AN- I do not own the characters... they belong to SM.... I only own the belief that many people consider these characters to be very real to them.

I had noticed that the boys had been acting strangely all day. There had been many little conversations taking place amongst different groupings, always just far enough away that none of the occupants of the house could overhear. As good as relations were between Jacob's wolf pack and my vampire family; it was unusual for the different sides to be so communicable. It pricked my interest, particularly in the light of a conversation I had walked in on a few days previously.

Whilst vampire versus wolf boasting was fairly standard, this exchange between Edward and Jacob had become quite intense. They had been jovially razzing each other about who was potentially the better fighter when the memories of the time before my transformation were brought up. Their relationship now was closer than brothers, but then their rivalry had been dangerously intent, with a few occasions almost leading to a genuine fight. "I still think I could have taken you bloodsucker!" Jacob sneered, "You forget we have been taking down your type for generations." "Ah yes, that may be so, but you forget, I know your every move as soon as you think it!" reminded Edward smugly. "Part of the problem with you vamps is that your arrogance blinds you into a false sense of security!" retorted Jacob, he was getting hot under the collar and his hands were trembling. "And wolves are only effective when there's a pack. Not one on one!" smirked Edward. "Wanna make a bet!" Jacob was standing now getting visibly shaky. "Absolutely NOT!" I shouted. All heads in the room, suddenly turned my way, they hadn't realised I was there. "Under no circumstances are you two to ever engage in cross-species fighting! What if either of you lost control for a moment! You'd never forgive yourselves and I would never forgive either of you! Think of Renesmee!" I continued, my voice a few octaves higher than normal. I glared at both of them who were suddenly looking a little sheepish. "I don't want either of you to discuss this again! Am I clear?" I looked from one to the other. "No Bells," replied Jacob, abashed and completely calm now. "Of course love." Edward replied coming over to put his arm around my waist, "We were just mouthing off, of course we would never dream of acting on it!"

I had thought that was the end of it, but today's activities were triggering my intuition to be suspicious. I noticed Emmett and Jasper in a huddle a couple of times, but when I asked them about it they claimed they were just planning when to go hunting next. I asked Alice but she said she couldn't see anything to worry about, but then she couldn't see anything when the wolves were involved, I guess I was overreacting. As the shadows started lengthening, Jake came in to say goodnight to Renesmee, a little earlier than usual. "Why so early tonight?" I asked him. "Oh I promised Billy I would give him a hand with a few things at home," he shrugged, "I've sort of been neglecting him since I've been hanging out here all the time" "Oh sorry Jake," I murmured, immediately feeling guilty for my assumptions, "Is there anything you want us to help out with?" "Nah, just the usual household chores, and it's not worth the agro with Sam to get you guys permission to come visit!" he answered indifferently heading out the door, "Catcha later Nessie... Bells!" A short time later Edward came inside to find me, he leant down to kiss me behind my ear. "Love, the boys and I thought that seeing as Carlisle has to work tonight, we'd all go out to hunt together and leave all you females alone to do girlie stuff for the evening. OK?" he murmured. I stepped back for a moment to catch his eye, "Just hunting with Jazz and Em right?" I asked. His golden gaze hardened just slightly but his face remained relaxed as he replied, "Of course Bella, what else would we be doing?" "Well have fun being all manly together then," I smiled in reply, my intuition was burning but I had no evidence. I reached up to kiss him, "I'll miss you tonight, hurry back to me." His arms encircled my waist and crushed me to him, his lips responded with forceful enthusiasm, abruptly breaking off to whisper in my ear, "As I will miss you, I won't be gone that long." He smiled and then departed swiftly out the back.

