It was two weeks after Jared had transformed into a werewolf for the first time. He was just getting back into the rhythm of things again. Balancing two lives had become much easier with the help of Sam. The two had become much closer since his transformation, and he was learning everything he could about the new lifestyle. Although he liked being a wolf, he wasn't sure that he could ever get used to the pack mentality. Some thoughts were just too private to share.

He slid into his desk in English class and set his backpack down beside him. He pulled out his textbook and notebook, then fumbled to get his pencil. He accidentally brushed arms with Kim, the girl who sat beside him.

"Sorry." He murmured. He looked up into her eyes, and everything changed.

Time stopped completely and his breath caught in his throat. He had thought that he knew happiness before, but he knew now that he was blind. It was as if he had been under an anesthetic his entire life and was just waking up for the first time. Like his world was gray before and now was bursting with color. The joy that had exploded inside him was like a dam bursting from a barren plain. His heart was so lit with happiness that he was shocked he wasn't a human glow stick. She was immaculate perfection.

Kim blushed, and Jared longed to be the cause of that blush. He wanted to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. He desperately hoped to caress her cheek. How had he not seen her before? How had he missed this angel sitting beside him all this time?

Not even a second had passed.

"Do you want to go out with me?" The words tumbled from his mouth before he even knew what was happening. It wasn't like he'd change them anyways. She smiled, and it made his heart race.

"I'd love to!" She said a bit too quickly. Her blush deepened, and it was intoxicating to him.

Kim was elated. She had dreamed of him asking her that very thing. She had spent hours thinking of him. She had doodled him on her notebook so many times, but never did him justice. Before she went to bed each night she tried to hear his voice telling her he loved her.

He watched her out of his peripheral vision, unable to tear his eyes away from her. She was amazing. He feared what might happen if he stopped looking at her. The thought shot panic through his chest, and he forced himself to calm down. He channelled his thoughts down a more pleasant path.

How could he make this the most incredible night of her life? How could he show the depth of his devotion to her? Near the end of class, he got an idea.

The next class was the only one he didn't have with Kim. He spoke to her best friend and found out her favorite food, flowers, and music. He was determined to make this the best night of her life.

First, though, he had to tell Sam.

He went over to Sam at lunch and explained everything that had happened in a terse whisper. Sam calmly explained the phenomenon of imprinting to him, and by the end of the talk, Jared felt reassured and comforted.

Time passed as it always did. Jared spent all week preparing his surprise for Kim. The seconds, minutes, hours, and days leading up to their date passed achingly slow for both of them, but Friday happened at last.

Jared covered her eyes as he led her to the backyard. When she opened her eyes, she was stunned.

He had strung up dozens of twinkling lights above a beautifully set table. Covered in a white linen table cloth, the round table had a small pot of roses popping up from it's center. It was set in contrasting shades of pure white and Ruby red. Soft music was playing in the background. Kim was floored.

"This is incredible!" She gushed. "I love it!" The joy in her eyes made his efforts all worthwhile.

"I'm glad. I worked all week on it."

"All week?" She squeaked in surprise. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, fearful of her reaction.

"Um... Yes..."

Her face softened. "That's the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me."

They sat down and feasted on burgers and curly fries that Jared had learned to make just for her. He had even made a chocolate molten lava cake for dessert. They spoke for a long time, until Jared suddenly stood up.

"I have a surprise for you."

"Another one?" He nodded, turning down the music and grabbing an acoustic guitar from it's resting place near the back of the house. He pulled up a seat next to her and played her favorite love song, which he had learned to play just for the occasion. He couldn't sing for the life of him, but for her he'd give it a try. At the end of the song, they both stood up.

"That was beautiful." She whispered. Stretching up on the tips of her toes, she kissed him.

It was the most perfect and natural thing in the world. It was the moment Kim had hoped for ever since she saw him for the very first time in kindergarten. She couldn't remember the moment exactly, but she remembered the feeling of something clicking into place in her that day. He was her perfect match, and she'd known it from day one.

