for like five hours, and I'm ready to leave. My mother is being a pain because I didn't instantly bond with her husband. He creeps me out, and we have nothing in common. Not too mention the fact that he's like five years older than me."

"I'm sorry, babe," I told him, wishing more than anything that he was here with me.

"Then she told me that I wasn't allowed to spend my whole vacation on the phone talking to, and I quote, 'that girlfriend of yours'," he said with a sigh. "I have a feeling it's going to be a long week. She's hell bound and determined that I'm going to like Eleazar, and I think she's going to try and convince me to move down here."

"What?!" I screeched in a panic. He couldn't leave! He just couldn't!

"I'm not going anywhere, love. I'm happy in Forks."

I let out a sigh of relief. The thought of Edward not coming back terrified me far more than it should have.

We talked for an hour before we hung up. Apparently, his mother had wanted to talk to him. I told him to be nice. After all, it was only a week. He could survive that. I hoped.

"Bells! Wake up! It's Christmas, and I want to open presents!" Emmett hollered as he jumped up and down on my bed.

I groaned as I peeked at the clock. It was a quarter to seven. At least he let us sleep in thirty minutes this year.

"Get off me!" I growled. "I'll be up in a minute."

I flopped onto my back as he left the room and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Grumbling, I crawled out of bed and threw on an old tattered robe that I'd have for years and shoved my feet into some slippers.

I headed into the living room where I found the whole family sprawled out across the sofas and floor.

Mom handed me a cup of hot chocolate, and I settled in on the recliner and watched as Emmett donned a Santa hat.

Before long, we were each surrounded by a small pile of presents. There were several rules for a Swan Christmas: the first being that each person gave one gift. The second rule was that we weren't to spend more than thirty dollars on one another. It saved everyone from getting upset if one person spent fifty bucks on one person but not another. It was a good rule. The only ones allowed to break that rule were Mom and Dad. The last rule was that each person took a turn opening their gifts. That way everyone could see what that person got.

Of course, Emmett had to go first. If he didn't, he pouted and whined, and Mom and Dad had figured it was just easier to give in then listen to him complain. The rest of us didn't care who went first as long as we got to open our gifts.

I watched as Emmett unwrapped his gift from me.

"Sweet! Thanks, Bells! I've been wanting this game!"

Twenty minutes later, I was the owner of a new pair of boots, a gift card to Amazon, a gift card to Barnes and Nobles, a new sweater, and a new mp3 player from Mom and Dad. My old mp3 had met it's demise after I'd dropped in a puddle. It wasn't an iPod, but I didn't care. As long as it played music, who cared what brand it was.

Once presents were all shown off and thanks were given, it was time for breakfast. It was the one holiday that Dad refused to let Mom cook. Waffles, eggs, and bacon for breakfast, and then a delicious ham for Christmas dinner.

After breakfast, I took all my stuff to room and decided to send Edward a text. I wasn't sure what his Christmas day plans were, and I didn't want to interrupt the time he spent with his mother, even if they weren't getting along.

Merry Christmas! Have a great day! Call me when you can, I texted.

I wasn't surprised when I didn't hear back right away. I figured I wouldn't.

I spent the rest of my morning putting songs onto my mp3 player, then headed into the living room to watch A Christmas Story with my siblings. No matter how many times we watched it (and we watched it a lot), it never got old.

A buzzing noise from my phone distracted me, and I checked it to see that Edward had texted me back.

Merry Christmas to you as well, love. Ill call you in a bit.

"Edward?" Jasper asked.

I nodded. "He's not having a very good time."

"Aw, that sucks. But, he'll be home soon."

"Yeah, I can't wait until next Saturday," I told him.

By the time nine p.m. rolled around and I hadn't heard back from Edward, I did begin to get a worried. He wasn't one to say that he was going to call and then not call. I knew that there was a good reason he hadn't, but his call was something that I'd been looking forward to all day.

