*I don't own these characters.

Jacob

BPOV

Edward came in my window that night around eleven. Alice had called earlier, letting me know he went hunting for a couple hours with his brothers. She also told me she had a surprise for me over the coming weekend and I didn't have a clue what it could be.

While waiting for Edward, I tried keeping myself occupied by reading and cleaning...doing anything I could think of to remain in my room. The earlier conversation with my father resulted in an atmosphere of embarrassment on the first floor and my room had become my sanctuary for the evening. Hearing the Chief stumble over the birds and the bees lecture pretty much annihilated any sex drive I had.

Well, it lasted until I saw Edward again.

He was there when I returned from getting ready for bed. His face held a hint of color from a recent feeding as he stood silent by the window. His eyes locked on me, watching me intently. My body's normal reaction to him intensified, the longer he continued his silent staring.

What is he thinking?

My heart beat fast, my breathing shallowed, my face flushed, and my body tingled from his proximity and behavior. He made no movement, the only indication of his mood was the changing color of his eyes. They mesmerized me, changing from light gold to almost black.

I felt a pull inside me; it was as if I needed to be next to him, feel him, breathe him in, just as much as I needed food, water, and air to live. Before I could even complete one step in his direction, he was pressed against me, holding me to him with his arms gripped around my waist.

I gasped from the quickness of his movement, because he usually restrained himself to human speed in my presence. His mouth covered my open lips and I moaned, tasting his sweet tongue sliding against mine. I was so caught up in his insistent kisses that I barely registered he had undressed himself and me, and placed me on the bed.

How did he do that?

His lips left mine and I looked up at him in astonishment, smiling at his mischievous grin. He leaned down, his nose nuzzling the side of my face, and whispered in my ear.

"I believe we were interrupted right in the middle of something earlier. May I continue, my love?"

Speech was not something I was capable of at that moment, and I had to settle for nodding my consent. His lips traveled down slowly, generously giving attention to my body all along their path. His hands followed the same trail, until he gently nudged my legs apart. I held my breath when his cool fingers brushed my wet heat.

"Breathe, Bella," he called out quietly before his tongue accompanied his fingers.

A moan escaped me, as tingles spread throughout my body. For someone that had never done this before, Edward was quite talented. I knew there was no way I was going to last without making noise, so I grabbed a pillow to muffle my cries.

The heat in my abdomen was intense as his magical tongue and fingers worked. My toes curled from the sensation of his tongue plunging in me. He began purring as he tasted, and the vibrations set me off. My thighs gripped his head against my will as my body finally succumbed to his stimulation. I exploded with the strongest orgasm I ever had, waves of pleasure rolling through me over and over again.

I wasn't sure if the pillow was sufficient to drown the sounds that came from me as my body shook from the intensity of my high. Edward himself was moaning as he continued to lap up all the evidence of my climax.

When I finally caught my breath, I removed the pillow and propped myself up to look at him. His dark eyes stared back at me from under his lashes and my heart started racing again when he raised his head. He moved slowly like a cat, crawling over my body until his face was level with mine. He pressed himself into me, grinding his hips as his mouth was on mine again.

"I want you so much, Bella," he said softly.

"I want you, too," I said as I kissed him eagerly.

I didn't care about the consequences, I only wanted him. My legs instinctively wrapped around him, trying to press him even further into me. I heard him groan as he pulled back, trying to contain himself. I didn't want him in control, I wanted him to take me.

"We can't yet, my love," he said before extricating himself from my limbs and lying down beside me. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. After a few moments, he turned his head and looked at me. "Just so you know, pulling myself back just then was the hardest thing I have done in a century."

He smiled at me and I brushed his lips with my finger. We laid there in silence, our eyes locked for several minutes, as our bodies slowly turned toward each other.

The golden color of Edward's eyes had returned as we lay facing each other, my body still tingling from the pleasure he had given me. I turned and reached back to flip the bedside lamp off before snuggling next to him again. He placed light kisses around my face. I almost didn't want our intimate moment to end, but I knew he needed to tell me about his meeting earlier. I sighed before caressing his cold cheek and starting our conversation.

"You really lucked out tonight, you know. I would have rather faced ten wolves than get the sex talk from Charlie."

He smiled and gave me a chuckle.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that alone. Although, I doubt I'll be left totally unscathed. I'm sure Charlie will be pulling me aside soon enough to impart some of his wisdom."

