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Chapter 127

The First Little Door

Jake

Dad is back! was my first thought when I woke up. Okay. My second thought after I felt Becky's hand on my groin. It could have been only the third, because if I turned a little, her hand would be right on my ... And by then Becky was awake and sliding her fingers up my torso to stretch. Crap.

But I smiled at my Star.

Even just the fact that she was here made me happy.

We both perked up pretty quickly and got up. The morning-after thirst from the beer last night drove us first into the bathroom and then purposefully in the direction of the coffee machine.

There seemed to be quite a good mood in the kitchen.

I heard David laughing boisterously. Emma, who was offended about something. And Dad, who was apparently trying to explain something to Emma.

When we walked through the kitchen door, Dad was already standing there with two cups, which he held out to us, presenting them.

"Eddie!" my Star shouted happily, and two luscious golden eyes twisted in exaggerated annoyance, while Emma hid a giggle under her chubby little fingers.

"I guess you can't get rid of that name," David commented amused.

Then he had probably tried to make Emma understand this. That his name was Edward and not Eddie! Had he also growled at Emma during this attempt like Becky?

"Good morning, you two!" Dad greeted us.

Becky took her cup from him and hugged him, which he returned with his now free arm. He also gave her one more kiss on her temple.

Like every morning when Becky was here.

But I did not pay attention to the both of them. I was much more interested in something else.

"What are you doing here so early?", I asked David. I heard for myself how irritated it sounded.

"I haven't even left yet," he smiled at me.

I turned away from him and walked toward my cup.

"It's good to have you back!" I said to Dad as I hugged him.

I couldn't tell how happy I was to have him back. With Mom. It was kind of the same feeling I had so many weeks ago. When David was here for the first time since Edward. When I realized how Mom and he were treating each other. As it was not proper for a married man - with another woman. Leah and I had made our wolf rounds during the evening without anyone noticing much. In doing so, Leah had shown me how she had found David and Mom in the bedroom and didn't know what to do with that. David half naked. Mom with only a thin top on. Hugging tightly. Just detaching from each other. And Mom looked so in love, as if she had just been kissed more than just a friendly one. That did not suit me!

A loud rumble and subsequent cursing distracted me, and I reflexively looked up.

"Marcus stumbled out of bed in an attempt to step over Leah so as not to wake her," Dad explained amused, but let his hands rest firmly on my shoulders and continued to look at me.

"Let's make ourselves useful then!" said David behind me, filling two cups with coffee and adding sugar to one for Leah.

He went upstairs with Emma.

Dad waited a moment.

"Jake. What Leah saw there was out of context. David has already shown it to me through his memories," Dad said, soothingly, but I couldn't quite believe it.

Mom, after all, had apparently spent the last two nights with David ...

"Don't you trust your mother?" asked Edward.

"Yes, I do ..." I said. Oh, I didn't know myself what that was all about.

"But you don't trust David?" Dad wanted to know.

I shook my head.

No. Somehow not really, anymore.

"You once wished that he would become your father. That's not something one wishes for easily," Dad wanted to clarify.

"I have a father!" I riled almost evasively, looking bitingly towards him. Bitingly towards the completely wrong person, as I realized myself.

Edward smiled slightly.

"And I always will be! It's nice to know that you're defending my place in our family, but please don't get worked up about things that aren't there. David enjoys my complete trust. So does Bella. He was there for your mother when she cried because I wasn't here. David comforted her. Nothing more."

"Bella was crying?" asked Becky now beside me.

We hadn't noticed that at all.

Dad nodded.

"No one knows Bella better than David ... except me. Not even Zoey or your grandparents. Their friendship has lasted for fifteen years. So, he notices how Bella is doing and knows how to cheer her up again," Dad explained.

I just nodded and would think about it on occasion. If David were gone.

"As you know how Brandon ticks," he meant.

"He's got a point!" Becky agreed with him.

I could not help but agree as well.

I then made room so as not to be run over by my sister. She almost jumped into Dad's arms while Marcus followed with the two cups and David and Emma.

Marcus asked how his trip had been.

"I'll tell you later," Dad said, pointing in Emma's direction.

The Mitchell family was apparently already awake as well and was on the phone looking for the oldest and youngest member.

Leah and I wanted to go for a run before breakfast, as usual. Marcus and Becky also wanted to jog a lap through the forest. They often did that together when they were both here while Leah and I were out. David would join the two of them when he got Emma home and changed. And Dad meant that he would then try to kick his angel out of bed.

I finally chuckled again and wished good luck/fun with that.

