Jacob PoV

I hesitated before I answered her question. "Yeah, maybe..." I shrugged. Truth was that this meeting had made me think a lot more than I had anticipated. The black-haired vampire (since when did I call them vampires instead of bloodsuckers?) seemed friendly enough although the blonde one was more than rude. I didn't know what this Emmet saw in her. Some may have called her beautiful but to me it was the beauty of a marble statue, a piece of cold stone turned into the image of a goddess by some artist. I preferred the living, breathing, warm things. Like Bella.

"Maybe?"

"Yes, yes, it wasn't that bad. He seems okay, I guess. I don't like her, but I think this feeling's mutual."

"Rosalie doesn't like anybody." Bella sighed. "I don't know why but it's always been this way. So don't feel offended." Bella grinned and I laughed. "I'll try not to."

I had placed Bella's feet on my lap and absentmindedly rubbed them while I let the meeting pass over in my head. Emmet seemed not only nice but strong and it would be good having him on our side. We needed every bit of strength when Victoria attacked us. If she ever decided to. This whole waiting thing drove me crazy, and I knew that the rest of the pack wasn't doing any better.

If this bitch doesn't decide anytime soon, we should really consider walking up and knock on her front door and ask politely when she decides to attack us...

"Jake?"

I snapped back into reality when I heard her calling my name. "What?"

"Is everything alright? You seemed so lost in thought all of a sudden."

"It's nothing. Just wondering about Victoria and her army and the fight. You know, the usual stuff," I joked but when she didn't smile I knew I had said the wrong thing. I gently placed her feet on the couch and then crawled over until I was lying above her and could look her in the face. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up again. It's already on our minds 24/7, I shouldn't have mentioned it again."

Bella shook her head and placed her hand on my cheek. "It's alright. You just said what we are all thinking at the moment. God, I hope this will all be over soon. I don't know what I hate more. This waiting for the fight to begin or the actual fight."

"They are pretty well balanced I think."

"Maybe that's what she wants. She knows we expect her attack any day now and by keeping us waiting she hopes to exhaust us, mentally and physically."

"Maybe, but she won't succeed. Whenever she decides to attack, we will be ready to fight with our full strength. She won't stand a chance."

"I hate that you say this. That you have to say this. All this talk of fight and battle and death... I really miss the time before all this. Before I met him, before you phased, and we were just two normal teenagers living in a small town. Everything was so easy back then."

"It was, wasn't it?" I grinned half-heartedly. "But this is the past and we have to deal with the present now. And the future." Lowering my head so I could place a small kiss on her lips that didn't stay small I hoped to distract her enough that she led the subject drop. It wouldn't do anyone any good if we went through this again. For at least one night I didn't want to think about all this crap.

Our kiss grew deeper and the longer it lasted the more longing rose up inside of me. I wanted her so badly it physically hurt. And I wasn't talking about a certain male region down below. Every cell in my body was up to only one thing: Touch her. Loose myself in her. Forget everything with her. Leave the werewolf and the vampires and the fights behind and just be normal teenagers for one night.

She held up her arms and thus helped me pulling her top over her head. She wasn't wearing a bra today (why was she not wearing a bra?) so I had direct access to her breasts. A small moan tore loose from her body when I gave them the attention they deserved. Her short nails dug deep in the skin of my back and the wolf in me growled with satisfaction.

Somehow all of a sudden, her jeans were gone too, and she lay under me wearing only plain black panties.

Okay, now my shorts are getting a bit uncomfortable... Since when are simple black cotton panties so damn sexy?

My mouth felt dry as I got up on my elbows and marvelled in her beauty. Bella, my Bella simply lying under me, wearing nothing but small panties covering only the most vital parts, eyes clouded and eyelids low, trusting me to guide her through everything.

And I would but not on the couch. She deserved better. Way better.

With a quick gesture I swept her up in my arms and, all the while kissing, carried her upstairs to her room. The lamp wasn't lit, and the moon clouded but that didn't matter. I could see well enough, and tonight wasn't so much about seeing than about hearing and feeling.

I carefully laid her down on her bed. She looked at me and in her eyes was neither fear not discomfort only trust and such a deep longing... As gentle as I could I lay down half on top half on side of her and for a while I explored her body only with my hands and my mouth. Her breathing became heavier, quicker and she started to moan again. Involuntarily her hands reached out, reached for me to draw me closer to her body.

As much as I wanted this, I had to stop for one second. "Bells..." I whispered as not to destroy the magic bubble we had created. "Is this really what you want?" I knew she had never done this before and even though it would kill me, I would stop at once if she said so.

But I should have known better by now than to ask her something like this. My Bella, always full of surprises, instead of answering simply reached out and buried her hands in my hair so she could draw me in for another kiss.

This time it was for me to moan.

I moved a bit, getting rid of my way too small jeans before I gently removed her panties as well. She was beyond being embarrassed by now, lying completely naked under me, just waiting for me to guide her through the next steps.