"How was your afternoon with Jasper?" Tanya asked after tucking me into bed. It was ridiculous being tucked in but at the same time it was kind of nice.

"It was fine," I said. She climbed into the bed with me and I immediately leaned against her. She was my favorite pillow. "Peter and Charlotte seem nice."

Tanya tensed up against me. "Yes, Alice mentioned Peter's little prank."

"Don't be mad," I said touching her face. "He didn't know."

"It doesn't matter," she disagreed. "He scared you."

I sighed. Overprotective vampires were frustrating. I loved that she cared enough to be angry over someone upsetting me but still… it was a wonder anyone was still alive here. "Just, don't hurt him, please. We need him, remember?"

Tanya pulled me closer. "I have no intention of hurting him Bella. I promise."

I studied Tanya's face. It felt like there was something she was hiding, something she didn't want me to know. "What's going on?" I asked after a minute. "What are you hiding?"

Tanya ran her fingers down the side of my face. "Alice and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best time to confront the newborns and we figured it out…" she paused. "The battle will be a week from Saturday."

My stomach dropped. A week. I wasn't expecting that. Honestly, I didn't know what I expected. We couldn't wait forever for the battle but a week was too soon. "I…" I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. That meant I may only have a week with some of them.

"Bella, breathe," Tanya instructed. "Nothing is going to happen to us."

"Did Alice see that?" I asked.

"No," Tanya admitted. "She can't see around the wolves. But we are all confident. Alice and I came up with a plan and tonight we will be talking to the wolves about it. I would like you to be there, as it is about you."

I frowned. "What time?" I asked.

"Two in the morning," Tanya answered. "Do you want to go?" I nodded. "Sleep Bella. I'll wake you before we need to go."

Far too soon Tanya was shaking me awake. "Bella, it's time."

I groaned and rolled over, right on top of Tanya. "It's too early," I muttered sleepily.

Tanya laughed and kissed my cheek. "That's the point. Do you want to stay?"

"No," I said climbing off my bed.

I quickly changed my clothes, too tired to realize Tanya was still in the room and watching me. When I turned around Tanya's eyes were dark gold. "We need to go," Tanya said after closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, they were back to light gold.

"I'm ready," I said after throwing my jacket on.

She secured me in her arms and we were gone. I didn't open my eyes until the wind stopped. When I did open my eyes, I saw everyone was gathered together. Sam and a slightly smaller boy were huddled with the other wolves. Peter and Charlotte were talking to Alice and Jasper. The Denali's were close by but none of them appeared to be talking.

"Bella," Irina said running over to my side. "How are you?"

"Tired," I answered with a yawn.

Irina laughed. "Yes, I suppose you are. Are you nervous?"

"Always," I replied.

Irina hugged me. "Don't be. We have this. We wouldn't be planning our attack if Tanya and Alice weren't confident that we would be successful."

I didn't get a chance to respond as Jasper took that moment to start talking. "I know ya'll are wondering why you're here," Jasper said addressing the wolves. "Alice and Tanya were talking last night." He paused. "The battle with the newborns will be a week from Saturday."

The wolves growled. "Why so soon? We are not ready," Sam called loudly.

"I cannot see around you and your pack," Alice began. "But I have seen a future where my family lives."

Another wolf phased into a human. "What about our lives?" the wolf sneered. "If we go through with this plan, we could all be dead."

"Paul," Sam said in warning.

"I may not be able to see your future but I know none of you die," Alice continued, ignoring Paul. "Bella cares about all of you. I haven't seen her mourn you in the future. I take that as a good sign that you all survive."

Sam nodded and pushed Paul away. "Let's hear your plan then."

Tanya kissed my cheek and stepped forward. "This will be where the battle takes place."

"Here?" I whispered. "But Charlie…"

"Charlie will be fine," Alice promised.

"Dad and Billy can take him fishing," the smaller boy offered. Sam turned to him. "Seth Clearwater," he introduced. "My dad is Harry."

I nodded. Harry was a nice guy. "Would that work?" I asked Alice.

Alice closed her eyes. "Yes. I see him going fishing." She opened her eyes. "It will work," she said confidently.

