A/N: The timeline for this short story falls after Bella marries Edward. I've received a few questions about that. I'm sorry for the confusion. Hope you enjoy this update.
CHAPTER TWO
I didn't want to rain on Charlie's parade or hinder his good mood, so I kept my opinion to myself about believing in Christmas miracles and wishes. He deserved to believe in whatever made a slight smile form on his face and I wasn't gonna be the one responsible for erasing it now.
The soft knock came to the door again as Charlie made his way toward the front of the house. It was borderline painful for me to watch him suffer with his movements like that and I mentally cursed, as I thought of how much he struggled now to do day to day tasks. Things shouldn't be this way. He shouldn't be alone like this. Billy had mentioned to me a few times since the stroke that they'd looked into hiring a nurses aid for at home health care, but that the overall cost was far too steep for Charlie to afford now that he was on such a limited income.
"Merry Christmas, Charlie!"
Sue's kind voice filled the house with her warm greeting and I couldn't help but smile at her when she entered the living room, her arms full of packages that she'd undoubtedly wrapped herself.
"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't know you were coming over?" Charlie sheepishly stated, his eyes looking around at the mess of the house with slight embarrassment as he gestured to where Sue could place the gifts.
"That's what Christmas is all about...-surprises, right? I'm sorry to drop by so late, but I wanted you to have these gifts for the morning." Sue replied, leaning up on her tip toes to place a soft kiss to his cheek. Charlie's face grew flush as Sue peered my way. "Oh, Jake! I didn't know you'd be here! Merry Christmas!"
I embraced Sue with a genuine hug. It was hard not to catch her infectious cheer. To know her was to love her.
"Merry Christmas, Sue."
"It's so good to see you." She replied, briefly cradling my face in a motherly fashion. "You're looking good. Handsome as ever."
"Thanks, so do you. More beautiful with age." I complimented, mentally noting how long it had been since I'd had the time to actually stop for any kind of conversation with her lately. It'd been months.
Outside of work and the pack schedule/duty, I kept mostly to myself, an isolating habit that had developed more with time for me.
I kept my hands busy and my mind as preoccupied as I could after work, because the alternative kept me awake at night. That numbing emptiness was more than I could stand, and without fail, I would think of her.
"I just came from Billy's not long ago. He sends his best and also wishes you a Merry Christmas!" Sue went on, her attention soon going to the huge tree now on display. "That is a beauty! Is this from Sams lot in town?"
"Yes, Jacob here was kind enough to deliver it for me tonight."
"That was so nice of you." Sue sighed, with another warm smile my way.
"Was no trouble." I replied, gesturing to the rows of lights scattered across Charlie's floor. "Now these here, might be a bit of a different story."
Sue chuckled at this and in no time, we were gathered around the tree stringing up the many lights for Charlie's viewing pleasure.
"Good thing you're so tall there, son. Don't know if I have a step stool around here anymore."
"Height comes in handy sometimes." I mused in return.
"Sure does."
"Where are you headed after this?" Sue asked, handing me the bundle of lights to start another row.
"Nowhere special. Just back home."
Sue stopped with the lights and peered my way from across the large tree between us.
"You're not spending Christmas alone!?"
I shrugged at her words and refocused my attention on the lights, but Sue would have no such thing.
"Okay!" She declared, untangling herself from the many bulbs and heading for the kitchen with a determined look in her eye. "That's it. We're going to have Christmas right here tonight in this house. All together. It's never too late to start the Holiday."
Charlie raised an eyebrow, his disbelieving look almost comical.
"Uh-Sue-... don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate all this, but in case you haven't noticed, there's not a lot of festive cheer around here. Any decorations I had are up in the attic. I got lucky with the lights and some spare ornaments being down here in the hall closet. The rest are overhead and as far as food goes- cupboards are pretty bare."
"Well, that's alright! I bet I can still find something to put together! You know me, ever resourceful!" Sue cheerfully stated.
Within minutes, she was beckoning us to the fridge with a wide grin in place.
"Charlie Swan! There's a turkey already being thawed out in here! Come look!"
Charlie appeared dazed and confused when Sue helped him to the fridge and threw open the door.
"I-I didn't buy a turkey. T-That's not possible. Are you two messing with me?" He teasingly accused.
"You know I didn't bring a turkey with me. I had all I could do to get the tree in here." I replied, looking to Sue.