Punctually at ten we stood showered and changed in the kitchen and I watched my parents in love, as they stood together in front of the stove and almost let the scrambled eggs burn.

Then the doorbell rang, and the front door opened by itself.

Oh right. David still had a key. What for, actually?

Four children stormed our house while David and Sonya stood in the doorway making out.

Maybe I really was just imagining things when I looked at David now.

Dad's arm went around my shoulders, hugging Mom on his other side.

"He is no less obsessed with his wife than you or I are with ours," he whispered to me.

I nodded and put my hands on Becky's waist, standing in front of me.

"Santa was already here!" warbled Emma excitedly, holding a small gift bag in her hands.

Also, the other three held similar gifts.

"He's been here, too," Dad said, pointing to the wall between the living room windows.

I followed the direction with my eyes.

Oops ... I hadn't noticed that yet. On six Christmassy decorated ribbons hung twenty-four small bags or packages each. Labeled with names.

"Emma!" rumbled Sonya, drawing my attention back to the little sweep.

She had tried to open the bag surreptitiously and startled because she had been caught.

"After breakfast!" Sonya followed up with a sternly raised index finger.

We had breakfast, but Emma had done the math without her parents. She had eaten hastily, but it was meant when everyone had finished eating breakfast. She fidgetily urged us to hurry. Then it was finally time - the last slice of bacon was consumed. Emma had been watching the increasingly empty table very closely and her eyes were getting bigger and bigger.

Edward brought the six presents for us to the table, so that everyone now had one in front of them. David and Sonya had also been given presents by Santa Claus.

Esmé - as Edward had already said unnoticed by the children.

Emma made the beginning and pulled two colorful hair clips out of the bag, which she immediately let her mommy put into her wild hair. Deacon unwrapped a small race car, Luces a card from a trading card game that was currently in vogue, Daniel a skateboard for his fingers. Sonya received a scented candle with cinnamon aroma and David a Santa Claus for the mirror in the car.

I pulled something out of the bag that I couldn't do anything with.

A square piece of paper. On one side, numbers or letters, but they were so large that they didn't fit on my snippet. On the other side, it appeared to be a cutout from 'Google Earth'. On one edge was still a drawn tip. Great gift! What did I do with it now? Becky also pulled such a scrap out of her gift. So did Leah and Marcus. Ahh ...! I see.

We put them together and recognized a marked location somewhere in the woods between here and Buxton.

And on the reverse side, apparently, the time came to light when we had to be there. 3:00 p.m.

"So, what's in store for us there?" asked Leah, turning to Dad.

"I really have no idea. I guess you'll have to be surprised," he smiled.

He didn't look like he was lying to us, although one could never be sure with Dad.

Then Mom opened her package and unrolled a kind of parchment scroll. She read aloud:

"On the first day of Advent a mischievous rocking horse rides out of the first door swiftly.

The 3rd door competes with the 5th for the best place.

The 2nd door's cake leaves its space and invites 14 to gossip over coffee.

Now 15 is accosting 7. It was not good for her. She had to get out post haste!

Gradually door 4 swings together with 20 before warming up and singing.

Door 6 jumps the rod into 18's place.

16 whines to itself in its melted stocking.

Gone is the order and a mutiny begins. Suddenly the angel jumps out of the 24 space.

Horrified, all the little doors suddenly line up.

'You're too early,' shouts 9 and jumps on the sled in the 12th stall.

11 sweeps the angel back into her door.

17 and 8 play ball.

22 sings Christmas carols.

'Gets lost!' yells 10.

13 wants to sink in shame and crumples.

'Anarchy!' shouts the confection.

19 paints a pennant.

21 runs to their door.

23 gets mad and yells, 'Quiet!

It's Christmas Eve. Release 24!'

(Written by Heidrun-Auro Brenjo 'DerAdventkalender')

We all laughed.

A funny poem.

And Dad unwrapped a refrigerator magnet from his present that had a Christmas angel on it that bore an amazing resemblance to Mom. So, we could hang the poem on the fridge.

The Mitchell family said goodbye after the table was cleared and the kitchen cleaned up. They were driving to Daniel's grandparents' today.

Until we had to leave to be at the specified place in the forest at the indicated time, we still had long time. So, we sat on the sofa and told Edward about the last two days. With all kinds of photos, we had taken with the cell phones, supported by our memories of them.

And he told about his trip. How Emmett tried to tame a hind to ride on. How they tried to behave somewhat as human campers and likewise to make fire. Also to hunt as such. They came to the conclusion that as humans they would probably be lost in the wilderness.

