Unedited due to lack of will power and uni eating all my time.
"I don't like him,"
I nearly snort at the irony of the statement. Klaus's replication of what Sam had said not even an hour ago is too close for comfort. All I do is offer a hum in reply.
Klaus clicks his tongue and eyes the swarm of vampires, humans and werewolves flooding the Cullen's home. Sam is in the midst of them, his arm wrapped around Emily's waist.
My cousin had been bewildered by Klaus's presence, perhaps even nervous. Granted he hadn't been overly friendly – normal Klaus behaviour then – and Sam had loomed over her shoulder like a dooming prophecy. Neither were particularly encouraging, I could already tell there'd be no bringing Klaus with me when my niece is born. But, between the two of them, I know without a doubt I'd choose Klaus's sarcasm over Sam's broken affections any day.
It strikes me a moment later that I did not defended my ex against the hybrid's comment and it doesn't even take me a moment more to understand that I didn't need to. If anyone other than my family and me had a right to dislike Sam, Klaus was he.
Heck, Klaus has more right to say who is good company for me to keep than Sam ever did. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I wonder if he'll ever understand this. It's probably unlikely, what with his…well, Klaus-ness, I guess: his ability to be morbid and self-depreciating, yet at the same time possessive and passionate.
I'd love to see his wolf form.
"Merry Christmas, Leah!"
I turn to the familiar voice, my mouth already forming a smile and the accompanied greeting. "Mom, merry Christmas," The words are barely past my lips before her arms are around my shoulders. I laugh at the death grip, you'd think we hadn't seen each other in months. "Hi, Charlie," I mutter through strands of my mother's hair.
"Merry Christmas, Leah," Charlie's slightly ashen face offers a hello-type smile before he scampers off to greet his daughter and grand-daughter across the room. I don't think he'll ever get over the second hand embarrassment of marrying his best friend's widower.
"You look nice," Sue starts before she's even pulled an arm's length away from me. "Is that a new top? It looks good on you, the colour is right. And your hair, you styled it. You never style your hair-"
"Mom, please," I interrupt, face blazing red and a nervous laugh tickling the base of my tongue. "It was Alice's doing."
She hurmphs but grins, "I should have known, but look what a sweet canvas she had to work with. My baby girl," she coos and reaches up to touch my cheeks. "Looking like a woman, it's enough to make me cry."
"Mom," I scold, trying to force down the answering grin and swatting her hands away. "Stop it, you're making me feel old."
"You, old? How old does that make me?" At my mock glare she throws her hands up in surrender, and sighs. "Can't be young forever, like some people, can I?"
An sliver of unease worms it's way past our banter and my smile starts to fall.
"If I may, Mrs Clearwater, is it?"
My breath catches and I watch Klaus's hand extend past me as he reveals himself to my mother. I'd literally forgotten he was standing there – a disconcerting thought that has me wondering whether he's slyer than I thought or whether I'm too easily distracted. Either way jitters explode in my stomach as Sue's hand extends to meet his.
"Sue, please, and you are?"
Oh, God, please. Just let my mom like him, I don't know what I'd do otherwise.
"Klaus, it's a pleasure to meet you."
His voice has that infuriatingly smooth tone to it that I'd only heard him use when showing off his abilities to woo. It definitely does its charm, one, my mom positively sparkles at the attention and, two, I nearly melt all over him.
Sue takes a step closer, whispering, "Oh, you aren't perhaps one of those vampires, now are you? Single too, yes?" My mother's brows wiggle and if I wasn't too busy dying of mortification I might have laughed.
"I'm afraid that depends," Klaus's voice is overflowing with amusement.
"On what?" Sue asks, clearly enjoying this teasing more than I.
"Your daughter,"
If I was drinking something I probably would have spat it out, and chocked on it. Maybe metamorphasised into a puddle while I was at it. "Excuse me?" I cry shrilly, knowing very well how frantic I sound and not giving a hoot. Klaus couldn't be saying what I think he's saying.
Klaus looks to me, raises one of his ridiculously well sculpted brows in a fashion I know too well. "Am I one of 'those' vampires?"
My lips move silently for a moment. Yep, we were definitely not thinking of the same question. Eventually I clear my throat, allowing my gaze to drift away from Klaus and rest on the red cardigan Sue is wearing. "I, ah, guess not. Assuming one of 'those' vampires are Forks vampires, then no. You're not. One of them, those, the Forks vampires."
I cringe.
"But you're a vampire…" Sue trails off, "You're not human are you? That would be a mild let down,"
"Mom!" This time I allow myself the pleasure of slapping my hands over my face.