"Don't look at me. I only brought over that stack of gifts for the morning." Sue hedged, wandering toward the cupboards to see what else she could find. To her and Charlie's amazement, there was everything needed and more. From stuffing and butternut squash, to potatoes, and the few ingredients needed for green bean casserole, it was all there. Even the cranberry sauce.
"Okay am I on some kind of hidden camera show? Cough it up you two. Who is playing with me?" Charlie huffed out, as he stared in disbelief at the food laid out before him on the counter.
"If you didn't put this all here, then who did?" Sue asked, peering around suspiciously. "Jake, do you think Sam could have?"
"Not that I'm aware of. I'm as clueless as you both are."
"Well then, it's a Christmas miracle. I have everything I need right here to make us a great turkey dinner. You'll even have some left overs, Charlie." Sue stated in true delight. "I better get busy. Think you can finish the tree out there without my help?"
"Of course. No worries, Sue." I assured her.
Charlie sat down in the kitchen, watching her whirl about while in her element, her sense of joy reminding me so much of Bella's whenever she cooked that it made my eyes sting at the memory.
Nothing felt the same without her. I was almost certain that it never would.
After stringing up the last row of lights, I sent Sam a message letting him know I wouldn't be over to enjoy Emily's roast this year, and while he was disappointed, he was also equally happy to hear I was with Charlie and Sue and not home alone as usual for the holiday. I told him I'd check in again tomorrow and turned off my phone for the night.
Sue and Charlie were enjoying their conversation in the kitchen and it wasn't long before I heard the music turn on. The old classic of 'I'll be home for Christmas,' played loudly through Charlie's stereo speakers, and I soon found myself standing at the base of the stairs that led to Bella's old bedroom.
My head screamed at me in warning not to do it, not to go up there because no good could come from it, but my feet had other ideas.
I climbed the stairs two at a time and halted before I reached her door, my head still silently begging me not to turn that knob. To go back downstairs and leave well enough alone. As it turned out, I guess I really was a sucker for punishment.
One stride at a time, I pushed the door open and entered her old room. The sight of it alone enough to fill me with fresh heartache.
Charlie had left her things in place all this time. Nothing was moved or packed away. It looked as if the room itself was silently waiting for her to come back to it and I struggled to keep my composure with this line of thought.
She was never coming back here.
I cringed at the many ideas of what she could be doing now. How no part of her would ever be the warm girl I'd known and loved since childhood. All of it erased, as if it never was to begin with.
I was barely inside the door frame when her scent surrounded me, the potency of it stealing my breath as I braced myself there. The ache in my chest blazed with new pain as I glanced around the room in confusion.
Her things may have been untouched, but her scent was too strong to be old and still lingering from three years ago.
That was the last time I'd seen her. The last time I'd held her. The last time I'd heard her voice.
The familiar scent of her shampoo hit me next, bringing with it a whirlwind of memories that made my knees want to buckle. I sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to make sense of something I couldn't.
Her scent was strong. It was strong enough to tell me what I had deemed as impossible since she'd left with Edward Cullen.
That she was still human. Alive and breathing...-and that she'd been in this room recently.
How was that possible? It couldn't be?
I was losing my mind.
As if to answer my own question, the bitter wind blew from outside and I felt the cold draft touch my heated skin, drawing my attention to her window.
I got to my feet and moved the curtain back to see the sliver of opening left there.
I'd climbed through this very window more times than I could count, and she knew to leave it ajar like this for me.
I ran my fingertips along the opening, stilling some when I heard another knock come from downstairs. I peered down into the yard to see the many Christmas Carolers approaching the steps with their songbooks in hand.
"What kind of carolers come out this late?" I muttered under my breath, before rushing to answer the door for Charlie.
Sue had made it there first, her eyes lighting up along with her smile when she swung the door open and they all began to sing.
"Hark how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say
Throw cares away
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold
Ding-dong, ding dong
That is the song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From everywhere
Filling the air
Oh, how they pound
Raising their sound
O'er hill and dale
Telling their tale
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas
Oh, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To every home
We all watched on and I saw the glistening in Charlie's eyes as they caroling came to an end, and they all wished us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
In the sea of red and green coats that parted away while on their route to the next house, my eyes caught sight of the impossible again.
Standing there just behind the dozen of carolers stood Charlie's Christmas wish.