During his whole narration, which he also accentuated with pictures from his cell phone, he didn't let go of Mom for a second. The whole time she lay in his arms and even fell asleep smiling.

Shouldn't she care a little more that Dad was back?

But Dad said she had been awake for a long time when he was back, and his eyes were just sparkling.

Okay. Enough!

I turned away, shaking my mental cinema out of my brain, and helped Becky into her jacket.

We wanted to set off.

I tried it as elegantly as I had seen Dad do it the other day.

Since the point was in the middle of the woods, Dad had advised that Leah and I could walk as wolves. There was no road to get there by car, and on foot we would probably have had to leave at sunrise.

So we walked through the freezing cold through the forest.

Becky leaned her body firmly against my fur to be somewhat protected from the wind. Leah was by now practiced at walking with Marcus on her back, and he himself also appeared quite casual so high off the ground. Becky held the glued together snips of paper in my view again in the meantime.

We were on the right track, it couldn't be far, but so far, we hadn't discovered anything.

We kept walking until a log cabin appeared in front of us.

Was that where the snippets were supposed to take us?

We slowed our pace and headed for the little 'gingerbread house'.

That was the appropriate term for it.

We phased back, the cold air not bothering Leah and me after all and looked through the windows. Nobody in view. The door was open, and we entered, after we had also dressed again.

"Hello?" I called questioningly through the hut.

No answer.

The cabin was not large, even smaller than Lisa and Jason's grandparents. Just one room, with an implied kitchen in the back and a small bathroom next door. On the kitchen was a large tray, to which Becky and Leah devoted themselves. The floor on one side was covered with mattresses, pillows, and blankets. On the other side was an open fireplace, which already spread cozy warmth. Next to it was a large television, which seemed rather out of place. On it was stuck a piece of paper with the message 'Have fun!'

I pressed around on the remote until a picture appeared.

'Christmas Vacation' with Chevy Chase was on.

Becky came to us with the tray. Two pots of cocoa, cookies, and licorice candy canes.

I held the post-it so that the others could read it.

"I think they put this one on wrong," I stated.

Six questioning eyes looked against me.

"I guess it should say that we should get comfortable and take our time, so they'll 'Have fun' at home!" I explained, and we laughed.

And we made ourselves comfortable.

We laughed a lot while the movie was playing, cuddling with our loved ones. When the movie was over, it was already dark - winter, after all - and there was a knock at the door.

Six lonely pizza boxes begged to be let in, along with cold beverages and supplies of cocoa. But there was no one to be seen.

We chatted while sampling from the various pizzas.

We reflected on our Christmas gifts, talked about the traditions in our families, how super-lovely our new family was when they were so nice to get us out of the way. We agreed that we had to thank Esmé for this afternoon. On our own, we probably wouldn't have come up with the idea of just being together like this. It was only among us four a completely different mood, as if we were also still with others on the road. Whether it was Brandon and Lisa, Maggie and Ethan, any of the other vampires, or Mom and Dad. Absolutely no secrets stood between us. No qualms about saying - or thinking - something we weren't allowed to say. Because it would embarrass one of us, betray someone of us in front of 'the adults' or generally involved the mysteries of our family. We also made plans for the days leading up to the holiday and considered what this Christmas would be like.

Marcus became quiet at this.

"No idea. This will be the first Christmas without my father. As crappy as he's been acting, I don't miss him one bit. Still, it's going to be weird. Especially for my ma," he said, resting his head on Leah's shoulder.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't mind you guys being with us for the holidays. But to be honest, I don't know where we'll be," Leah said, which I unfortunately could only agree with.

Normally we would be in Forks with Charlie. Would that be the case this year? I couldn't imagine it. Christmas Eve without Dad? There would definitely be something missing!

On the USB stick, which was stuck in the TV, we found another Christmas movie, which we also watched. Snuggled tightly with Becky in a blanket, I fell asleep halfway through the movie.

"Jaakeee ...!" a voice purred through the crackling fire in my ear.

The smell of coffee rose to my nose. I also heard how someone chanted other names musically. Leah. Marcus. Becky. I blinked a few times, but then I recognized Esmé in front of me, smiling at me. With a jerk, I sat up.

"We fell asleep!" I stated the obvious, startled, and my hands slapped my face. Becky's parents were going to freak out! They had expected their daughter back yesterday.

Becky seemed to come up with the same thing as well and sat bolt upright next to me.

"My parents!" she cursed to herself.

