CHAPTER THREE

(JPOV)

Not a single word was spoken by anyone for what felt like minutes on end, as the sound of the carolers drifting further down the houses on Charlie's street echoed out in the background.

Oh, holy night

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Saviors birth.

"Bella?" Charlie finally ground out, his quavering and unsteady voice matching the shaking in my hands as we all stood there utterly stunned.

"Hi again, dad." Bella managed, her eyes roaming over us in clear apprehension. "Sorry, I'm so late. My plane was delayed and we got a bit of a later start than we originally planned."

It was then that I saw the small child tucked into her side, careful to stay hidden away from our peering gazes of curiosity. She was tiny in stature, maybe three at best in age. Her innocent doe eyes adverting ours as she buried her face into Bella's jeans.

We...

She said we.

That was plural.

Sue was the first one of us to move, her arms outstretched wide toward Bella and the small girl in a gesture of love and acceptance. Bella let out a breath of relief when Sue tightly embraced her.

"Oh, Bella! I-I can't believe it's you- I- oh, I'm so glad to see you! It's been so long!" Sue half cried, the sound of her emotion matching both Charlie's and my own while we stood there like immovable statues.

I tried to move. I really did but nothing happened.

I took in her face, noting the slight, and normally missed by the naked human eye, changes of age and seeing the small laugh lines there. The vivid blushing of her snow white cheeks was breath taking, and the beauty in her rich chocolate gaze was something I had missed far more than words could ever describe. Those soft eyes that I could read like an open book soon met mine when Sue released her.

Bella's arms were full of two large suitcases and she was careful to keep a steady hand on the little girl who still clung to her like glue.

"Mama, I- sleepy."

"I know, baby. This is your grandpa Charlie. Remember I told you all about him? All about this house I grew up in?"

The child only nodded and reached up for Bella with a soft cry of unease.

Sue sprung into action, as she often did, carefully taking the large suitcases from Bella so she could tend to the little girl with both arms.

"Please, come inside, Bella. Get out of this cold."

Bella didn't hesitate to follow after Sue, her arm brushing mine as she passed and letting me know this was real.

I wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. She was here. She was alive. Flesh and blood and warmth. On Christmas.

"Thank you, Sue." Bella softly replied. "You look good today, dad. Your color is better than it was before."

Her words made my head spin as everything started to fall into place.

Her room. Her scent there. I wasn't losing my mind after all.

She had been here before.

I let that truth sink into me with enough weight that it caused my breathing to increase and my eyes soon stung with fresh tears.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I-I don't remember you being here before...- I'm confused." Charlie stated to her, reaching out to touch a lock of her hair with clear uncertainty written on his face. "My memory- it's -.j-just awful... I-"

"It's alright, dad. I know. I know." Bella assured him, coming into Charlie's embrace with her tears easily falling down her pale cheeks. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that we're here now. We'll sort all the rest out later."

Charlie held her close as I backed away further until my hand was lingering on the door.

I wanted to flee. Wanted to run into the woods. Toward the only safe place of true sanctuary I had ever known since she'd left. The woods were always there. Always present and always tangible. I could count on that fact, unlike so many other things I couldn't rely on.

My hand tightly gripped the knob and it was half turned before an unexpected embrace from behind made me freeze where I was.

"Jake, wait...-please wait...- don't go."

Bella wrapped her arms around me, tightly enough that I swore it was the only thing holding me together and stopping me from fleeing.

She pressed her petite hands over my chest with the embrace, her fingers splaying over my heart, over what was left of it now.

I spoke the only thing I could. All other words failed to form for me right now.

"You're still you."

She echoed it without missing a beat.

"I'm still me."

My head fell as the breath I'd been holding for what felt like years now left me in a heave of sweet relief.

I turned to face her, seeing the evident remorse written in her gaze as she repeated the former request.

"Please, don't go. Stay here with me."

My legs felt like cement. I couldn't have left her even if I wanted to. I was rooted in place. My heart threatening to piece itself back together once again when I nodded and saw the little girl now fast asleep on Charlie's sofa.

"The turkey, Bella? All the fixings for the meal in the cupboard?" Charlie questioned. "T-That was you, wasn't it? Did you come earlier this week and put it there? I can't remember."

Bella placed a blanket over the sleeping girl, kissing her gently on the forehead before addressing Charlie again.

"Yes, dad. I came here last week and got some staple groceries for you. I tried calling but the landline was busy-"

"I forgot to pay the bill again." Charlie fretted.

"I'll take care of it after Christmas."

Charlie ran his hand over his tired face and merely nodded, his look truly troubled from from the memory loss he'd been battling with.

"Bella, how long have you been back in town?" Sue asked, getting her a cup of coffee she'd brewed fresh in the kitchen.

"This is my second trip back. Last Friday was the first." She replied, sipping from the warm mug with a slight shudder. "I know this must come as a shock."

"Yes, but a wonderful one." Sue tearfully hedged in return. "Are the Cullens not far behind you?"

Her question held no true resentment behind it, but it sent a heated tremor up my spine at just the thought.

Please... God...No.

Bella shook her head slightly and looked to me when she answered.

"No, it's just me. I'm here all on my own. Just me and Sarah."

My gaze went to the sleeping girl nestled in on the couch and I couldn't take my eyes from her upon hearing the name.

Sarah.

My mothers name.

Bella's gaze followed after mine. I could feel her observing my reaction as another heated tremor weaved hastily up my spine and spread into my limbs.

With a face framed in shoulder length rich black curls and soft russet skin that mirrored my own, I was unable to deny the likeness staring me in the face.

The proof that the one night we'd shared in my garage, before she walked down the aisle and gave her life away to that bloodsucker, had been far more than just a memory for either of us.

I saw the glossy recognition her eyes held when they met mine again, and I knew she could read it all there without words.

As if to confirm it, she reached her hand out and tentatively brushed the curls out of Sarah's face while she peacefully dreamed.

I couldn't breathe as the memory of our only night together filled my mind.

I would have given anything to have kept her with me. The desperation of it was suffocating for me back then.

Sue and Charlie read the tension in the room and made up an excuse to get some snacks in the kitchen so we could be alone for a few minutes.

"You know, I bet you're really famished after all that crazy holiday travel?"

"Yes-" Bella managed.

"How about Charlie and I go get some goodies to eat from the fridge? I noticed earlier there was some cheese and crackers in there. I can put together a
Charcuterie board with the best of them. I hear they are all the rage this Christmas season!" Sue cheerfully offered, trying to keep the changing mood as light as she could given the newfound circumstances.

"That sounds great, Sue. I am starving to be honest." Bella admitted.

"Great! I'll get right on that. Come on, Charlie. You can help me get out the crackers alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Charlie solemnly agreed, his baritone full of justified worry, as he looked between Bella and myself again before steeling a final glimpse at Sarah.

"Thank you."

Once they were out of the living room and far enough away to be out of ear shot, Bella stood and took a step toward me.

I didn't give her the chance to speak before asking the question that had been plaguing my thoughts since she arrived.

"Is she-"

I couldn't even finish the sentence without pausing, the strain in my voice, and the lump in my throat, making it hard to breathe, let alone talk to her right now.

Bella drew in a needed breath and squared her petite shoulders with her solid answer.

"Yes."

I tried to ignore the heated tears that welled as I stared back at her but it was useless.

"She's-" I choked out with another heaving breath, my whole body shaking from the tremors I was fighting now.

"She's ours, Jake. She's our little girl."

A/N: Thanks again for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this second update of the day! Please leave a review with your thoughts and as always... HAPPY READING and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and your family!