I turned, grateful again that I no longer had the capacity to blush, to the other girls and asked, "Well ladies, we have the evening to ourselves, what would we like to do?" Alice and Rose immediately put a fashion show together, Nessie cheered happily, Esme and I just went along with the flow. We had only gotten through our third set of outfits when Leah stalked through the back door in her human form. It was unusual for her to come into the house, it was very unusual for her to be alone, even more unusual for her to be human near us. What wasn't unusual was the very angry look on her face when she was near me. However, this time the anger did not seem to be directed at me, that was most unusual. Nessie instinctively bounded up into my arms. "What's up Leah?" I asked, my former suspicions suddenly returning. "Jacob, my beloved Alpha, that's what!" she grunted, "He alpha'd me to not follow him, and stay here to keep an eye on Nessie, while he and the other boys from the pack went to play!" "He alpha'd you!" I replied incredulously, Jacob hated using his alpha command, he didn't think it was right to impose his will on others. "What is he doing that he doesn't want you to follow?" I asked, getting a lot more suspicious. "Fortunately, he didn't think of commanding me not to tell you," Leah smirked, "He's gone to Rainier field with your boys to fight! I waited until they had started to phase back so Jacob would be less likely to notice I was missing." Rose, Alice and I hissed in unison. "Idiots!" snarled Rose. "They wouldn't!" hissed Alice. "They're fighting!" I shrieked, "Who? Jacob and Edward?" "That's whose up first," growled Leah, "Then Quil plans to match up with Emmett and then Seth and Jasper later!" I was seething, Edward lied to me. "So Edward and Jacob are actually fighting right now?" "Well they were just starting to size each other up when I phased less than a minute ago, they should be into it by now, if it's not already over." Leah confirmed. Nessie was visibly upset, the picture she showed me of her Daddy and her Jacob was layered with worry. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'll make sure the only injuries they get come from me!" I reassured her handing her over to Esme. "Alice?" I turned to my favourite sister with a speculative look, "If I were to decide to go to the field and ask Edward to walk with me oh, a hundred yards or so away from the wolves, and then challenge him to a match, what do you see might be the result?" Alice's face turned from fury to eager anticipation, she closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, "I see a very favourable outcome, particularly if you remember to use what Jasper has taught you. Edward will be landing on his butt!" She laughed and turned to Rose, "you coming?" "I wouldn't miss this for all the Gucci in Paris!" she grinned. I turned to Leah, "I know you don't like hanging around here, but I would really appreciate it if you stayed human until one of us calls Esme to clear it. Then I think you'll want to go wolf and watch!" She grinned hugely and nodded, "I think I can manage that... I wouldn't want to miss the surprise!" Esme cautioned us not to get too agitated but agreed that the boys needed to be stopped and taught a lesson. I had no difficulty at all finding the motivation to shield my two sisters as we headed out the door. "We need to travel quickly," I informed them, "but stay close to me so Edward can't hear you coming!"