"Don't worry, Becky. Your parents know about it and agreed. Otherwise, we would have found you here last night and woken you up," Esmé gently stroked over her arm.

My Star sighed in relief and let herself fall against my shoulder.

I looked to the other side.

Carlisle was also there and had woken Marcus and Leah, who each already had a cup of coffee in their hands.

I stretched and finally stood up.

"What time is it?" I inquired, removing a cup from Esmé.

"Six in the morning. Enough time to run home," she stated.

"Thank you, Esmé. For the beautiful afternoon and evening among us!" I said honestly and hugged her warmly, which the other three followed me.

"For that, you have Emmett to thank."

"Emmett?" my Star asked, completely perplexed.

I was, but I was still busy coughing after choking about that little shock. My little sis also looked dumbfounded and Marcus turned to Esmé in confusion.

"Yes ... Emmett," Carlisle confirmed. "The idea of the Advent calendar for all of you had been around for a few days, and everyone contributed something in the way of ideas. This one came from Emmett."

"Emmett?" I asked again, coughing.

"Emmett Stone. Big, bearish, always has a dumb line in patter ..." Leah wanted to define more precisely.

"... addicted to betting, direct, carefree?" completed Marcus.

Esmé smiled, nodding.

"As hard as its shell, so gentle is its core!"

I just took note of it like that now.

We drank up and Esmé commanded us to leave for home already instead of helping clean up so we wouldn't be late for school. We thanked her again and started running.

At shortly after half past six we arrived at the house.

Becky and Marcus were already running out the front of the garage while Leah and I were still getting dressed. When we stepped outside not two minutes later, we were taken aback. The two of them were standing a little way down the driveway, looking nonplussed at the house.

"Did you see a ghost?" I inquired and went to them.

My jaw dropped as I followed her gaze.

"What the ..." Leah started to say and her hands clapped against her astonished mouth.

"That's ..." I mumbled, but somehow wouldn't think of words to express it.

"It looks ..." Becky tried, but also broke off in mid-sentence.

"This is awesome!" is how Marcus summed it up.

That hit the spot quite well. Our entire house looked like it had fallen into Christmas decorations. At first glance, it looked quite cluttered and should probably be the sensation of the whole street. Nevertheless, it was also tasteful and coherent. Kitschy, but somehow in an inexplicable way discreet. This one clearly bore Alice's signature!

"And are we going to lock Mom in the house until Christmas, so she doesn't go crazy?" I asked dryly after a while, unable to take my eyes off all the lights.

"I don't see what other choice we have. I don't think there's any way she could overlook this at all," Leah reflected.

Still a little in shock, we then went into the house.

It didn't look like anyone had been downstairs. So, I turned on the coffee machine.

Buns also lay nowhere, but somehow the smell of something burnt hung faintly in the air.

We went upstairs and stood indecisively outside Mom's bedroom door.

Two seconds.

Then we hastily withdrew.

Sometimes these supernatural wolf senses were already annoying. That was some moaning around in there! It's unbearable! How could Edward stand it in our presence at all?

Chuckling, I went into the bathroom and undressed first myself and then Becky. But we hurried with the shower.

She had her period, during which we abstained from sex. She felt it was disgusting when she bled. I didn't have a specific view on it, since I had never done it before, but was actually curious if it would be different somehow. But I would in no way persuade her to do something that made her uncomfortable.

Since I couldn't catch a cold, I drove to the bakery with my hair still wet so we wouldn't starve.

And they call themselves parents!

Afterwards we sat at the table and had breakfast.

I should probably specify that we youngsters were having breakfast! Mom and Dad sat close together, facing each other on two chairs. Not a second passed without them touching each other. Hands were caressed. Small tender kisses spread over the skin. Smiled in love. Tickled each others hair. Chuckled looking into each other's eyes. They both looked completely out of it. As if they were high!

A few minutes ago, Dad had asked with interest how our afternoon had been. Then Mom had arrived at the table.

That nobody said anything more was probably not noticed by either of them.

"Becky is pregnant and I'm quitting school!" I said clearly. No response. I had noticed right away that the two of them were no longer listening.

Leah and I looked at each other, chuckling.

Basically, we liked seeing our parents like this, but everything had its limits, as we all know. After all, we were the teenagers here, not the two of them!

"I accidentally destroyed Esmé!" she joined in on my attempt.

"I wrecked the BMW!" Becky said.

"I proposed to Leah and we're eloping in Vegas!" contributed Marcus as well.

"That's nice!" said Dad, without looking away from Mom, and kissed her.

Thank you for reading!