"I found a demon in my safest heaven"

I was outside, sitting on the school bench waiting for Edward to pick me up. Snow was swirling around me, big flakes landing on my head and entangling in my hair. I flicked my phone open, and looked at the time: 3:54pm. School had finished almost an hour ago, and Edward told me he’d be here on time. For some reason, when he picked me up at home that morning, he’d told me he was skipping his classes. 

I had that feeling he was planning something. Alice had been absent today as well, and the rest of the Cullens avoided me all day. Those vampires surely knew how to make a girl feel needed!

Nah. I was a little upset at that moment, but they were all terribly important to me; they were my family.

Since it was the last day of school before the Christmas break, nobody had stayed after class. Jessica had offered to stay and wait with me, but I knew she was anxious to get ready for her trip to California. I declined her offer, telling her that Edward was never late and that he’d probably be there at any moment. So much for punctuality.

Here I was, sitting outside, in the cold December air, silently cursing Edward for taking so long. I was shivering – I would never get used to the weather in Forks – and tears were pricking at my eyes, threatening to fall. Great! I was not sad; they were more like desperation tears. But as soon as the first one rolled on my cheek, a thought hit me, and I felt terrible. I swiped it away and started pacing. What if something had happened to him? What if Victoria or the Volturi had gotten to him? I started to walk. I don’t know where I thought I’d be going, but when I realized that the sidewalks were icy, I thought it’d be better to just sit still, and wait. Three more steps and I’d be on my butt, leg broken, with a sprained wrist and a serious concussion.

I was pacing in front of the school when, a few minutes later, I heard a car coming at full speed into the parking lot.

I turned my head, and saw my boyfriend’s shiny silver Volvo racing in my direction. Putting my pouting face on, I walked to meet him.

“Bella, I’m so sorry, love!” Edward apologized. “I lost track of time, doing that thing, and... I’m just so sorry.”

So, nothing bad had happened. Edward had actually forgotten me. I was a little offended or upset, but at the same time I found the situation quite amusing. For once, Edward was human. Deciding to play him a little, I yelled,

“How could you leave me here, waiting outside for over an hour, Edward? It’s fucking freezing, I’m all wet. I could get pneumonia! How could you forget me?” 

Ok, maybe it was a little too much. He was really feeling guilty, and starting to feel bad myself, I started to laugh. He looked at me, utter confusion on his face.

“Bella... I. I didn’t forget you, I just thought…” He stopped mid-sentence when he realized I was playing with him. “You’re not really mad, are you?” he asked smiling.

“No, I’m not,” I giggled. Without leaving him time to say anything else, I opened the passenger door, and got inside the car.

+++

We rode in silence, hand in hand. We didn’t need to say anything. That’s what I loved about being with Edward. Silence was never uncomfortable.

When we got to his house, he didn’t get out of the car. He looked at me and smiled, then he leaned in and kissed me. That was a first. Edward didn’t usually do that kind of thing. He never took the initiative; scared that he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Afraid that he’d do more than just kiss me.

When we parted, he took a deep breath, “I have a surprise for you, darling. It’s nothing special, but since you’re going to be with Renée for Christmas, I thought we could celebrate it a little early.”

My heart skipped a beat. Sometimes, Edward was too sweet for words.

“I knew you were planning something,” I told him all smiles. I was excited at the idea of him planning a little Christmas for me. Edward always made me feel like I was the most special girl in the universe, like when I was with him, I was his only priority. I was his princess and he was my prince.

He got out of the car and before I could blink he was opening my door. I would never get used to that.

We walked silently to his house. My heart was racing, anticipating what was going to happen next. Knowing Edward it would be something sweet and romantic, mixed with a little magical touch. We were greeted by both Esme and Alice. The latter of the two had a huge idiotic smile plastered on her face.

“Hello, Bella. I hope the last day of school was very pleasant,” Edward’s mother told me.

I simply smiled and nodded. “It was alright. It would have been a lot better if someone here had showed,” I said looking at my boyfriend.

Esme smiled at me. “Edward worked really hard on something today. I’m sure you two will enjoy it.”

“Esme!” Both Alice and Edward said at the same time. “It’s a surprise! You can’t say things like that!” Alice screamed, a little disappointed. “Now it’s ruined!”

Guilt showed up on the vampires’ mother’s face, and I immediately felt bad.

“It’s okay Esme, really, nothing is ruined. I still have no idea of what Edward has planned,” I let her know, hoping it’d make her feel better. I know surprises weren’t really a part of the vampire life. With Edward reading minds, and Alice being able to see the future, it left little place for unexpected events.

“I still think it’s ruined,” Alice pouted.

I hit her on the arm telling her she was the one ruining the party with her attitude. She immediately changed her mind-set, apologizing to both Esme and myself for being such a grouch. And just like that, she was her crazy self again.

She told them she needed to borrow me for a few minutes, and before either of them had time to answer, Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs.

“We need to get you ready for tonight,” she told me excitedly.