His fingers weaved together with mine. He was hesitating, not wanting to tell me something.

"What happened, Edward?"

Whatever it was had upset him. I just hoped it wasn't something that would prevent the treaty from being renewed.

"Billy set up the meeting with Carlisle, as you know. When Jasper, Carlisle, and I got there, the same four of them were waiting. But, Paul and Jacob had both also phased and were posted in the forest at Sam's command."

Guilt flowed through me from his words. I was responsible for Jake shifting before he should have.

How was I going to fix this and make it right?

"What was Jacob thinking?" I asked him.

He closed his eyes and I knew it wasn't good.

"He's upset. He is mad that he has phased and blames us," Edward said. He lift my chin up to look at him. "Bella, this is not your fault. I want you to stop feeling guilty about Jacob. Remember how much strain that put on you in Alice's vision?"

He was right of course, about the guilt being a common occurrence for me in regards to Jake.

But, how else was I supposed to feel?

"I know, Edward. I feel responsible though. Even with trying to take precautions against getting involved with Jacob, here we are in the same situation. He's angry, likely feels betrayed, and has Sam and the elders feeding him nonsense about your family."

How could I tell him that it terrified me seeing events occur from the vision that we could not prevent?

I shivered, thinking about other things from the vision happening: Edward leaving me, Victoria, the Volturi. Edward pulled away from me slightly, thinking his body was chilling me. I whimpered and pressed myself to him as close as possible. He murmured in my ear and brushed my hair back with his fingers, trying to comfort me.

"It'll be alright. I promise you, Bella."

I nodded to him, letting him know I was fine.

"Well, the meeting wasn't really what we expected. Billy actually handed us an ultimatum regarding the treaty."

Ultimatum? What could they have possibly asked for?

"They said they won't agree to peace with us unless we leave you alone."

I felt like I had been pierced in my heart. I almost couldn't catch my breath, from the fear that Edward wouldn't be at my side. His hands came to rest on my cheeks and his thumbs caught the tears that were starting to escape my eyes. I looked at his determined face.

"Bella, please calm down. There is nothing they could threaten or do, which would keep me or my family away from you. Please don't worry, love."

My fear eased when his lips met mine, his sweet breath calming my nerves. I knew better than to think anything the tribe did would divide us, yet even the thought of separation seemed to send me into a tailspin. I forced my traitorous tears to stop and took a couple deep breaths before continuing.

"So, what happened? What did Carlisle say to them?" I asked.

"He basically told them they were being ridiculous. I'm paraphrasing, of course. He tried to make them realize what they were asking of us by comparing our relationship to that of Sam and Emily. He asked them if they would ever try to separate the two of them," he told me.

"They know we are mates?" I asked, wondering how Billy took the news of mine and Edward's relationship.

"Yes, although they don't believe vampires can love," he said, lowering his eyes.

My anger spiked.

How dare they?

I'd never seen more love in my life than I had since meeting the Cullens. I wanted to wring all of their necks. Instead, I leaned into him, kissing every part of his face before looking in his eyes.

"They are closed-minded fools. If they truly can't open their eyes enough to see the bonds of love between your family and between us, then I'm not so sure I even want them as an ally. I know how much you love me and I love you more than anything."

I kissed him again and again, before he pulled me tightly to him, hugging me in his arms and burying his face in my neck. I stroked his hair as he inhaled my scent.

"I do love you, Bella. You know I would do anything for you, right?" he asked.

"Yes, I know that, Edward."

My arms tightened around him. I hoped he wouldn't let anything they said make him think I questioned his feelings for me. It was ridiculous.

I decided to lighten up the mood a little and nibbled on his earlobe. I smiled when his soft growls were released against my neck. Then, I felt his fingers tickling my waist and I couldn't stop the giggles. There may have even been a snort in there. He finally stopped and grinned down at me. I was glad to see his mood improved.

I fell asleep soon after, not wanting to talk about the wolves anymore.

The next morning, I woke up naked as a jaybird with Edward curled around me. I briefly wondered what he did all night while I slept.

Was he counting the number of spackles on my ceiling? Did he think of ways to solve the national debt crisis? Was he thinking pervy vampire thoughts?

I chuckled, concluding it was probably the last one. I felt his cool breath on my ear.

"What are you laughing about over there?" he asked.

I blushed and smiled, deciding my assumptions about his night-time activities could wait for another time.

