The Christmas Wish

By Monocracy

PG-13

Edward/Bella

Summery: Inspired by The Velveteen Rabbit and Our Town. Edward makes a wish without realizing the consequences.

Spoilers and Author's Notes: No spoilers – This is written as close to canon as I can manage while taking into account the fact that Bella never actually shared a Christmas with Edward while in high school. If this were canon, it would take place pre-engagement and post New Moon (Edward leaving notwithstanding) so one can recognize the stage of Edward and Bella's relationship. I've taken some artistic liberties, as Bella's humanity is crucial. This story is meant to be light-hearted and taken with a grain of salt..

Oh, and I don't own the title or rights to Twilight. Or The Velveteen Rabbit. Or Our Town. Right. As you were.

Saturday, December 18th, 9:02 AM

Bella woke up feeling unusually warm. She adjusted her position to accommodate the familiar weight of Edward's arm draped over her stomach. Normally he didn't hold her like that for the entire night, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. She inched her body closer to Edward's and nestled into his chest. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

9:02 AM

"Crap!" In her haste to get up, Bella got tangled in her blankets and fell off the bed. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, rubbing the side of her head that hit the edge of her nightstand. "Edward," She scrambled to get up, tripping more than once in the process, and blinked owlishly. "Why didn't you wake me up? You know we have to meet your family at 9:30. I still have to take a shower and eat breakfast and…."

Bella trailed off looking at the motionless lump on her bed. She scratched her head and frowned. Edward must have climbed under the covers with her sometime during that night, which was highly unusual. The remaining sheet on the bed was draped over his body, and the only sign he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest. A few bronze tufts of hair were sticking out from under the sheet, and looked unusually untidy--especially for Edward. "Edward?" she whispered hesitantly. A growing feeling of unease spread through her and she reached out to touch the still body. She tugged the sheet down and touched the flesh of his forearm. She gasped when she felt not the hard coolness she was expecting, but soft warmth. "Edward!" Bella's voice edged on hysteric and she shook her boyfriend's sleeping form.

"Bells? Is everything okay, sweetie?" Bella froze as she heard her father start to open her bedroom door. She could have kicked herself for being so thoughtless in forgetting Charlie's presence.

She leapt to her feet and threw her blankets over the Edward-shaped bump on the bed. "I'm fine, Dad!" She ran to the door to prevent her father from coming in. "I'll be out in a minute, okay? I'm not decent yet."

The door stopped opening, but Charlie's hesitation was near palpable through the door. "Are you sure? I thought I heard you fall and call out Edward's name."

Bella resisted the urge to knock her head into the wall. Out of all Saturdays, why did Charlie choose this Saturday to take the afternoon shift? "I was talking to him on the phone, Dad, and tripped over my blankets. Edward started laughing at me so I was yelling at him to stop." She heard Charlie's chuckle and knew he had bought her story.

"Alright, honey. Are you and the Cullen's still going Christmas shopping today?"

Bella looked over at her bed and saw her now-awake boyfriend looking at her rather alarmed. "Yes…erm…" Bella paused as Edward started poking at his arm and pulling at the creamy flesh. His face was a cross between incredulous shock and disbelief. "I mean, I think so." She paused again when Edward looked up at her and mouthed How am I going to get out of here? Bella's felt adrenaline course through her veins and her heart pound. "Yes," she said again, with more conviction this time. "They should be here to pick me up at 9:30." The alarm on Edward's face returned. What? He mouthed furiously. Bella frowned and mouthed back, What was I supposed to say? Edward returned the frown but didn't respond. Bella closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to return her calm.

She could hear Charlie digging in his pocket and dreaded the coming question. "Do you need any money?" She heard the rustling of bills.

Bella rolled her eyes. Money was the last thing on her mind at the present moment. "No thank you, Dad, I'm fine. Actually, if you don't mind, I really need to start getting ready. I accidentally slept in and Alice is going to be here in twenty minutes. I still have to shower, eat breakfast, and all that jazz. I'll see you downstairs, okay?"

"Okay, Bell. I'll see you downstairs." She heard Charlie's retreating footsteps and rushed to the side of her bed. Her boyfriend's startled eyes – green eyes – scared her. "Edward, what…how…" she trailed off and took his warm face between her hands. "Edward?" she whispered.

"I need to call Carlisle." His voice was quiet, and cracked slightly. Bella nodded mutely and handed him her mobile. Before he could start dialing, the phone came to life and started vibrating in his hand. "Carlisle," he said simply as he flipped the device open.

Friday, December 17th, 10:43 PM

Bella's head rested in Edward's lap, as he sat and read her new copy of The Historian. She herself was reading an old, tattered copy of The Velveteen Rabbit. Edward was looking at Bella as much as he was the text on his page. She was entirely engrossed in what she was reading—a children's book by the looks of it. Edward was puzzled as to why Bella would be so absorbed in a children's book and finally broke the silence to ask. "Why are you reading a children's book?"

Bella frowned. She closed her book, marking the page with her finger, and arched her neck to look up at her boyfriend. "This children's book happens to be my favorite thing to read during the holiday season," Bella snapped.

