Chapter Summary: Edward comes to an understanding about Bella and Jacob's relationship and the pack just about loses their mind as the diet and preparation for the fight continues.

*Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but Taylor & Jacob were my main drive for this chapter.

Chapter XXX Title: 'Drive,' by Incubus

(BPOV)

I was giddy as I walked up the stairs to my room. I had had a wonderful time with Jacob and my thoughts of our future (whatever it would end up to be) were a sealed deal.

My hands flew to my hair as a cold force suddenly turned me around. "Edward? What are you doing here?" I asked, alarmed. "How long have you—"

"You smell, Bella." Edward had an unfriendly smile, but his tone was light and airy.

"Thanks a lot. I'll shower then," I snapped.

"It won't rid his smell. He was all over you today. Did you enjoy yourself?"

My eyes narrowed. "It was fine."

His eyes laughed before he did. "I am no fool, Bella. I knew perfectly well what you two were doing. And I'm fine with it."

"…You are?"

"NO!" Edward's eyes flashed angrily and I took a step back. "But I won't try and stop it. Not now. We need this alliance with the wolves to protect you, love. Somehow I don't think getting on the bad side of the 2nd in command would be a very bright idea."

"Second in command?"

Edward nodded. "Jacob never told you? He's Beta. He's Sam's second. I am surprised he never mentioned it. He must have had…other things on his mind."

"Edward, I still care about you too. I do. It's just so hard to—to choose." I pleaded with my eyes, begging him to understand. His smile was weak as he gently touched a small part of my wrist, but his fingers were soothing and strong. I began to feel guilty about taking advantage of his good nature. He had clearly wanted to reconcile with Jacob, and if we so happened to be slightly more than friends in an effort to be put right, it was something he was willing to deal with. "Why did you tell me to go see Jacob?"

"I knew what the two of you needed. He helped you cope when I was away. I couldn't expect that connection to be broken just because I returned. I never should have left you."

"Why did you?" I had always been too scared to ask, but now I felt sure that I could handle it. My vampire ex just admitted freely that he sent me into the arms of my best friend, who was a werewolf and a main competitor of my heart. "We could have worked something out. I had already forgiven Jasper—"

"But I couldn't forgive myself for exposing you to our world. You didn't belong with us."

"I belong with you." I wrapped my arms around him. His nose wrinkled and he grimaced.

"For your protection from now on, my love…I want you to keep away from Jacob. Alice has seen the battle and it is shortly approaching. I—we need you fresh." My arms started to drop, but Edward hushed me with his cool breath. "Bella, I need you to survive. We all need you to survive. Do this one thing for me. For Jacob even. It's really the best thing for everyone. This increases our chances to win this fight."

My lips shook as Edward traced them with his fingertips. "Jacob and I can't…"

Edward gave a half, but painful grin. "You shouldn't. I am appealing to your reasoning. The newborns need to smell you and only you. Any other smell might alert them to the ambush that we have been planning. I will not visit you in your room or neither should he."

I nodded. My throat was tight as I considered all the different scenarios that could have happened if I didn't listen. Edward could have gotten hurt. Any one of my vampire family could get hurt. Jacob could be hurt; any of the pack members. Charlie. Anyone left behind in Forks. They were all counting on me to keep up my end. I was the main reason they were coming. I was the main reason that my two very different and feuding families were fighting side by side to the death to keep me alive.

I was going to have to keep my hormones in check. I was going to have to be stronger than my two halves combined; one unbreakable and one immovable. My knees were the next things to hit the floor. I was lucky that Edward caught me or I would have alerted Charlie from his sleep.

(JPOV)

A few days later at practice...

My head hung down low as I tried not to cast my eyes over my enemy. Edward, it would appear, was trying to give me privacy by staying as far away from me as possible, but I knew he was only giving an illusion. It was what parasitic wretches such as them did. They fed off of you while giving you the false impression of safety and love while they take your life and blood, leaving you with nothing. I begged to have one more shot at him. I would tear his limbs from their sockets, inhale his burning and searing flesh as it roasted in the fire, and run back to the girl that I was destined to be with for the rest of our lives.