"What?" she stage whispers. "Be honest with me now, Leah, he is unnaturally good-looking."
I groan into my hands.
Klaus makes a sound that's suspiciously similar to that of a laugh. When I lower my hands to glare at him though, he merely looks back at me with all the pretence of innocence. I don't believe it for a second. And, yes, he is unnaturally good-looking. Damn him and his amazing eyes, and that voice, and…
Okay, better to stop right there. I grit my teeth.
"He is a vampire," I clarify rather than commenting on her remark – that's not a discussion I want to have in front of Klaus for goodness sake. "Just not a normal one."
"I'm part…werewolf, if you will."
Sue seems to light up like a Christmas tree, "A Halfling, like Nessy?"
"A hybrid," I bite out before Klaus can even dare to ask what a 'Nessy' is again.
"A wolf changed vampire," the hybrid clarifies and if anything my mother only seems more interested.
"How did you come to meet the Cullens? Are you in a neighbouring coven?" Her eyes sparkle in a startling similarity to Seth's. Clearly I didn't inherit that trait.
"No," Klaus slices a glance back in my direction before continuing. "You're daughter-"
"He's my imprint." I spit out, throwing my hands up and shrugging. "Mom, Klaus; Klaus, mom. Now can we just move past this awkward conversation, please?"
My mate doesn't seem too bothered by my outburst; Sue, on the other hand, looks horrified.
"When you said he was handsome, I thought you meant Jacob-like, this man is not Jacob-like, Leah." The accusation in her tone has me gapping too.
"What?" I eventually splutter out.
"Oh, don't you start with me, young lady. You might no longer live in my house, but I am your mother."
I've honestly never been this confused in my life.
X|X|X|X
"Stop staring," I whisper and nudge Sue's side. "Seriously, stop, all of you."
Rosalie offers a lady-like snort and Bella grins.
"Your mom wasn't kidding; he's much better looking than Jacob."
"Thank you, for that valuable piece of information, Rose." I say and the vampire says it's her pleasure.
Never had I imagined that I'd be sitting here, talking to these people, who are staring at my man. I'd tell them to back off if I had any grounds to lay a claim.
"He's socially awkward," Bella offers in a voice that suggests she's trying to calm the raging wolf in me, by showing a clear dislike of my mate.
I nearly bite her head off. "You're one to talk, blood bag."
Rosalie actually snorts this time and Sue smacks my arm in reprimand. "Leah!" She scolds.
"She's the one being rude," I whine.
"Where's your manners?"
I shove a forkful of potato salad in my mouth and offer Bella my dirtiest glare. She seems amused and turns back to observing the men's efforts in chopping wood. Because for some reason – although no one here besides Sue, Emily and Charlie need artificial heating – a fire is apparently mandatory for when we open gifts.
The overhanging blanket of clouds part for five minutes and suddenly it's a bloody superiority contest. Why are they all shirtless? Is this even ethical? There must be some cosmic law against this. And as much as I try not to watch it, I do. Because Klaus. Klaus shirtless. The only time I've seen any part of his bare body I was when I was pulling splinters from it. It's ungodly not to watch.
"Stop staring," Rose mocks, jabbing her elbow into my side.
I hiss in warning, "He's mine, I can stare all I want."
"Oh, really now?" Sue chips in, "What were you saying a minute ago, about him-"
"Jeeze, okay, okay, drop it will you?" I shudder, knowing that the men can't hear us from outside, but still having the fear that they somehow will.
There's a moment of silence where we're all staring, the next second Jacob and half a pack of wolves burst from the forest. Renesme trailing next to her friend, her face flushed from the run. The moment is broken and Carlisle – the only one besides the absent Jasper and Charlie to keep his clothing on – heads off to talk to his granddaughter. I place my plate on the coffee table.
"He isn't what I expected," Sue says, taking my hand in hers and stroking each finger gently. "I can't say that I like him necessarily. But I like him more than I liked, well like, Sam," I meet her gaze and she offers me a grin. "He makes you smile, and as long as he continues to do so I'll be glad he's in your life."
I swallow and lean over to rest my head on her shoulder; she wraps an arm around me. "Thanks, mom,"
"I didn't do anything,"
"You don't need to." Somehow the vampires had disappeared from beside us in the short moments of our exchange, I don't mind, in fact I prefer it. I mull over my next words. "Charlie's a good man," Sue's arm tightens around me and I can feel the encouragement in her hold. "He doesn't have to worry about what I think of him, you know, he doesn't have to feel guilty about dad."
Mom sighs, "It's not that easy."
"It is," I insist. "Just tell him. You're both single, I don't know why anyone should be upset."