When their lips parted, he smiled.

"Kim, would you be my girlfriend?"

She launched herself into his waiting arms.

"Of course!"

And that was that.

From then on they were inseparable. They spent every possible moment together. Jared even asked to switch out of the one class he didn't have with Kim to be with her. They only separated when he had a duty to the pack and to go to sleep at night.

There was one thing that Jared still needed to do- tell Kim about the Quileute legends.

They sat on the swing on his porch and he explained everything to her. She listened to him calmly. The hardest part was when he explained his role in all of it. He was afraid she would never look at him the same again. When he told her he was a werewolf, she was slightly skeptical but allowed him to prove his point. He took her into the woods and phased in front of her. To his surprise, she was very accepting of it. When he changed back he explained imprinting to her, and she just smiled triumphantly.

"I always knew we were born to be together."

They went out often together, even double dating with Sam and Emily a few times at the beach. They almost always kept physical contact with one another and were affectionate often. They had discussed physical intimacy at length, but never really established an idea of when that would happen.

They ended up making love for the first time on the day of their one year anniversary.

They had been in Jared's room, talking and sharing a few chaste kisses when both of them felt a sensation of desire unwind in their stomachs. His parents were out, so they both decided to take the chance and become intimate. Kim began kissing him deeper, entwining her fingers in his hair. Jared responded by pressing her closer to him with hands that were gentle yet firm. Fairly quickly they were undressed. Suddenly he was inside of her, filling her up and she moved her hips in rhythm to his thrusting, smiling at the delicious pleasure building up inside of her. They climaxed at the same time, moaning the other's name as their bodies exploded like stars in space. Sensation was everything as they lay tangled together, breathing heavily as they wound down from their orgasm. As he stroked his girlfriend's hair, the beautiful realization came upon him that this was the woman he would spend forever with.

They spent a lot of time cuddling and occasionally talking as they lay in bed. Kim was thrilled to just be near him. She looked up at him, eyes filled with emotion.

"I love you." She whispered. He grinned and they shared a kiss.

"As I love you."

Jared was biding his time until he graduated, picking up several odd jobs in the process to save up money for the perfect ring to give his beloved Kim. When the day came to pick one out, he asked Sam to come with him to get a second opinion. He wasn't all too sure about what to get her. All he knew was that it had to fit her personality.

He picked a gold engagement ring band that was shaped like flowers and leaves. It had a solitaire diamond in the middle, and two very small ones as the center of the small flowers flanking the sides. It was beautiful and unique, just like her. Now all he had to do was figure out the perfect way to propose to her.

He had secretly scheduled an appointment with the principal before school one morning so that he could make it perfect. He wanted to do it in the middle of graduation, right after she got her diploma. The principal, touched by the clear love and devotion in Jared's eyes, agreed to help him pull it off.

His brothers, of course, knew about his plan and supported him all the way. It was two weeks until graduation, and they all had a hand in helping him set up the biggest surprise of Kim's life.

The day came at last, and Jared was riddled with anxiety, which Kim misinterpreted to be about graduation. They lined up and processed in as they normally would. Jared kept fumbling with the ring in his pocket as the speeches were made.

Finally, they started calling names. Jared was up and back in his seat rather quickly. When Kim's row was called, he jumped up and ran behind the stage, removing his gown.

When they called her name, he crossed the stage just as she shook the principal's hand. She was surprised to see him there, but her surprise only grew as he got down on one knee. She gasped.

"Kim, I love you more than anything in the world. I will spend my every waking moment making you the happiest woman alive. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Will you marry me?"

A single tear came down her cheek, and she nodded, an I-found-nirvana smile lighting up her face.

"Yes."

He slipped the ring onto her finger and, like many times before, she launched herself into his arms and kissed him.

It was everything they hoped for.

The crowd went wild, and the other pack members and their imprintee's cheered the loudest. It was without a doubt the best moment of their lives. They had found their one true match in each other, and it was all thanks to being a werewolf.