Sighing, I headed to my room, turning my mp3 player on and curling up in bed with a book. At quarter to eleven, my phone rang, and I answered it immediately.

"Hey, love," he said, his voice sounding weary and tired.

"Hey. I was beginning to worry," I told him honestly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's been a crappy Christmas day. We had to go out to eat at some fancy restaurant for breakfast, there were no Christmas presents, and Mom stole my phone. She didn't want me to spend all day on it talking to you or Carlisle. I only now got off the phone with him."

"She stole your phone?" I growled.

"Yeah. Took it from my room while I was outside making nice with Eleazar. I got more than a little upset when I couldn't find it. Mom finally admitted that she had it, and I wasn't allowed to have it back until bedtime. I ended up calling Carlisle using her house phone, then he called her and let her have it. So, now she's really angry at me."

"Well, that's her own fault. She had no right to take your phone!" I said, furious that his mother was behaving so poorly. No wonder he hadn't wanted to visit her.

"I feel the same way. Anyway, I can only hope that the next few days go by quickly. We're supposed to go to the beach tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll behave," he said with a sigh.

"Well get some rest, and I'll see you on Saturday."

We exchanged I love yous before hanging up, and I hoped that the rest of his time with his mom went better.

The following Saturday afternoon, I was pacing around the house as I waited for Esme to pick me up. Carlisle had gotten called in, so it would be just the two of us picking Edward up.

Finally, a car honked, and I flew out of the house and down the steps.

"Ready to see Edward?" she asked once I climbed into her car.

"Oh, my God, yes! I've gone crazy not being able to talk or see him as often as I'm used to," I told her.

She gave me a smile and patted my hand. "It'll be nice to have him home."

The drive to Seattle went by quickly and soon we were waiting in the terminal for Edward to get off the plane.

The second I saw him, I felt whole again. I knew the minute he laid eyes on us because his face lit up and a beautiful smile crossed his face. He raced toward us and soon I was caught up in a huge hug.

I clung to him, never wanting to let go as I buried my face in his neck.

"God, I missed you," he said against the side of my head.

"Missed you, too," I said.

He pulled away, planted a kiss on my lips, then turned and gave Esme hug.

"Where's Dad?" he asked.

Esme explained that Carlisle had gotten called in but would be home later.

The whole ride back to Forks was spent with the two of us talking and holding hands, unable to stop touching one another. I felt slightly guilty that I was monopolizing him, but I'd missed him so much. Sure, we'd texted, talked, and Skyped once, but it hadn't been the same.

I knew that he was tired and needed time with his family, so we agreed to get together at his house the following morning.

"I'll stop by around ten or so, if that's okay?"

He gave me a sweet smile. "Of course. After all, we need to exchange gifts."

We kissed goodbye as Esme pulled into my driveway, and I watched as they drove off, feeling better than I had all week.

The following morning at quarter to ten, I stood on the Cullen porch with present in hand. The door was yanked open, and a gorgeous, slightly disheveled Edward greeted me.

"Good morning," I said, leaning in to place a kiss on his scruffy jaw.

"Morning," he said through a yawn.

I reached up and traced a dark circle under his eye and frowned. "Did you not sleep well?"

He shut the door and let me into the kitchen where some frozen waffles were lying on the counter.

"Not really. I've been on Florida time for a week, and I had trouble adjusting last night. That and I stayed up talking to Carlisle about Mom. It was a rough night."

I shoved him into a chair, set his present in front of him, then proceeded to pop a couple of frozen waffles into the toaster. I put the box back in the freezer, grabbed the butter from the fridge, and a paper plate from the cupboard.

He sat at the table, eyes blinking the sleep out of them, and eyeing the present I'd put in front of him.

"You can open it, you know," I said with a grin.

"I can't open mine until I give you yours. Give me a sec," he said before rushing out of the kitchen.