I stared at the ground hard, trying to imagine the image of Bella in a beautiful white dress walking down the aisle in my arms with our two families sitting side by side.

No vampires. No Cullens. No Edward.

I heard a snicker and I met Edward's eyes. He realized his mistake at listening to my thoughts and I resurrected the image of Bella's flushed cheeks as she came in my shower, and in my bed that had only taken place just a short few days ago. His gaze dropped and he looked embarrassed.

I smiled.

"Jacob, there's news," Sam's voice called behind me.

I stopped my 'mind games' for the moment. "What?" I asked. If it pertained to Bella I wanted to give Sam my undivided attention. My bare feet turned toward my Alpha in the dirt.

"Easy. It's not about Bella. I wanted to let you know before we all phased together for practice; Emily and I have decided to get married in the next few months."

My mouth held tight, but I was truly happy for Sam. I merely questioned why he would bring it up just now when vampires were so close to us, but I doubted that the Cullens would really take it upon themselves to wreck a werewolf's wedding, even if they did hate us.

"That is great news, Sam. Congratulations." I started to turn back toward Edward, my vampire victim, when Sam's arm grabbed mine.

"You need to calm down. You haven't been yourself."

I started to protest, but Sam cut me off silently with a gag order, to keep quiet until he had his say or to answer only if he asked a question. I still hated when he made use of his command over me, as if I were a small child.

"When was the last time you saw Bella?" he questioned.

"Four days," I repeated out loud. "Her birthday is tomorrow. I'm going to see her." I looked at Sam and dared him to try and talk me out of it. Sam opened his mouth as if to speak when our conversation was cut short by two growls and the sound of a tree being thrown 70 feet across the meadow plains.

"DAMNIT, I HATE THIS FUCKIN' GRASS SHIT! When the hell can I get some real fuckin' food? Wolves don't eat this!" Paul exclaimed not too far away.

Emmett was visibly and verbally taunting Paul with a stem full of the purple Texas shrub called mountain ash, and was balancing it from one hand to the other. "Come on boy, you love these things. It's so healthy. Look at my family; we get to feed on deer, mountain lion, and bears, and you guys get all this luscious green. Deal with it."

Paul roared and Emmett growled once more before he jumped on a phasing Paul's back and attempted to ride him like a horse.

"You smell so fresh dog! Much better aroma!" Emmett laughed as he was thrown, but landed perfectly off of a still standing oak tree and Paul immediately ran over and pulled down the lowest branches with his teeth and paws.

"Paul!" Sam reversed my injunction, took off his pants and phased in the same breath. Seth looked on with Edward and Alice; Rosalie and Jasper looked a bit panicked, but didn't intervene. Paul and Emmett fighting were just part of every practice. No one ever got involved unless some one broke something. So far in the past three months, Emmett was winning against Paul. Our side couldn't figure out how many fights Paul had lost to Emmett, but the pixie said it was close to 67 to 9 in favor of Emmett. The number sounded about right; Paul was not as good a fighter when he phased angrily.

I chuckled as I watched Paul get a jaw-filled mouth of dirt when Emmett pushed his head down with his feet. Paul had a very good point about the raw vegetation diet. It was getting a little tiresome, but it wasn't the leeches' fault either. I still couldn't stand the bloodsuckers, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Paul become a little more humbled after his fights with Emmett. It let off steam between the two sides. We couldn't kill them because of the alliance, but they made it seem okay to still not like them either, even if it was become increasingly harder not to.

The blondie and the pixie were actually getting to me.

The blondie had a thing for cars, which started us on better terms than the other leeches, but we still didn't like each other. She nicknamed me "Fido" and I just growled at her more so out of reflexes than actual aggression. Sometimes I would make dumb blonde jokes, but they never landed with her quite well. She claimed that she had heard every blonde joke ever told. I told her I would keep trying until one did surprise her.