We arrived at the clearing in record time, the boys were so caught up in the action that they hadn't noticed the sound of our approach, but we were being careful to move stealthily. I paused a moment to observe the match in front of us. Jacob was circling and lunging at Edward's side in deliberately uneven intervals. Edward had grabbed a handful of Jake's fur a couple of times but was unable to get a hold of him. Jake charged and Edward almost didn't side step in time and was forced to regain his balance while Jake turned. They were growling ferociously at each other every time they launched another attack. I was momentarily mesmerised by the magnificence of Edward's movements. Each time I had seen him fight before I had been human, my eyes could not keep up with the speed and subtlety of the movements. Now my vision was much more acute and I could savour the muscular grace of his actions. I still found it hard to comprehend how my vampire mind had enough room to process so many different things at the same time. Right now I was so angry with both of them I could have spit acid, but I also found the sight of Edward in action so sensually appealing I wanted to tackle him myself. "Ready?" I whispered to my companions, their eyes brightened as they nodded in unison. I let a ferocious snarl rip from my lips as I sped into the middle of the field, positioning myself in between the combatants. "Enough!" I roared. Both of them froze in shock, their faces immediately reflecting their guilt. "What do you think you are doing?" my snarl was loud and had a vicious edge to it. "Bella! I...." Edward reached to put his hand on my shoulder, I snapped at it. "Don't you touch me!" I hissed, "I will speak to you in a moment!" I turned my back on him, trying not to acknowledge the look of shock and pain in his eyes. He deserved to stew for a while. "Jake," I growled, "I would like you to phase now, I would like to talk to you." He glanced toward Edward, I refused to follow his gaze. The saying "cold shoulder" was literal in Edward's direction. "No Jake, I don't want him translating," from the corner of my eye I saw Edward recoil like I had slapped him, "I want to speak to you person to person! And make it quick, my patience is very limited." He huffed in defeat and raced off toward the trees. I glanced toward Rose, she was enjoying the performance immensely, she picked up her phone and dialled Esme. "Seth, I want you to watch this and let your sister know what's going on!" I instructed to the sandy coloured wolf on the edge of the field. Jake returned looking sheepish, I fixed him with a withering stare. "Bells, I'm sorry we were just having a bit of fun..." he was trying to work the reckless lovable Jake angle. "Well your fun has Nessie beside herself right now, she's very upset!" I snarled, stalking toward him, "you have a lot of making up to do to both of us!" He hung his head and his shoulders slumped, he was the very picture of remorse and a very easy target. I smacked him (not as hard as I could, but still hard) in the face. His nose cracked and gushed blood. " Ow! Bella! What the!" he gasped. "THAT was for Leah!" I retorted, "And if you ever alpha command her to do anything so you can deceive me again, I will break more than your nose!" Seth coughed a barking laugh, I gathered Leah was pleased with my brand of justice. I continued, "If you ever pull this kind of stupid stunt again and hurt my daughter, I will ground you for a week." "You can't ground me! You're not my parent." he sneered back starting to get a bit churlish. "No, but I am Renesmee's." I replied icily, "I can and will stop her from seeing you." He shot a frantic look at Edward, again I refused to follow his gaze, "You wouldn't Bella, please, you can't." He was begging now. "Don't tempt me dog! I may not hold grudges but I don't lie or break promises!" I allowed myself to shoot Edward an icy look at that point, his face was frozen in horror. "So, now I suggest you go and apologise to Nessie and Leah! I hope you are good at grovelling, your nose will heal a lot quicker than the wounds your stupid male ego has left!" I was losing steam with Jacob now but I still had one more recipient to vent at. Jake hung his head and turned back toward the house mumbling, "I really am sorry Bells, I was being stupid, I know that." "Yes, you were. On second thoughts, you may want to stay around for a little while longer, this may affect you too." I replied turning to fix my eyes on my husband. Jasper and Emmett, who had been conspicuously quiet until now, both let out a chuckle of anticipation. Rose and Alice rounded on them hissing. The boys were instantly quiet.

Edward was the very model of contrition, his eyes were repentant, his face a mask of discomfort. Again, I was torn by two desires, I was still furious at his betrayal, he had lied to me; but there was a very potent part of me that just wanted to take him in my arms and kiss away the pain in his eyes. My anger won. "You! You... lied...to ... me!" I enunciated every word slowly, fixing him with the most venomous stare I could manage, "you knew how I felt about this, and you went ahead anyway! That's bad enough, but you lied to me!" my voice broke, he flinched. He started toward me trying to apologise but I cut him off, "I don't think I want hear what you have to say. How could I trust anything that comes out of your mouth tonight?" His face was rigid with remorse, his golden eyes intense and pleading. I closed my eyes, I was too furious to acknowledge the hurt I was causing him, I could not allow his beautiful eyes to distract me. "I was thinking of giving Emmett one minute of shield time to teach you a lesson, but as he was in on this little charade, I won't be rewarding him! So I think I would prefer to take you on myself." His face turned to disbelieving shock, he pleaded "Bella, love, you know I can't fight you." "You haven't heard my terms yet." I replied, my voice flat, "If you can pin me down, we all leave this field on good terms, incident forgiven and forgotten. But! If I can pin you, then all the girls and I are going on a three day retreat to the cottage. And no male, wolf or vampire, better set foot on our side of the river or the retreat will be extended. You wanted some male bonding time, well you can have it! I'm sure the boys will enjoy the chance to catch up on their reading. " I heard Jake moan behind me and Em and Jasper's shocked gasps. They all turned to Rose and Alice, who were standing behind me with looks of smug satisfaction. "She's not bluffing!" Alice trilled! All heads turned to Edward, he was staring at me in incredulous disbelief. "So, it's up to you, do you want to check with Jasper to see how determined I am about this?" I smiled, knowing I had already extended my shield to include Jasper, Edward would not hear anything from him. His shocked expression raced from Jasper's face to Rose's and Alice's, he could not hear them either. I raised an eyebrow at him. "But I could hurt you..." he started to protest. I resisted the urge to tell him he already had. "I didn't say you had to try and hurt me, you just have to pin me! You may have speed and experience but you forget, I'm still stronger, you can't hear my thoughts and...." I turned and smiled knowingly at my sister, "I have Alice!" Jake groaned again, Edward's eyes widened and his jaw tightened. I stalked toward him, he did not react. I pushed his chest, he stood his ground but did not retaliate. "C'mon, you wouldn't want to be beaten by your wife in front of the boys now would you!" I taunted, I had been mellowing but now my anger was returning in full measure, why wouldn't he fight! I hissed in frustration, "Is three days away from me and Nessie so easy for you that it's not worth the effort!" His face stiffened, his eyes tightened. "Damn it Edward! Do you want me to hang on to these feelings for three more days! I want you to fight me for me." I whispered when I closed in on him. The others wouldn't hear. "Bella..." his eyes were pools of agony. "Fight for me, I might be as angry as hell but I want you. I won't go back on my word, but I want you to win!" my voice was a broken whisper.

