I'll be home for Christmas

Chapter 29

Chapter 29 - I'll be home for Christmas

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Thanks to BanSidhe [ruadh sidhe] and Feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading.

Bella woke up, stretched, rolled and reached out for Josh to find the bed empty. A glance around confirmed the cabin was empty too. She got dressed quickly and found a note from Josh stuck to the lamp. 'Pack meeting w Jake'.

He didn't say where the meeting was but she felt as if she could find him anyway; some kind of sixth sense - perhaps from the imprint. She headed towards Jake's place and found a few of the pack in the backyard.

"Hey Bells," Jake called. "We're just running through some ideas with the ones who haven't got anywhere else to be."

That appeared to be Seth, Embry and Quil.

"Seth didn't see anything on patrol and the oldies are off running about now," Jake added.

"Man, they are funny," Seth commented.

"Crashing around in the forest," Quil noted. "They'll scare everything away for miles around."

Embry smiled. "They are pretty amusing."

Bella stood next to Josh and mock pouted. "You left me."

"You were asleep." He kissed her and her arms closed around his waist to pull him closer. His hands ran down her hair and he leaned in to whisper in her ear what he wanted to do to her later when she was awake.

She chuckled throatily.

A small boy ran towards them, his little chubby legs pounding the ground. "Gran'pa awake!" he shouted.

"Hey, Nate." Josh picked him up and swung him around in the air. The small child roared with laughter.

Sam followed him and he and Josh greeted each other. Josh shifted Nate to sit him on his hip before he turned to introduce Nate to Bella. "Nate this is…" he stopped.

"Bella," Sam said.

"Izzy," Josh said.

Nate frowned at her, momentarily confused by the different names. But he noticed that Josh had his arm around her and he had clearly seen them kissing. "Gran'ma?" he asked. He leaned sideways to look at her.

Sam snorted.

Jake guffawed.

Bella looked non plussed and then she got it together. "Hi Nate." She shook his hand solemnly.

"He knows that grandmas and grandpas go together," Sam tried to explain.

Jake continued to laugh.

"What?" she hissed at him.

"He's three. You don't shake his hand."

"Oh." She brushed her hand down her clothing, clearly annoyed with Jake. "It's never too early to learn good manners."

Jake laughed so hard Bella thought he might break something.

Josh was looking at her with a look on his face as if she had just done the most adorable thing ever and he loved her even more.

"I'm not good with kids," she blustered. "And I am younger than Sam so I can't be his grandma."

"Right," said Seth. "Even if you are totally with his grandpa."