A/N: Hey thanks for the suggestions! But seriously, I can only update so fast, so stop pestering me to update sooner. Remember, I have no real plans for this story

(((THIRD PERSON PERSPECTIVE)))

Kim woke up with a start. Where was she? What was she doing there? Why was she there? Who was she with? Her eyes darted around frantically. Her eyes adjusted to the light coming from the tv set in front of her. Definately not in the dojo. She realized she was laying on someone's lap and looked up into Jack's sleeping face, his mouth slightly agape. He was shirtless. And she was wearing his shirt.

"Kim, you're up," A voice whispered. Kim bolted upright and whipped her head around.

"JACK!" She screeched. He woke up with a slight jump.

"Wh-what's up?" He asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. Kim pointed to the person who had spoken. He was a middle-aged man with glasses and graying hair. He wore buisness suit and carried a breifcase.

"Kim, that's my uncle, he's my guardian now. We're at my house. Remeber last night?" He said, soothing her and rubbing circles in her back. Then it all came back to her. The police, the blood, Jack's grandfather. How Jack saved her, causing himself more pain.

Jack saw the remembrance flash through her eyes. The pain. "It's not your fault." He whispered to her.

"But it is" She yelled back, tears streaming down her face. "Your grandfather is right. I am a shithead. Nobody really likes me!" She turned and raced up the stairs into Jack's bedroom. She slammed the door shut and it echoed throughout the house.

Jack sighed. The one person who he trusted completely just got mad at him. Yet another person on the list of people who had disappeared from his life when he most needed them. Jack frusteratingly ran his hand through his hair.

His uncle sat down next to him. He put his arm around Jack, careful to avoid any bruises or scrapes. "Need help?" He asked kindly.

Jack huffed. "I just don't know what to do. I love Kim, and I don't want to leave her or any of my karate friends, but I just want all this crap to END!" His voice steadily rose and got angrier as he kept talking. He got up to start pacing, but winced after he put weight on his ankle.

A tear fell down his cheek. "I wished I had just called the cops after Tommy," He said quietly. His uncle sensed that Jack was slowly losing energy and strength. He put his arm back around Jack's shoulder and Jack pressed up against his uncle. "If I had the guts, none of this would've happened."

Jack's temper slowly rose. "But NO! I am just a wimp who lets people beat him and bruise him and GET AWAY WITH IT!" He clenched his fists in anger.

"How 'bout you go to the dojo, go blow off some steam. Try to stay off your ankle."

"What about Kim?"

"I'll tell her where you are if she comes down and you aren't here." Jack nodded and limped out of the house. He dug his nails into his palm and slammed the door shut behind him.

Kim silently retreated back up the stairs. She was the one holding jack back. He put her in front of him and was willing to get hurt because of her. He had taken extra beatings to protect her. She was tired of being protected. She was Kimberly Crawford, and she would and could be independent. Starting then.

She threw on a pair of Jack's old sweatpants and headed downstairs. "Jack's at the dojo." His uncle said immediatly after she walked into the living room. She nodded and headed out the door. She sent Jack a quick text saying she was going home.

***
When Jack came back, he was sweaty, panting, and slightly disappointed. "Kim went home," He said quietly to his uncle. He hobbled to his bedroom before letting the tears fall. He wrapped himself up in his blankets and cried himself to sleep.

Over the next few weeks, Kim and Jack began spending less and less time together. They weren't mad at each other, and regularly talked, but they never discussed what had happened in the last couple months.

Kim was trying to stay independent and not need protection. She had gotten more comfortable around guys and kept excelling in karate class. She brought her grades back up.

Jack, on the other hand, was tearing apart at the seams. He'd have random mood swings and suddenly scream at someone. Then he'd get really quiet. Then he'd zone out as if recalling a sad memory, then he'd be fine. He became more and more isolated from people outside of the dojo, and his grades kept slipping, no matter how hard he tried.

One night, Kim got a text from Jack's uncle.

He needs you

It read.

What's up?

She texted back. A reply came almost instantaneously:

Just please come over. Now.

Kim slipped on some shoes and half walked, half ran to Jack's house. She polietly knocked on the door and Jack's uncle immediately opened it, as if he was waiting behind the door for her. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he hadn't slept in a while.

He led her into the living room, where Jack sat on the couch, staring blankly at the screen of the TV, which was playing infomercials.

"Jack?" She asked quietly. He slowly turned his head to face her. He gave a forced smile in greeting, and turned back to the tv. Kim sat down next to him on the couch. "Jack, what's up?" She asked, already sensing something was amiss.

"Is it okay if I spend the night here?" She asked all of a sudden, half to Jack, half to his uncle. Jack nodded yes, and his uncle agreed too. She watched Jack intently, but all he did all night was stare blankly at the tv. She finally fell asleep on Jack's shoulder.

When she woke up, he wasn't there.

"Jack?" She called into the darkness of the house. No light was on, and the tv had been turned off. She quickly flicked on a light and went to check Jack's room. She was surprised at what she saw.

Jack was wrapped in his blankets, curled in a little ball in the corner of his room, silently crying. She rushed over to him. He instantly opened his arms and let her snuggle into his blankets. He laid his had on her shoulder and kept crying.

The force of reality hit Kim.

Although she tried not to need Jack, to be independent, Jack needed her. She was the one he depended on for reassurance, comfort, and protection.

"I'm sorry Jack," She whispered, thinking he had fallen asleep from his lack of crying.

"What for?" His hoarse voice mumbled back, cracking at every word.

"For ditching you. I wasn't there when you needed me. I only thought about how I was raped, how you kept protecting me. I didn't wanna be protected any more! I didn't think about how you felt. I'm sorry. And then yo-"

Jack cut her off with a kiss. His lips were wet with all his tears, but she didn't care. Their kiss was long and sweet, and when Jack finally pulled away, he had a glimmer of hope in his otherwise depressed eyes.

A few minutes later, he fell asleep on Kim's shoulder, a tiny smile etched on his face.

A/N: I don't know, should this be the end of the story? Please R&R!