"Oh, nothing. I'm going to take a shower."

I got up and ran to my closet for my robe. It was freezing outside of our warm cocoon. I looked back to find him watching me. He was definitely a little pervy.

School that day was filled with talk of Tyler and Angela. My normal shunning by the masses became a barrage of questions asking what I had seen. I became good at deflecting questions I didn't want to answer, plus people started backing off when Edward's glares came out.

The constant interrogation and commentary on the crash was nothing compared to the teasing Edward and I got at lunch. Emmett was in heaven. He was really starting to get on a roll about Edward's eating habits when Alice had another vision. I knew from Edward's growls that he wasn't happy about it. Alice looked over at me.

"Your dad just talked to Billy. He and Jacob are coming to your house for dinner tomorrow night." Her eyes glazed over again. A few seconds later she shook her head. "I don't see anything about tomorrow night at your house, so I assume that means Jacob will be there."

Well, it looked like the conversation was going to happen sooner than I thought. I was still really upset about the meeting the day before and wasn't sure what I wanted to say to Jacob anymore.

"Alice, can you call Carlisle and see if we can meet after school?"

She nodded at me and called him up. Everyone else was looking at me curiously. I waited for Alice to hang up.

"He'll be there by four. That will give us a couple hours to talk before you have to go home for dinner," she said.

I grabbed Edward's hand before looking at everyone around the table.

"I'm sick of their shit," I said angrily.

Rose, Alice, and Emmett smiled. Edward was still looking down at his lap and Jasper just looked confused. He probably didn't understand why he was picking up such angry emotions from me. I was tired of the tribe's bigotry and arrogance. I wasn't going to put up with it anymore.

"Last night was the last straw. They had no right to do that and I'm going to make it perfectly clear to Billy and Jacob they have no control over my life. At this point, I don't even care if Charlie finds out. He loves me. I would rather tell Charlie everything than Jacob right now."

My hand went to Edward's cheek. Rage was running through me at Billy insinuating my Edward couldn't love me.

An idea suddenly popped in my head. I wanted to use my rage to play with my shield. They continued talking around the table, but I didn't pay attention. I looked around the cafeteria and found a perfect target...an open coke can sat in front of Lauren. I tried to focus my shield on a particular spot, pushing it so it would knock the can over without disrupting anything else. Seconds later the can tipped over, splattering its contents all over her. When she jumped up and screamed, I wanted to take a bow. I didn't even feel too fatigued. I was sure the grin on my face was huge as I turned back to the table, finding all of their stunned faces looking at me.

"Did you really knock that coke can in her lap?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, I did," I squealed happily, nodding my head.

It wasn't just our table laughing as Lauren ran to the bathroom to wash off the sticky, brown mess. Apparently, Lauren had more enemies than I thought. Emmett was vibrating in excitement, thinking of the possibilities. But, Jasper looked at me with a serious expression.

"So, you feel more comfortable manipulating it to the shape you want?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I don't really feel all that tired. Maybe it's because I wasn't trying to include anyone under the shield?" I wondered aloud. Jasper nodded.

"That seems likely. Bella, why were you so angry before?"

Edward's hand squeezed mine as they sat entwined on my lap.

"Edward told me what Billy said to you yesterday. It upsets me he would give an ultimatum to keep you from me. But, it also makes me mad that he believes any of you are less capable of loving another than he is. All anyone has to do is look at you to see that premise is incorrect." I stopped before getting myself all worked up again. "Anyway, I want to talk to Carlisle again because I'm not sure I want to talk to Jake. One thing we have to take into account is anything I tell Jake will probably be broadcast to the rest of the wolves the next time he phases."

Our conversation was cut short by the bell and we agreed to discuss it further later.

Edward drove us straight to his house after school and Esme made me a snack while we waited for Carlisle to get home. We were all situated around the table when he finally walked in.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Billy and Jacob are going to be having dinner at Bella's house tomorrow night," Alice said.

"I suppose you can't see anything that will happen?" he asked her.

"No, it's blank," she answered.

He sighed and looked at me.

"I guess Billy is going to try and convince you again to stay away. It's surprising to me he would bring Jacob over so soon after first phasing. I wonder why?" Carlisle asked.

"It's that stupid imprinting thing, I bet," Rose said. "If I were to place a wager, I'd say Billy is hoping Jacob will imprint on Bella. To him, that would solve everything. Jacob would find his soulmate and Bella would turn from us to be with Jacob."