The pixie was actually becoming a little more than just another hated associate. Alice seemed to genuinely love Bella and shared her fears of Bella's habits and tendencies to fall into danger wherever she landed. She also questioned me about our more private moments together. I was amazed that I felt no shame telling the pixie about some of Bella's more interesting customs while we were in bed, outside, or wherever else we felt the need and Alice smiled and giggled when I had some descriptions to offer her.

"You are very abrasive, Jacob, but it is very much refreshing. Edward has a habit of being so conservative and so uptight about things. It's wonderful that Bella found someone to be so inventive and true with." My eyes had narrowed as my head leaned forward to gather more details about my love's ex, but the pixie caught the look and smiled. "Oh no, you won't get anymore than that out of me. You'll have to keep surprising her on your own."

"I could do that if she'll let me."

Her eyes twinkled knowingly and she sighed, "She will." Alice would say no more on the subject after that.

I closed my eyes and continued to wiggle my fingers through the sudden gust of wind. My scalp felt almost naked on a daily basis since I had to keep my hair cut so short, but I loved it when Bella ran her fingers through it. With less hair it meant she could get closer to me and I could feel closer to her. My temperature rose and I imagined my fingers on her hips again and my lips dancing across any exposed part of her skin under me. Remembering the taste of her was no longer enough. I had to see her. I would sneak over tonight if I had to. I didn't care that she wasn't at practice or if her vampire had been able to see her every night that I couldn't because of patrols this week.

I was going to be with her tonight.

"Jacob." Edward's voice was behind me. My lips etched themselves into my teeth and I drew blood. I wasn't afraid if they smelled blood on me. I would welcome the fight. I would welcome the challenge to kill just one of them. "Jacob, I am not trying to interrupt the thoughts of you maiming me, but I do promise that our conversation will be quick," Edward continued.

"Not quick enough. What is it?" I still hadn't turned around when I heard him sigh. My stomach lurched upwards and I felt sick. I couldn't believe the smell that emitted off of him. It was grotesque and rank. It was worse than dead, befouled earth. Hatred consumed my thoughts as I felt myself flinch and tremor away from a frozen, granite hand on my shoulder.

"I would prefer if you did not see Bella until our battle has been fought and won."

My tremors were cut short by my own roar. "WHAT? What did you say to me, bloodsucker?"

Edward's eyes had small traces of humor in them, but I was in too much disbelief to worry about phasing. "I would prefer if you did not see Bella. Just for now. She has agreed, for both of our sakes, that neither of us should visit nor be physical with her until the battle has been fought and won. We need her fresh." Edward's face twitched a little when he said his last statement. "We need her to smell like herself if she is to draw the newborns and vargulf out. They have very sensitive noses."

My mouth pulled back, mocking his cordial smile. "And she agreed to this? I somehow doubt that. She's in love with me, leech, and she can't bear for me to be away from her. "

His words were careful. "I do realize that, but I have asked her and appealed to her love for the two of us. She does love both of us." The leech's eyes suddenly narrowed at me. "I am merely asking for you to stay away from her if you feel that you can not control yourself—"

"I am not your pet and I do not take orders from you." I cut in, now wanting to phase. "I will not stay away from Bella just because you tell me to."

He grew furious. "I will not have you ruin Bella's scent to fulfill your animalistic urges—"

"Careful, Edward," Alice cautioned. "She does love him and she will see him. I have seen it; and it's her birthday, Edward. Besides," she reasoned, "Victoria will expect her to smell a little like wolf since she knows that they have been protecting her. She'll be fine from what I can see of her."

Edward straightened his gaze toward me as I fought not to phase. "Fair enough, but you will not touch her. Unless she says the words you will not touch her. Do you understand?"

I clenched my teeth at his condescending tone, but allowed the compromise. I knew she would say the words and I knew that whatever she said I would obey. "Sure."

*A/N: I know it's short, but I'll be posting again either tomorrow or within the next three days. No countdown necessary; I just wanted you guys to know that I am really pushing to get the chapters out, despite my scheduling snafus.