Seth nodded and stepped back. "I'll tell my Dad as soon as we finish here."

"There is something else we need from the wolves," Tanya began. "More specifically you, Sam. If you're willing."

Sam walked over to Tanya and I. "What is it?" he asked curious.

"Jasper came up with an idea," Tanya started. Jasper walked toward us, most likely to explain his idea. "Go ahead."

"These are newborns which means they will be attracted to human scent more so than a vampire that has been around for a while," Jasper said. "I want to use Bella's scent to lure the newborns here, with Bella's permission of course."

"Why would Bella's scent matter? And what does this have to do with me?" Sam questioned. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't a fan of this idea. Tanya, on the other hand, didn't look concerned.

"We would never let Bella do this alone," Jasper continued. "Tanya would be with her. If older vampires are with them then they may realize that this is a trap. Our hope is your… scent," he wrinkled his nose in disgust, "will mask Tanya's scent."

"Won't that cover Bella's scent as well?" Sam asked curious.

Jasper shook his head. "There is nothing that can mask a human's scent, especially if human blood is present." So, Jasper wanted me to make a blood trail for the newborns. The idea wasn't as gross now as it would have been a year ago. "Our hope is a newborn won't get too close to your scent and pick up Tanya's."

Sam nodded. So far, he seemed to like the plan. "Where will she be during this battle? Will you leave her at home or somewhere else?"

"You will be taking her to a cabin about twenty miles from here," Tanya continued. "We mapped it out so we can keep Bella's scent away from newborns. I will meet you there with supplies."

"You're not fighting," Sam realized.

"No, I'm not," Tanya confirmed. "Bella doesn't want me to fight." I looked down, feeling guilty once again for pulling Tanya away from her family. Jasper squeezed my shoulder. "Besides, I would rather be close to her in case something happens."

"Smart. I have one suggestion, if you're willing." Jasper and Tanya exchanged looks and nodded. "Seth, he's young. I don't want him in the fight." I glanced at Seth and he didn't seem happy with Sam's words. "Take him with you. He will give you added protection should something happen. Plus, he is connected to the pack. It will keep us all informed on what is going on."

Tanya looked to me. I shrugged. Seth was young and like Sam, I didn't want him to be a part of this fight. I didn't want him risking his life for me. On the other hand, the thought of being alone with Tanya in the middle of the woods was appealing.

"Having him there wouldn't be a bad thing," Alice suggested. I frowned. "Tanya and Bella will be fine that night. Have Seth show up in the morning. We can send more supplies with him if needed."

Sam turned to Seth. "I got it Sam," Seth said though he still didn't seem happy about missing out on the fight. It must have been a wolf thing.

I yawned and leaned against Tanya. "We're almost done," she whispered in my ear.

"I'll have Tanya contact you when I get a better idea of what time," Alice told Sam. "For now, all I can say is be ready."

The next thing I knew I was laying in bed with Tanya beside me, reading a book.

"What happened?" I asked.

Tanya sat the book down. "You fell asleep. I brought you home."

I turned to face her. "What time is it?"

"Just after five," Tanya answered. "I was going to let you sleep a bit longer. How are you doing with everything you learned?"

I shrugged. "Will my blood help?"

"It will," Tanya confirmed. "The newborns won't be able to focus on anything but your blood. It will make it easier to kill them."

"I'll do it," I decided. If it helped protect my family then I would do anything.

"Whatever you are planning Bella, stop," Tanya said firmly. "There will be no sacrificing yourself to protect us."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I didn't say anything about that."

Tanya cupped my cheek. "Jasper and Alice told me about Phoenix, about how you ran away from them to save your mother. I know you want to keep us safe but it's our job to take care of you. Not the other way around." I didn't say anything because I knew she was right.

My eyes darted back and forth between Tanya's eyes and her lips. I don't know what came over me. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against her. Tanya was frozen against me. I wasn't sure if it was from surprise or not.

I pulled away. This was a mistake. I shouldn't have kissed her. I tried to get out of bed, so I could shower and forget this happened. Before I could Tanya flipped us over so she was on top of me. She kissed me. Her cool lips moved against mine. She wasn't afraid, not like Edward had been. She knew exactly how much strength to use without hurting me. My hands went to her hair, pulling her closer.