She huffs, "So optimistic for a girl who's so sad."
I stare out the window. The wood-slaying efforts had been abandoned and t-shirts re-donned. Klaus looks none too impressed with the way Emmet's showing off his muscles, sparkling like jewels in the sunlight.
"I'm not sad."
"You couldn't fool me if you tried."
I decide not to answer.
"You tell that boy of yours, hybrid or not, that I will skin him and use him as a rug if he hurts you."
I hide my grin against her shoulder. "And Bella was worried when Charlie met Edward. The truth is revealed,"
"Oh, hush, at least I'm only threatening to skin him."
"At least," We both laugh.
X|X|X|X
As with all, or most, Christmas days, there are the presents. Most are for Nessy, although there are a scattering of 'For Mom's and 'Aunty Alice's. We gather in the surprisingly spacious front room where the tree had been set up and there's a low fire burning in the hearth.
Considering the vampires had Edward and Bella's wedding reception in here, I guess I should have known better than to worry if we'd all squeeze in. Either way, I'm bunched between mom and Seth on either side, Charlie on mom's other side and Klaus with Hayley – she didn't say where she was earlier and I vowed to quiz her later – sitting on individual chairs behind our conjoined one. Most of the pack is seated opposite us, with Emily claiming her own chair after complaining that her husband was too hot and she was "pregnant not dying for goodness sake". The vampires had taken up the area around the tree and piano.
Nessy was the only one sitting on the floor, a necessary feature in able for all her presents to be displayed before her.
The opening of gifts fills the air with various chants of 'ooh' and 'ah', but I doubt anyone's too impressed with the array of outfits Nessy gets, the sizes ranging from her current nine year old frame all the way to that of a fully developed teenager.
"You'll wear that skirt, when I'm dead." Bella points out when a short, plaid thing finds its way out of the box.
"Never mind you," Emmet pipes up.
"I second that motion," Charlie manages.
"I think we'll have to blind Jacob." Seth offers helpfully.
"I think she'll look nice in it," Jacob says.
"No one asked for your opinion, dog." Rosalie quips and everyone snickers.
As expected, Esme and Carlisle gifted something small for each family unit. The fussing continues.
When all presents have been opened and mom hugs me in thanks for the family portrait, including Charlie with an arm around dad and a toddler Bella clinging to Sue's leg, the process of cleaning away of wrapping paper commences.
"Leah, Klaus," We both over to Alice, she took charge of the cleaning process and all but bullied our mothers from the room so that they wouldn't help – our fathers fallowing behind gratefully when excused as well. "Would you fetch the vacuum and another rubbish bag from the pantry for me?"
"The door on the left, right?"
"That's the one," She turns to pluck a fallen decoration from between pillows.
Dutifully Klaus accompanies me to the kitchen, where I proceed to rummage between brooms, mops and cleaning supplies for the requested items.
I can feel more than anything Klaus's presence hovering behind me. The air feels charged and I nearly overlook the black bags in favour of mulling over what's bothering the Original.
I snatch up the bag and turn around, ready to hand it to Klaus but my progress falls short when Klaus's hand descends on my shoulder, keeping me in place. Despite my skin being a good load hotter than his, his touch still manages to scorch me through my shirt.
"Klaus?" I peek over my shoulder.
"How is it?"
I blink, "It?"
His hand moves feather-light over my shoulder and upper back. I shiver. "The scar, you removed it, did you not?"
My throat closes and I turn my eyes to the bags in my hands. When I speak my voice is barely a whisper. "How…"
When he removes his hand, my skin forms ice crystals and I reach an arm over my shoulder to rub at the area. I turn to face him, my heart flailing at the close proximity.
He offers no explanation, but merely takes the bags from my hand. "I'll take these out back,"
"It's fine."
Klaus pauses, our eyes meet, and, like so many times before, his gaze makes my breath catch. "It healed easily, just as you said it would. The…the skin is clear now, new, the mark is gone."
For what feels like ages we stand there staring at each other.
"And you are happy with what you have done,"
It isn't a question. I smile. "It took me long enough. Sam hasn't been mine for a long time and I didn't want to carry the memories of our time together anymore."
"Good for you, Clearwater," he sounds like he means it too.
My smile widens, "I've got you to thank. If it wasn't for you I'd probably still have it."
Slowly and just barely, his mouth tilts up at the corners. "I am glad I could be of assistance."
"Guys, what's taking so long?"
I look over Klaus shoulder. Hayley has a lollipop sticking from the corner of her mouth and her hands overflowing with wrapping paper.
Her brows raise, "Oh, look, a mistletoe."
XD I have no clue what happened to this chapter. Blame it on university.