Gingerbread Love

Chapter-1: EPOV

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Twilight or its characters do not belong to me. But the plot and this story are properties of Anne Publishing House.

A/N: Hello, my lovelies. I'm sorry for being MIA for such a long time. I had a lot of RL issues to sort through. Thankfully, I'm back, and plan of staying on Ficsville for the foreseeable future. I'm coming to you with not only a long-ass A/N but also a Christmas fic. It's a present from me to all my readers. Let's start our 13 days of Christmas celebration, shall we?

Chapter-1: EPOV

June, 15, 2017

Stepping out of the airport, I take in a deep breath.

The air smells clean; it smells like rain and green and a little musty from the damp clothes from the crowd around me, but most importantly—it doesn't smell of dust, sweat, smoke and gunpowder.

I feel a smile stretch on my lips as the thought hits me.

I'm safe.

For the next six months, I won't have to worry about being shot at, or captured or exploded into unrecognizable pieces. For these months, I won't have to worry about keeping all the men in my platoon safe. No, all I have to worry about is babysitting my little niece in between training new recruits at the nearest base.

Walking a few blocks from the airport, I catch the bus that will take me to the only family I have left—Rose.

The first thing that hits me as I enter my sister's house is the smell of pie baking in the oven. The second is a brunette beauty lounging on the couch.

Before I can take another step inside, the woman pipes up from her seat, "Stop sniffing so hard. Half the taste is in the smell." And then she turns her head toward the hallway and hollers, "Rose, there's some soldier dude here, sniffing up a storm!"

That's when the third thing hits me ... which happens to be my sister.

"Oof! Rose, let me breath," I pretend to be winded out by the force she collided into me, all the while hugging her tight.

Rose offers me one of those I might be younger in age, but I'm wiser than you looks and slaps my arm.

"Ouch! Seriously, baby sis, this is how you great me after a year?"

She glowers at me. "Why didn't you tell me you're coming today? Em took tomorrow off because he wants to go pick you up from the airport."

I grin without an ounce of repentance. "Now he can help me enjoy the sights of our lovely homeland on his day off. It's a great alternative."

She grumbles under her breath before coming to me for one more hug. I hug her back just as tightly. With both our parents passing away just after Rose had graduated from high school, each other was all we had left. Of course I stuck around until Rose was married to my best friend, Emmett, but after that, U.S. Army was everything I know.

"I missed you," Rose whispers to me, her voice sounding wobbly.

"I missed you too, baby sis," I say, trying to not let my emotions get the best of me. I was home for only six months, I wasn't gonna waste it by shedding tears.

Rose moves out of my arms after pinching my cheek like I'm a little kid. "I'm not your baby sis anymore, Popeye."

I wave her off. "Whatever, Rugrat. You're still a baby to me."

As she pokes her tongue out at me, my eyes meet the chocolate brown ones dancing with amusement at our exchange.

Just as Rose is heading back to the kitchen, she says to her, "Bell, in case you didn't get it by now, that big oaf is my brother."

Once it's just us again, I hold out a hand to her. "Hi, I'm ..."

"Popeye, I heard," she nods, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm ..."

"Let me guess." I hold up a finger to interrupt. "Tinker Bell?"

She laughs at my lame joke. And her laughter set off mine too.

After dinner that night, I learn that her name is Isabella Swan, but she prefers to be called Bella.

A/N: This story is pre-written. So you'll get daily updates including on Christmas day.

I'd love to know what you think of this story. So leave me a review with your thoughts?

Thanks for reading.

See you tomorrow.

Love,

Ann