Edward's eyes widened slightly, not realizing he had stepped in quicksand, and quickly backtracked. "I wasn't criticizing your choice of reading, love, I was merely curious as to the appeal it obviously holds for you. It's looks well read, judging by the state the cover is in, so I was simply curious as to why."

Bella's face softened, and she looked at the jacket of the book fondly. "Renee used to read this to me when I was a child. I loved the story so much that it sort of became a Christmas tradition. I read it every year when Christmas comes around. It's one of the few things of the season I look forward to."

Edward frowned slightly at Bella's last sentence, but let it pass. She would tell him in due time. "What is it about?"

Bella sat up and looked at her boyfriend curiously. "You've not read it?"

Edward's brow furrowed. "No," he said warily. "Should I have?"

"No," she said quickly. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I thought this story was around when you were a kid."

Edward shook his head. "If it was, I don't remember it. I think the first time I ever noticed it was in the eighties; department stores were using it as their Christmas mascot, so I steered clear. When was it published?"

Bella removed her finger placeholder and looked at the copyright page. "1922."

"I just missed it, then." Edward smiled with chagrin.

"Would you like to read it?" Bella asked, ready to hand the book over.

"No, I want you to read it to me like Renee would you." Edward's eyes sparkled and he shamelessly used his abilities to persuade her.

Bella's answering smile warmed his heart. "Okay," she said quietly.

oOo

Over the next hour, he let her sweet, melodic voice wash over him as she read her favorite Christmas tale. When she was finished, she placed the book in her lap, held his face in her hands, and kissed him gently on the lips. "Perhaps now you understand why to me, you are very much alive."

Edward closed his eyes and smiled. He took her hands from his face and placed them on his chest where his heart should be. "Because of your love, I have never felt more alive." He held on to her hands, reveling in her warmth. Her heartbeat was steady and strong, and a rhythmic comfort to him. "But I wish more than anything that I could be real, for you." He took a deep breath and sighed. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Bella's eyes glossy with unshed tears. He cupped her face with his palms and stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "What's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you."

"Edward," her voice was barely a whisper. Nevertheless, it was loud and clear to him and laced with more than a little pain, "you are real."

He smiled sadly. "I mean alive. Human. Warm. Normal."

Bella shook her head furiously. "No! I love you just the way you are. To me, you are perfect."

"Perfect without a heart?" he retorted quickly.

"What difference does it make when it is your soul that matters?" The unconcealed love shining in her eyes cut at him. He opened his mouth to respond, but her warm finger pressed against his lips silencing him. "I'm not in the mood to debate the state of your soul tonight. I only want you to understand that I love you just the way you are."

Edward sighed, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. "I know you do, and you have no idea what that means to me. All I am saying is that when I kiss you, I don't want to be afraid of accidentally cutting you with my teeth. When I hold you, I don't want to be thinking about trying not to crush you. When I put my arms around you, I want you to feel warmth, not a block of ice. When I'm with you, I want to smell you, not your blood." He gathered Bella in his arms and cradled her close. "And most important of all, I don't want to turn you into a monster to be my equal," he whispered finally.

Bella kissed his jaw and worked her way to his lips. "I won't pretend I understand, because I don't. Nevertheless, I do understand your wish to be something more than you are. Believe it or not, that is a desire is human." She reached up to kiss his forehead. "You are more human than you give yourself credit for, love. Your heart might not be beating and there might not be blood in your veins but you are alive and here with me, and tonight, that's all that matters."

If Edward had a beating heart, it would have swelled with joy from her words. He plucked the book from her lap and placed it gently on her nightstand. "I think that's enough reading for tonight, don't you? Charlie's already asleep and you should be too. After all, you get to endure—I mean spend—the day with my crazy family carting you around Seattle tomorrow, so you're going to need all the energy you have." He lit a tea candle on her nightstand and turned the lamp off.

She giggled and snuggled closer to him. He reveled in the feel of her arms wrapped around him and pulled her closer. "Don't you dare tell Alice, but I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow. I honestly don't remember the last time I spent the holidays with actual snow, and I'm excited to see all of the decorations downtown. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a great day." Her eyes were closed, but he could hear the excitement in her voice. He kissed her forehead and inhaled her sweet scent.

"I won't tell her if you won't tell her that I'm excited for tomorrow as well. This is the first holiday I've been excited about in a long long time."

Bella squeezed him gently and responded, her voice muffled in his chest. "Me too," she whispered. Her breathing started evening out and he could hear her heartbeat slow as she slipped into sleep.

"Dream sweet, my beautiful fairy," he murmured soft enough not to be heard. He watched the light from the candle dance on her creamy skin and hair and yearned to trace the patterns of light on her skin. In all of his years as a vampire, and perhaps even before, he had never felt warmer. It was almost as if time had slowed and there was nothing else in the world. He stayed frozen like that for hours, not moving unless Bella's shifting position required it. As the hours passed, the candle slowly began to flicker out. The light was now fading to a pale blue and it no longer cast a glow on his angel's skin. He considered lighting another candle, selfishly wanting to watch his angel sleep a little bit longer, but decided to let the darkness come. It was something he was used to, and dawn was only a few hours off. He listened to the candle's wick give it's last stand and fizzle into oblivion.

And everything went dark.