His look of despair changed to determination as he sunk into a crouch. I responded by crouching too. Our audience leaned in with keen interest. I heard Jasper and Emmett taking bets. Neither one wanted to back Edward, Jasper because he never bet against Alice, and Emmett because he thought I had the silent advantage. I remembered Alice's instructions. I knew the first few moves he would make and that would at least give me a head start. It was easy to dodge his first few lunges, and when he did catch hold of my wrist, I wrenched it free with very little effort. The cheering from the sidelines was almost drowned out by the intensity of our focus. Every now and then I would instinctively release a growl, but I tried to control them, this was Edward after all. My training with Jasper and the others was paying off. I somehow managed to pin his arms behind his back for a moment, I took advantage of the closeness to whisper in his ear, my teeth grazing the lobe, "As much as part of me wants to sit you on your tail end for this, I can't ignore the part of me that finds you so stimulating right now." He actually laughed at that before he wrested himself free. It was only moments later he caught me in a headlock, "I know what you mean," he teased, "you are making it so hard for me to concentrate right now." It was easy to break his grip. This was actually becoming fun now. I was relishing the challenge and very much enjoying watching his body move as he tried to restrain me. I was facing him again, waiting for his next attack. Alice sighed happily behind us, "I told her it would be a favourable outcome!" she had seen the change in my decision. I dropped my shield, Edward grinned. I swung my leg out and knocked his feet from under him, he landed on his butt, (as predicted) but he recovered in less than a hundredth of a second and launched himself to tackle me. He pinned me to the ground, this time I did not resist. His lips found mine and I answered his fervent kiss with a ferocity of my own. Jasper and Emmett groaned in unison, Jake cheered, the girls just laughed.

"As agreed. Forgiven and forgotten!" I laughed when he allowed me to speak again, "Jake, I think it's time you went to make amends at home, I know Nessie will be waiting up to see you!" He departed quickly, not even bothering to phase. Seth and Quil trailing behind him. Edward and I were standing now, but he had his arms locked around me in an iron grasp, holding me close. "I need to speak to my wife alone for a moment. Could you guys please excuse us, we'll see you up at the house in a while." The others nodded and ran swiftly together towards home.

Edward turned me to face him, his finger tilting my chin up to his lips. "I am so very sorry for hurting you, I apologise for letting my stupid male pride get in the way of good sense. I am so sorry for breaking the trust you have in me. How can I ever make it up to you?" he whispered, his golden eyes burned with intense sincerity, his voice low and fervent. "I don't know," I replied softly, there was no anger left, "but this is a good start." I raised my lips to meet his, he cradled my face tenderly and kissed me softly. My arms circled his neck, my fingers twined in his hair, his kiss was becoming more urgent. I laughed softly against his mouth and then quicker than a cobra strike, knocked his feet from under him and pinned him to the soft grass. "Knew I could do it!" I chuckled.