Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of Twilight's characters. All characters and themes referenced belong to Stephenie Meyer. Any quotations are purely for reference and are in no way an attempt at any copyright infringement. I own nothing except my own plot line and characters you may not recognize.
 

Synopsis: A teenage boy stumbles onto Edward's eradication of Victoria, witnessing more than a human should ever know. Jane forces Edward to kill the boy, and in doing so, his desire for human blood is awakened and becomes nearly impossible to control.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Life's a little hectic these days. I also apologize for the short length of it, but I didn't want to leave you hanging for much longer and it's the most I could get out. On another note, here's a little something different in this chapter; an Alice POV! ;) Another thing, I'm having trouble posting my story here the way I want it, so from now on I'm simply linking to it on fanfiction.net. Enjoy!

It was violent... It was bloody... It was awful... and I couldn't allow it to happen.

Title: Gift Exchange

Author: kalejay 

Characters/Pairing: Edward/Bella

Rating: PG-13

Category: Fluff, romance, hint of smut

Spoilers: Breaking Dawn

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing.

Summary: What exactly do vampires give each other for Christmas? Edward creates something for Bella that she can't possibly resist.

 I wrote this for the December lion_lamb fanfic contest. Hope you all enjoy it :)
 

Gift Exchange

It was Christmas time again. The snow had been falling gently for hours. Standing by the bedroom window, I watched the ivory flakes dance to the ground, as if in slow-motion. A sparrow landed on the windowsill and hopped across the length of it, its tracks disrupting the perfect white blanket, reminding me of fork-edge pie crust. 

The family had left to go hunting hours ago, leaving Edward and I alone in the big house. A comforted smile graced my lips before I even felt his arms encircle me. Bringing my hands upward, I held his forearm against my collarbone and gazed at his reflection in the window as he pulled me tenderly backward into his chest. The young sparrow flew off, kicking up a small cloud of white in its wake.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward whispered curiously before kissing the hollow behind my ear.

The softness of my smile widened into a grin. "I love that I'm the only one you ever have to ask that question to."

He poked me gently in the ribs, playfully coaxing me to answer his question.

With a sigh, I lifted my hand back and rested my palm against the back of his neck. His lips continued to dance along my flesh… and I started humming instead.

“That’s your lullaby,” Edward said, his lips barely leaving my skin as he spoke. I could feel him smile against me. 

Turning me around in his arms until his chest was pressed up against mine, he lifted my chin upward with his index finger and gently kissed my forehead. “Would you like me to play it for you, my love?” he crooned.

If my heart still had the ability to beat it would have crashed through my chest.

“Always,” I replied, genuinely eager. Of course I was more than happy just looking up into his honey-ochre depths. I could never tire of hearing him play my song.

Taking my hand, he silently lead me downstairs to the living room. He took a seat at the grand piano and tapped the bench beside himself, inviting me to sit by his side.

As he began to play, my eyebrows immediately drew together in a pinch. The song he was playing definitely wasn’t my lullaby, but I said nothing. This new song that Edward was playing was too beautiful to interrupt, and slowly, my features relaxed as I was swept  up into the soft magical melody.

After the first few stanzas, Edward peered at me from the corner of his eye and grinned playfully when he knew that I was on to him. His long slender fingers danced gracefully along the keys and I could not tear my gaze away from the beauty he created with them.  

The world around us seemed to disappear as he continued with his cadenza. Nothing existed but Edward, myself and the music that encompassed us. I felt his love for me translating through his music, and just as it had done with my lullaby, my heart swelled monumentally. 

I smiled at the evanescence of the final notes, watching his fingers as they lingered motionless on the keys until silence claimed the room again. I slid closer to him on the bench, slipping my right arm around his waist, and glided my left hand on top of his, threading my fingers between them.

He turned his head toward mine and smiled sheepishly.

“That was...” I shook my head, searching my mind for the perfect word to describe the elegance that Edward had played.

“…not your song?” Edward suggested with a grin.

I laughed once. “Well, no, but what I was going to say was… ‘beautiful’.”  I grimmaced, not satisfied with my selected choice, for it was certainly inadequate. I could only pray for eloquence that was comparable to his musical talent. 

He beamed. “I wrote it for you for Christmas. Did you enjoy it?”

My dear Edward… knowing I was always more comfortable with gifts that didn't have several zeroes at the end of its value. With a small nod, I turned his hand over, brought it to my lips and kissed the center of his palm. “I love what these hands can do,” I smiled suggestively and leaned into him to taste his lips.

I swung my left leg over his lap, and sat on his thighs. The heels of my palms crashed down behind me on the clavier on either side of my body, sounding a mele of random bass and treble notes.

He licked his lips and nudged the bridge of his nose underneath my chin, coaxing it upward so he had access to my throat. I let out a drawn-out sigh as his lips pressed softly against the column of my neck.

“I wish I knew you were planning of giving me my gift today,” I purred, hitching my leg around his waist. “I would have liked to give you one in return.”

“Mm, I know something you can give me,” he growled playfully against my neck. His fingers raked upward along the outside of my thigh, creeping under the hem of my skirt.

I quivered and inadvertantly sounded another few notes with my palms along with the pleasurable gasp that issued from my lips.

“Why don’t we go back home to continue this little gift exchange,”  I said, turning my head back toward the window, sensing the return of the hunting party. “I’ve had plenty of Emmett’s little comments about our… intimacy.” I had cleared my throat and whispered the last word, making Edward chuckle. However, his hand continued to creep upward until I stilled it against my hip when his fingers hooked into my panties. I gave him a cheeky warning gaze.

“Alright, Bella. Alright.”

He began to back away but I balled the front of his shirt in my fist, pulling him close against me again, and brought my lips to his ear.

“Oh, and you might want to ask Alice for a new wardrobe for Christmas, because I plan on tearing every inch of fabric from your body until all that is left are mangled lengths of thread,” I whispered, tightening my grasp until an audible rip sounded, unraveling the seam at his collar.

The corner of his mouth ticked up slowly into the crooked smile that makes me wild.

“I love how you think.”