My stomach rolled as she explained her theory.

"That will never happen," Edward snarled.

He sounded sure, but there was a hint of worry in his voice. I leaned into his side and his arm came around my shoulders. Things had already changed in reality from what we saw in Alice's vision.

Had we already made some decision which could result in Jacob actually imprinting on me instead? What happened if he did?

My heart belonged to Edward.

"Carlisle, I'm not sure about telling Jake everything anymore. Now that we know for sure he has phased, anything I tell him is bound to end up in the heads of Sam and Paul as soon as he phases. Then they will tell the elders. Plus, I'm too angry at them all right now to be so compliant and forthcoming. I'm liable to get angry and throw Billy into a wall or something," I said, only half joking.

"It's a bit of a dilemma about telling Jacob information, yet not all the rest of them. I trust you, Bella. Just see how it goes tomorrow and use your best judgment in regards to talking to Jacob. The family is behind you in whatever you choose to reveal or not reveal."

Carlisle's words warmed my heart. He really did trust me.

"I would rather simply get the point across that it would be in their best interest to renew the treaty and in no way am I going to be any bargaining chip. I don't want to divulge anything further right now. It's not like a newborn army or the Volturi are going to show up tomorrow, right?" I looked over at Alice with a smile.

"Not that I can tell," she replied, smiling in return.

"I want to be there tomorrow," Edward interrupted. "I'll stay in the forest behind the house, but I want to be close. Jacob is too volatile right now and I want to be able to hear what is going through his head. I don't trust them."

"I want you there, too," I agreed.

My only goal was to tell them they had no control over me. It didn't matter to me any longer about keeping Jake calm so he would listen to the vision. I would rather Edward be near to hear if he or Billy had any other plots involving me.

The family all seemed in agreement that I would use my best judgment in talking to Jacob and Edward would be nearby, just in case. When our meeting was over, Alice insisted she be the one to drive me home, telling both Edward and I we would like the results. I wasn't sure what she had up her sleeve, but I knew it would be good.

We arrived at my house in time for me to put together some tacos for dinner. As soon as Charlie came in the door, Alice was working her charm. She convinced him within two minutes that it was actually his idea for me to spend the weekend at her house, so she wouldn't be lonely from being the only one left behind for a family camping trip. I was ecstatic because it meant a whole weekend alone with my Edward. She winked at me before making a hasty exit, saying she had to get home. Charlie was all smiles as he sat down for dinner.

"I'm really glad you and Alice are such good friends, Bella. She is such a sweet girl. Thanks for agreeing to stay with her this weekend. I would hate for her to be all alone because she has a school project to complete," he said.

I smiled at him. She really did have him wrapped around her finger.

"It'll be nice to have a girl weekend," I told him.

"Oh Bells, I talked to Billy today and he and Jacob are going to come over for dinner tomorrow night. You don't have to cook for everyone. I can pick something up," he offered.

I wondered what excuse Billy came up with for coming over.

"I don't mind cooking. I'll make some fish lasagna or something. We have so much fish, I don't know what to do with it all. Is there a game or something on tomorrow night?" I asked.

"Nah, we'll probably just have a couple cold ones and shoot the breeze. Billy said he had something he wanted to talk to me about. I'm sure you and Jacob can occupy yourselves for a little while."

He didn't look over to notice the grimace on my face.

The next afternoon came before I knew it. Edward had been excited all day when we discussed having the whole weekend to ourselves. He wanted to take me out on an official first date on Friday night.

After school, he dropped me off at my house before taking his car home and running back. I prepared the lasagna along with salad and garlic bread. Edward kissed me and said he would be close, escaping out the back door as Charlie came in the front.

"Dinner smells great, Bells!" He greeted me fondly. "They should be here anytime. I'll set the plates on the table."

I smiled at him. I forgot over the years how much he really loved me and I loved him. I adored my mom, but I regretted not spending more time with my dad during my teenage years.

"The lasagna should be done in about fifteen minutes and I'll put the bread in right after," I told him just as the doorbell rang. I took the dishes, waving him off to answer the door. Taking a couple calming breaths, I finished setting the table.

A throat cleared at the doorway and I turned to see Jacob standing there.

Unreal.

That was the only word in my mind as I looked at him. The degree he had changed physically in the course of a week was unbelievable.

How was he going to explain that to Charlie? Would Charlie say something?