While he was getting my present, I plated the waffles and put them on the table with the butter and syrup. I sat down across from his seat and a few minutes later he returned with a small wrapped box. It was funny. Both of our gifts were roughly the same size.

"Eat first. We'll open presents when you're done," I told him.

After Edward was done with his waffles and had cleaned up, we headed to the living room with our presents in hand.

We sat down on the couch, looked at each other and tore into our presents. Tearing the paper off, I found a small black velvet box waiting for me. With trembling hands, I opened it and gasped. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace in the shape of a key with a sapphire in the middle.

"Edward! It's beautiful! It's too much—"

"Don't argue. Just accept it. It's the key to my heart," he said, and I just about melted into a puddle of Bella goo. The boy was too sweet, especially when his fingers shook as he fumbled with the clasp.

I let my hair back down after he'd put the necklace on me, and I looked down. It was gorgeous, and it made me feel all girly.

"Thank you," I said softly as I looked at him before placing a kiss on his lips.

"You're quite welcome. Now, let's see what you got me," he said, opening the box I'd put the pocket watch in.

"Holy crap! Bella, this is—this is amazing!" he exclaimed as he looked at the watch.

I was relieved that he liked it. I had been slightly worried that he would think it was cheesy. I'd had a hard time finding a gift for him, but when I had spotted it, I'd known it was perfect for him.

"I've always wanted a pocket watch. This is so cool!" he gushed.

"So you like it then?"

"Of course!" he said, pulling me in close for a kiss.

What had begun as an innocent kiss soon became far more. Teeth nibbled across lips, tongues tangled, and the sounds of moans filled the air.

It wasn't until a phone rang that we parted and realized just how caught up in the kiss we'd gotten.

At some point, he'd ended up hovering over me on the couch, our bodies pressed together, aching for more.

"Crap. Sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to get carried away," he said, running his hands through his hair as he sat up.

"No worries," I said, a bit out of a breath. In truth, I could've stopped him if I'd wanted to, and I hadn't.

"Shouldn't you answer the phone?" I asked as it continued to ring.

"Right. Phone," he muttered, and I giggled at how incoherent he was.

"Hello?" he said before handing the phone to me.

I was confused. If someone was calling for me why wouldn't they just call my cell?

"Hello?"

"Bells, it's Dad. I tried calling your cell, but it went straight to voicemail. I need you to come home," he said, sounding odd.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice hitching.

"Bella, please just come home."

I nodded although he couldn't see me, and told him that I'd been home right away.

"Something's wrong," I told Edward after I hung up. "Dad needs me home right away."

Edward didn't question me, just grabbed his coat and car keys, slipping his feet into a pair of shoes.

Ten minutes later, we pulled into my drive.

"Please come in with me," I begged as I got out of the car. He nodded and followed me up the steps and inside.

If Mom and Dad had a problem with Edward being there, they didn't mention it. Immediately, I noticed that neither Rose or Emmett were there, and I went on alert. It didn't help that Mom had obviously been crying, and Dad looked like he was about to.

"What's going on?" I asked as I sat down on the couch with Edward at my side.

"First off, I need you all to remain calm, okay?"

We nodded, but I felt anything but calm.

"Rose was attacked in Port Angeles. She and Emmett had separated to go into different stores, and she was attacked by three guys when she walked by an alleyway," he began, holding up a hand when Jasper, Alice, and I began to talk.

"Please, let me finish," he said, taking a deep breath. "Thankfully, Emmett realized that something was wrong and managed to get to her before they raped her, which was their intent. However, they did manage to beat her up despite her attempts to stop them. Emmett got a few hits in, but the boys did manage to get away."

I felt as if I'd been punched in the gut. My mind was full of questions. Whys and what circled around. Rose was one of the strongest, toughest girls I knew, and they'd attacked her.

"How badly is she hurt?" Jasper asked quietly.

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered. "A broken arm, some stitches, a couple of cracked ribs, and she's covered in bruises from where they grabbed her. Emmett has a broken hand that he got when he punched one of the guys."

