Little romance in this Chapter… need that sometimes. A fight and some talking. Worrying Kevin blah blah blah. I've spent the last several hours planning ahead to Chapter 17 XP. Now it's time to write more! Anyhow… read, write, review!

Part 10 – Kevin's POV

Guys, what's that smell?

We had been running a good, long time. Cohl had picked up a scent off the trail we were keeping to for his first time.

I sniffed the air – in the lead with Leah at my side. I don't know what you're smelling, Cohl.

That smell! Cohl was inspecting a small bush. It looked undisturbed.

Brady stumbled to him as I attempted to unscramble the scent in my mind. It was disgusting, but Cohl's view point made it hard to figure out what it was.

On the other hand, the scent Brady gave us was clear. Vampire! We all growled.

That's vampire? Cohl stepped back, snorting and sneezing the scent out of his nostrils. It stinks like hell!

Yeah, you'll get used to it. I promised him. But yes, it is disgusting.

It's… like… really strong, he watched the spot warily.

In that case, we better keep our eyes, ears, and minds open.

On it, Kevin.

And Leah… stay by me. I begged, my eyes wide and innocent.

Kevin, she complained.

I know… but it's just for the sake of my mentality. I whimpered.

Fine. She trotted especially close to my side, nuzzling my cheek gently, but just to keep you safe.

Imprinting – crap! I don't need any damn soul mate to make me happy – hell, I don't want to have to depend on someone like that! It's like a weakness.

Leah and I laughed in sync. I glanced back at Cohl. I said the same thing and regretted it the second I imprinted.

Keep telling me that.

We will.

Code Sparklez.

I rolled my eyes. Brady, in werewolf speak; please.

Code Blue you morons!

Crap! I snapped into Alpha mode. Cohl, you have no training. Tony, stay with Cohl. You're one of the best fighters here; apart from Leah. Brady, