A Fresh Start

The Christmas Ball

Author's Note: I own nothing. I just like to play with the characters that were created by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Also, thank you for those of who have commented and offered well-wishes in my difficult time. It means a lot to me. Writing these stories has been my strength (as silly as that sounds) and has grounded me.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me. More than you can imagine. These stories (this one in particular) are my babies and I adore the reviews and comments I receive. Much, much love to ALL of you!

Chapter 29: The Christmas Ball

School seemed to move in slow motion. The day before winter break dragged on forever and ever and ever. The kids were downright crazy and the teachers were as equally as ready for the two weeks off. Thank goodness. Edward was working insane hours. He was edgy and cranky. Not that I blamed him. I would be edgy and cranky if I had to work the hours he did. The reasoning behind his schedule was so we could have Christmas and New Year's together. Christmas Eve was going to be spent with Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett; Christmas Day was with Edward's family. He also surprised me with tickets to Seattle to visit my dad the day after Christmas. We were staying there through New Year's Day. Edward dropped that bombshell on me when we were waiting for my new car to be spiffed up.

As we sat in a sushi restaurant near the Audi dealership, Edward grinned at me sweetly. "I have a surprise for you, love."

"Oh, like the silver Audi you're buying me," I said wryly.

"Alice told me you loved her car," Edward said with a crooked smirk.

"It's great for her. But she's pregnant," I reasoned.

"Bella, the beast prevented you from having more serious injuries. While you were unconscious, I made a vow that I was going to buy you a tank. I got you the next best thing," he said, arching a perfect brow.

"I'm surprised you're not getting it reinforced with titanium," I snorted.

"Why do you think we're out to eat? The titanium is being installed as we speak," he laughed. His laughter filled the restaurant but quickly sobered. "Your safety is of utmost importance to me, Bella. I don't know if you understand what I felt when I saw that police officer on my door step. I thought I lost you. My heart has been through the wringer with losing my parents and then Tanya. I will not survive if I lost you, too. I went to a very dark place while I was driving to Craven. I came back when I saw that you were okay. Well, relatively. I'm sorry if my protectiveness is disconcerting, but I just can't lose you. I love you too much." Edward's eyes dropped to the cherry wood table and he fumbled with his fingers. A few tears fell down his cheeks and he hastily wiped them away. "You are my life, Bella. I was just a shell of a man before I met you. You've given me the greatest gift in being with me."

I got up and sat with Edward in his seat. "Edward, I know you have been through extraordinary amounts of pain, both physical and emotional. However, I'm never leaving you. It's going to take a lot more than a psycho ex-husband to take me away from you," I said. I kissed Edward's forehead but pulled away. "I'm afraid of losing you, too. In all of my life, I've never felt what I've felt with you. You are so...so...I can't even describe it. So loving. So compassionate. So intelligent. So gentle. So patient. I've never met a man like you, ever. I'm surprised that you chose to be with me. But, I'm glad and so proud to be with you. I love you. The depth of my feelings for you is far-reaching. I literally ache when I'm not with you. I feel like half of my soul is missing when we're not together."