Author's Note: I realized I love Emmett. He's like everybody's best friend.

They Wager

Jacob waited in the forest.

Edward knew he was there.

He also knew that any time now, Jacob would give up and head back to the reserve. And Edward knew it would be best to let him go, forget the Plan, go back to their not-so-subtly tense relationship from before their regular rendezvous.

So of course he stepped into the clearing.

Jacob opened his eyes and looked up at the vampire. He had been sitting at the base of a tree, tired of pacing the area for the past few hours. He tried and failed to keep his face blank, a skill Edward had perfected and implemented as Jacob noticed Emmett a few paces behind Edward.

Why the fuck did he bring the big one?

…Oh hell, he's gonna kick my ass for kissing him.

It's better than having Bella find out.

Or anyone, for that matter.

But he's almost as big as me!

Jacob moved until his back hit the tree, which jarred him into action; he lowered himself to a tense, crouched position, ready to spring, letting loose a growl at the idea that he was preparing to fight for his life.

Emmett, having no idea how unsettled he made Jacob, grinned and moved into his own position to strike - or tried to, until Edward held his shoulder and shook his head slightly. Sulkily standing upright again, he crossed his arms over his chest. Fine. I'm waiting over there then. Call me when it's my turn.

"You can relax now," Edward offered as Emmett disappeared through the trees.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Jacob blurted, still crouched in preparation for the fight he knew would happen, because sure, even if the big one was gone for now, the never met without fighting, except for that last time - ooh, that was nice, even if now Jacob feared for his life -

"This isn't how it works," he said aloud, though Edward knew Jacob was referring to both his uncontrolled mental train and the situation at hand.

"I know it's not," Edward began patiently, keeping his voice even, his hands within the wolf's sight at all times, and, most importantly, keeping his distance. "I have a proposition to make."

Jacob began to straighten slowly, curiosity finally winning out. "What are you talking about?"

Edward turned away from the boy, listening to the splashes created by Emmett swimming in the nearby lake. He had to be careful with his wording, he knew this when they left the house, but he could never think properly when he was around the wolf. He never had to. Fighting was a natural instinct for him, for a predator. This was different… he figured because, simply put, it was a form of manipulation.

He faced Jacob after a moment, long enough for the boy to raise an eyebrow expectantly. It didn't matter. Edward was cunning enough to get through this as easily as any of their fights.

"I was thinking, what if this - what we do - wasn't just about winning a fight. How about, from now on, the winner earns something from the loser."

Jacob snorted. "What, like betting? As if I need any of your money."

"No, not betting money," Edward said simply, waiting for the boy to start to figure it out on his own. "Nothing material. More like… favors."

Lucky for him, the wolf wasn't as slow as he usually seemed. His face flushed, his cock gave a small twitch, and Edward could hear the denial Jacob prepared to blurt, the promises he wanted to extract, the wagers he was already planning to make.

"But just like during the fights," Edward cut him off, "The only rule is that we stop when either of us says so."

He could hear the wolf's heartbeat quicken further.

He moved closer to Jacob, who was already so close to the tree behind him, he had no where else to go. He narrowed his eyes and held his ground as Edward leaned in slightly. "The winner gets anything within reason. No backing down. Can you handle that?"

Jacob gulped and stared down at Edward, his breath coming a little heavier than usual. Yes, yes, yes- But what about-

"And the other one?" Jacob said nodding towards the lake. "Does he know about-?"

"He does." Edward saw his shoulders tighten slightly at the response, but the relaxed just as quickly.

"Why's he here?"

He cocked his head and replied readily. "Just to make sure things stay fair."

"Right…"

Edward smirked at the dubious expression on Jacob's face. "Are you backing out?" he asked as he straightened again, knowing the answer.

"Hell no. I just think you should get him out of the river to start refereeing, don't you?"

With a nod, Edward turned towards the break in the trees Emmett had disappeared through, listening as, behind him, Jacob shucked his shorts in preparation for his change. He forced himself not to look back, knowing that soon enough, he'd have that flesh under him - and he could do anything - he - wanted.

He almost didn't notice that he reached the lake without the slightest sign of Emmett. Just before his shoes stepped into the wet bank, he heard the familiar stifled moan coming from, of all places, up a tree.

You guys are so fucking hot, you have no idea, oh god, fuck yes - and he was coming, dropping some of his seed into the flora below, just missing Edward.

"What are you doing?" he hissed lowly as the larger vampire tucked himself in leisurely, jumping to the ground with a satiated grin on his face.

They started walking back to the clearing even as he answered mentally, What? I couldn't see you guys well enough from the ground, and, obviously I'm not getting any from him today, so I just took what I could get. You should really see yourself with him sometime.

They reached Jacob before Edward could ponder on those words.

"Alright, you two," Emmett said easily, as if he was setting up a friendly competition between two friends, "How about for today, we start off easy? The first one to pin the other wins." His hands were open as he turned his head between Edward and Jacob, as if open to any arguments to those conditions. Getting none, he shrugged and put his hands in his pocket. "Cool."

Edward couldn't help giving him a quick look of fondness before tuning out everything but the low form of the wolf before him. They wasted no time; they were in their element now, with the thick trees surrounding them, trapping them together, and their growls and grunts spurring each other on fiercely. For every one of Edward's strikes, the wolf ebbed away like water and surged forward like fire at the next opening. And maybe it was thoughts of what was to come, or Emmett's proximity, or just shit luck, but Edward found himself pinned to the earth under the heaving wolf in what seemed like seconds, though the tears in his clothes and mud on his shoes begged to differ.

Jacob changed back over Edward and stayed there. It was strange, how Jacob didn't immediately roll off him as usual, but it was so good to feel him there, a heavy weight on him, hot and wanting though he only asked coolly, "Anything I want, right?"

Somewhere above them, Emmett answered, "The winnings can't be more intense than the fight."

Instead of scoffing and vocalizing the though, What's that supposed to mean? he nodded and leaned his head closer to Edward.

I want - like before - like that again.

Edward only barely kept from rolling his eyes. He contemplated making Jacob say it aloud, even though the request was tangible enough in his mind, though pointedly lacking at the same time, but he wasn't so cruel, not when he wanted it as badly himself.

He pulled one arm free from Jacob's hold and reached the back of his neck, fingering the hair there for only a second before pulling the boy's head down so their lips could finally meet again. The result was instantaneous; in a mimicry of their fight, they immediately dove into each other, Jacob tilting his head to deepen the kiss (God, his tongue, was his this good with it last time?) and he moaned and moved even closer and Edward freeing his other hand to grab the sharp hip above his, tugging down so there could be another conjoint point - "like before" - but Emmett called out, "Okay, I think that's enough of a prize for that fight."

Edward was ready to snap at Emmett, ready to spare him a rough dismissal before continuing with the proceedings, but Jacob had already recoiled and stumbled away to get his shorts, so he just stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes as best he could as if he wasn't harder than he could ever remember being. He turned himself slightly away from Jacob (though he couldn't not know what was going on) and looked at Emmett to see the man with his arms crossed, smiling in a way that revealed how he knew exactly what he stopped.

Hearing Jacob zip up, Edward almost turned to ask him, "Next week?" in his eagerness to get a repeat of today, but they had to keep this, just this one meaningless thing the same so they could pretend it was what it always was, a heated impersonal exchange.

But it didn't matter, because Jacob would always come back to this spot.

Edward would always know, and he would always come.