Far too soon Tanya pulled away. "You have school Bella," she reminded me. I took several deep breathes to get my breathing back on track. She climbed off me and back into her original spot. "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I was thinking about the newborns and how if something happened… I didn't want to die never kissing you."

"You're not going to die Bella," Tanya said softly. "I won't allow it."

I climbed out of bed and got my things so I could shower. I was grateful for the shower. It gave me time to think. I knew I was destined to be with Tanya. I was her mate. It was inevitable that we would be together. Despite that, I never really thought about it until tonight. Now I was curious about our relationship, about what it meant for both of us. I did know I enjoyed kissing her and I did want to do it again.

"Bella," Tanya called, knocking on the bathroom door. "You've been in here a while. Are you okay?"

I shut the water off. "I'll be out in a minute," I said.

The door opened slightly. "Charlie left already. You'd better hurry or you'll be late for school." The door was shut before I could say anything.

I hurried and got ready for school. Tanya seemed… almost distant now. I was worried I did something wrong. Maybe I wasn't what she wanted. I opened the door and found Tanya standing in front of me.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Alice," she added in explanation. "She saw a conversation and told me to fix it. You didn't do anything. I don't want to pressure you into anything and I don't want you to feel obligated to be with me. I want you to have a choice in this."

I stepped toward her. She didn't move. I half-expected her to. "I know." I cupped her cheek and she leaned into the touch. "I never thought you were pressuring me. I kissed you because I wanted to, not because I thought I had to."

Tanya nodded. "Okay." She leaned over and kissed me. "You need to get to school."

I grabbed my school things and followed Tanya to her car. Thanks to vampire driving I got to school just before the first bell. I kissed Tanya's cheek and jumped out of the car, stumbling only once.

Seven hours later and I was done. School seemed pointless right now with the battle coming. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than the newborns. When I wasn't thinking about newborns I was thinking about Tanya and the feel of her lips on mine. Which meant I accomplished nothing all day.

Tanya's car was in the parking lot when I got there. I climbed into the passenger side. "How was school?" Tanya asked.

"I don't know," I said honestly. Tanya raised an eyebrow at me. "I wasn't paying attention."

Tanya laughed. "Did something distract you?"

"My impending death," I said without thinking. Tanya tightened her grip on the steering wheel. I could see dents forming. I grabbed her hand. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was also thinking about you, about this morning."

Tanya relaxed and laced her fingers with mine. She kissed the back of my hand. "We will protect you."

"I know." I leaned back and in my seat. "I've had nightmares about Victoria. Every time she gets me"

Tanya squeezed my hand. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I didn't want you to worry," I said honestly. "I know you're doing everything in your power to keep me safe. I didn't want you to think I don't trust you."

Tanya pulled into my driveway. "I know you trust me. You don't have to keep things from me to protect me. I can handle it."

I nodded. "Sorry. Do you think Victoria will show up with the newborns?"

I followed Tanya into my house. "I don't think so," Tanya said slowly. "She won't get her hands dirty. She knows she can't win against us, not without her gift."

"What's the point then?" I wondered. "If she's not going to fight then what's the point of having the newborns."

"It's a distraction," Tanya said. "My guess is she's going to try and find you. Jasper thinks she will have back up with her, something to distract whoever is protecting you. Or maybe she thinks we left you alone during this."

I tensed up. Odds are Victoria would still find me. I knew Tanya would protect me. I feared she would get herself killed in the process. "Seth," I gasped. "Is he going to be in danger?"

Tanya sat on my bed and pulled me into her arms. "Jasper is giving him special training. Training on fighting older vampires. Sam approved. We don't think Seth will need it but it makes him feel important and it doesn't hurt him to learn."

I didn't like it. I didn't like the thought of Seth risking his life for me. "Can't we keep him away?" I asked.

Tanya shook her head. "No. We need him. Even if it is just a precaution. He will be our connection to the others, in case something happens."

I had a nagging feeling that something was bad going to happen.