Jake had lost his boyish characteristics and seemed to have gained a full half-foot in height along with about thirty pounds of muscle. His long, black hair had been cut short and his face wore a look of distrust, rather than a smile. He watched me closely before his nose wrinkled, as if he smelled something bad.

"What's wrong, Jacob? Lasagna not to your liking?" I asked him.

His sneer turned into a grin.

"Anything you make will be great, I'm sure."

I rolled my eyes, wondering what he was up to. I glanced briefly at the back door, hoping Edward wouldn't bust through it. Jake moved across the kitchen and stood next to me.

"We need to talk," he said.

I backed up, creating some space between us and busied myself looking at the oven timer.

"So talk," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. He shook his head.

"After dinner, we'll take a walk."

I snorted at his suggestion.

"What if I don't want to take a walk?"

"Come on, Bella. I thought you wanted to be friends? Can you not even take a walk with me?" he asked, an innocent expression on his face.

"We can talk in the backyard, but that's as far as I'm going," I told him.

"Sure, sure," he said before Billy and Charlie came into the room.

I pulled out the lasagna and put in the bread as they sat at the table. Jacob came over and helped by placing the lasagna on the table. I looked at Billy, hoping my glare would give him an inkling of my message to him for the evening. He seemed to be avoiding my eyes, but Charlie wasn't.

"Everything alright, Bells?" Charlie asked me, looking concerned. I smiled at him.

"Great, dad. The bread will be out in just a second."

I needed to calm myself down. Charlie was going to get highly suspicious if I kept throwing hateful glares at Billy.

I mostly stayed quiet throughout dinner, picking at my food. I did chuckle when Charlie congratulated Jake on his growth spurt. If he was shocked at how much Jake had changed in so little time, he didn't show it. Billy kept the topics safe, chatting about spring baseball and hunting while continuing to avoid looking at me. Jake ate half the lasagna himself and made a big show about thanking me and telling me how delicious it was. I only narrowed my eyes at him.

After dinner, Charlie and Billy made their way to the living room with a couple beers, while Jake offered to help me clean up. I told him it wasn't necessary, yet he insisted. When the kitchen was sufficiently straightened, Jacob handed me my coat and held the back door open for me to walk out. I threw on my coat and walked to the middle of the yard, impatiently waiting for him to say what he wanted to say.

"Well?" I asked him.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like a bitch today?"

I gave him a hard stare.

"Oh, I don't know. Hmmm. Maybe because your father and his henchmen tried to use me as an ultimatum against the Cullens?" I replied sarcastically.

"So, you know everything?" he asked, eyeing me up and down.

I nodded at his question.

"How long have you known?"

Was he trying to trap me with these questions? What did it matter how long?

I just shrugged, not saying anything. He sighed.

"You know, I wasn't actually in the group that made those demands. I'm just as much of a pawn right now as you are."

I felt myself softening a little towards him. He was right. I wasn't being any better than the elders. I was lumping Jake in with them even though he really hadn't done anything to deserve it, just as the elders lumped the Cullens in with all vampires.

"I'm sorry, Jake. I shouldn't have accused you of something you didn't control. It's them I'm angry at, not you," I said softly. He gave me a small smile.

"Well, I can't say I'm entirely pleased with your bloodsuckers either. I definitely didn't sign up for this shit," he replied.

I hated the derogatory term he used, but I knew he was trying to call a truce with me.

"So, what do we do?" I asked. I wanted to hear what his feelings were about everything. He sighed heavily again.

"I'm not sure. Dad is set on getting them away from you. I personally don't know what the big deal is. He's not going to sway them, you, or even your father." He started chuckling. "Dad is all about trying to get me to like you. He thought I might imprint on you if I came over here tonight."

Rose was right.

I felt the blood drain from my face and he shook his head.

"Don't worry, not gonna happen. I don't think I could get it up for a girl that sleeps with vampires, no offense." He sniffed again. "By the way, tell your bl….Edward I can smell him. He might as well come on out."

A couple seconds later, Edward appeared near the trees lining the forest. He walked slowly toward us until he stood directly behind me, hugging my body to his.

"Jacob," Edward acknowledged him with a nod.

"Edward," Jacob replied.

Was it possible that Jacob could and would help us?

AN: What did you think of Edward's oral exam? How about Bella's prank on Lauren? Is Bella right to be so upset? What will happen with Jacob?

Let me know what you think!