I crossed my arms over my middle and curled up into a ball on the couch. Her injuries were worse than the ones James had given me. I'd only been bruised and my wrist sprained.

Tears leaked from my eyes at the thought of my sister being so horribly victimized. Sure, I knew it could have been worse, but it was still pretty bad.

I felt Edward's arms come around me and pull me in close and I collapsed into them, grateful that he was there.

Jasper and Alice were visibly shaken as well, particularly Jasper. He and Rose had already been through so much.

A few minutes later, Edward and I were driving behind Mom and Dad on the way to the hospital. Edward had called Carlisle and let him know that he'd be home later after he explained what had happened.

I grimaced as we walked through the doors of the hospital. I hated hospitals. I hated the way they smelled.

We followed Mom and Dad down a hallway until we stopped outside a room with a door slightly ajar. Dad knocked and peeked his head around the door before opening it.

I tried to swallow the gasp that erupted from my throat when I saw Rose. She was propped up in the hospital bed, her face bruised and swollen. Her left arm was in a bright purple cast, and I could see stitches on her head.

I just about broke down, but Edward's hand in mine kept me calm. I rushed over to her and hugged her as gently as I could.

"Oh, Rose."

She shook her head, wincing slightly. "Please, don't cry, Bells. If you do, I'll start, and I'm tired of crying."

I nodded, doing my best to blink back the tears.

I looked over at Emmett who was sitting in a chair pulled next to the bed and noticed that he also had a bright blue cast.

"Oh, look. You guys match," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Emmett gave me a grin, although his eyes were sad. "I look good in blue, baby sis. It brings out my gorgeous eyes."

"Sure it does," I teased.

Later, Emmett and I left the room to go get some hot chocolate and coffee for everyone. It was when we were in the elevator that he broke down. One minute we're talking, the next he's sobbing his heart out, which led to me crying. By the time we got off the elevator, we were both a sobbing, snotty mess.

"I could've lost her," he said into my hair as I hugged him.

"But you didn't. Remember that. She's going to be okay, physically anyways."

He nodded as he sniffled.

"You'd better not be getting snot in my hair," I told him, grinning when he made noises like he was blowing his nose.

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you," he said with a grin.

Fifteen minutes later, we returned to Rose's room with our hands filled with cups of hot liquids. Edward and I stayed until a little after seven. Rose would be coming home the next day, so I didn't feel too guilty leaving.

"I'll be okay. Mom, Dad, and Emmett are staying with me. Get that boy home before he gets in trouble," Rose teased with a sad smile.

"His dad knows where he is. We can stay if you want."

She shook her head. "There's too many people in here."

I understood that. After James had attacked me, I'd just wanted time to myself. Time to be angry and mean without hurting anyone's feelings by lashing out at them.

Edward and I gave her hugs and left the hospital. The drive back to Forks was quiet, and I could see Edward shooting me worried glances.

"I'm okay," I told him, giving his hand a squeeze. "I promise. I'm just worried about Rose and Emmett. And I hope to hell they catch the assholes that hurt them."

"They will. They got DNA from under Rose's fingernails. They'll find the bastards," he growled.

Later that night as I lay in bed, I found that I couldn't sleep. I was too keyed up, too upset and worried.

I had a feeling that James somehow had something to do with the attack, but I couldn't prove it. It was just a feeling that I'd gotten. He had it out for Emmett, and what better way to get back at Emmett than to go after Rose. If something happened to Rose, it would destroy Emmett. Today was evidence of that. The last time I'd seen Emmett cry was right after they'd moved in with us. Seeing him cry today had nearly torn me apart.

I eventually fell asleep hoping beyond hope that Dad was able to catch the guys that had hurt my family.

a/n: Yeah, so this chapter took an unexpected turn. I hadn't planned Rose getting hurt, it just wrote itself that way, so I went with it.