The next hour was pure torture. Alice vampire made me try on at least twenty different outfits before she was satisfied. I was wearing a turquoise dress, the kind I would never have bought for myself. It had a low V cut, and was revealing a lot. Way too much, in my opinion. There was an elastic band right below the bust line, and it made my breasts seem a little fuller. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I was quite satisfied with the result. As much as I hated to admit it, Alice always knew what’d look great on me. The only downside to that outfit was that it was a summer dress, and we were in the middle of December. Cold.

Next on Alice’s Barbie list list was a makeup session. She tried a variety of eye shadows on me, experimented with different ways to use the eyeliner, she even glued fake eyelashes on my eyelids. Sometimes, I really had a feeling she was taking me for a doll. A living doll. Yes, I complained a lot, but I liked it. I never had a big sister; never had anyone to take care of me the way Alice did, and it made me feel... important.

We went downstairs to the kitchen. Esme was cooking something, probably for me, since vampires don’t eat human food. It smelled delicious, roasted chicken with mashed potatoes; my favorite.

+++

We ate pretty much in silence; Alice was admiring her work, Edward was admiring her masterpiece and Esme was studying me, looking to see if what she had cooked was any good. The three vampires seemed satisfied with the nonverbal communication we were engaging in.

After I was done eating, I insisted on helping Esme clean the kitchen; after all, she had gone through all this trouble just for me. She knew better than to argue with me; I never let her win that battle. Besides, call me insane, but I always liked to do the dishes.

Once everything was cleaned, Edward and I went to his bedroom. As per usual, I settled in his bed, waiting for him to sit by my side. Only this time, he went directly to his wardrobe and took out two pairs of ice skates and a long black coat.

He turned to me, a big smile on his face, “I wanted to make this Christmas unforgettable. You’ll still have to wait until December 25^th to get your material present, but tonight, let’s pretend its Christmas Eve.”

I looked at him confused, still not understanding where this was all going. He must have caught my puzzled looked ‘cause he went on, “I know you enjoy ice skating, but you’re afraid to try it again because you broke your arm when you were little... I saw the tapes. I saw how much you liked it before your accident, and tonight, I thought I’d give you the chance to do it again. I promise you, nothing is going to happen to you.”

So many emotions were swirling inside my head. Edward was definitely boyfriend, maybe even husband, material and I was so lucky he chose me.

“I love you,” was all I could muster to say, and he kissed me, whispering I love you too against my lips. He helped me put the coat on, and opened his window.

“Are you ready?” He asked. Like I would say no. Hah. He took me in his arms before whispering Alice. Half a second later, the trees that were forming the way to the lake were all illuminated with little blue and white Christmas lights. Holding me closer, he jumped out of the window, and soon we were flying through the woods, the lights forming a strange halo around us.

Once we got there, Edward put me down, and handed me a pair of ice skates, pressing me to put them on. I was amazed by all he had accomplished in just one single day. I felt suddenly very guilty for feeling angry this afternoon. He had done this all for me. All the trees that I could see from here were lighted up. A very thick layer of polished ice was now covering the lake, and mistletoes were dangling down pretty much everywhere. I couldn’t help but laugh at this. Edward and I looked at each other and said ‘Alice’ at the same time.

We skated hand in hand for a very long time. We raced, but of course with Edward’s super speed, he beat me every time. I did some figures, the ones I still remembered how to. I wasn’t afraid, neither was I feeling clumsy. When Edward was around, I always felt more confident. We skated for a good three hours; we really had a great time. We smiled, laughed; fell on our butts while trying to impress the other. It was great - magic.

I was doing really well, clumsiness wise, when I suddenly wanted to try those figures you see on TV. You know the one where the girl turns on herself, and gets to an almost sitting position before she’s straight again? All of that with one leg up at a 90° angle? I managed to do it, but I never managed to get up again. When I was in that almost sitting position, I fell on my butt and hit my head – not hard, thank god – on the ice. I lay there, on my back, laughing hysterically. It was quite a show, I can tell you. Edward came to me as soon as he could, and looked down at me.

“You okay, Bella? Nothing’s broken, you’re sure? Did you hit your head hard, are you hurting?” He was seriously alarmed, and there I was laughing my ass off. To show him I was alright, I sat up, and raised a hand for him to take and help me on my feet. He did, and once I was standing again, I looked up. I saw the mistletoe was hanging just above us.

Smiling at him, I said, “I’m okay, don’t worry,” and I kissed him. Yes, kissing under mistletoe is a cliché, but nevertheless it’s romantic.

I hadn’t realized I was shivering until Edward pointed it out. We put our boots back on, but this time, I insisted we walk back home. I was in no hurry to finish the evening, cold or not cold. We strolled back home, hand in hand. We talked about my upcoming trip to Philadelphia for Christmas. He promised he’d find a way to come on Christmas day. That made me so happy.

Back at the house, I put my pj’s on and snuggled into bed with a hot chocolate. Edward was sitting by the piano, playing my lullaby. I don’t remember what happened next; I probably fell asleep, but it was the most thoughtful and romantic Christmas someone had ever given me.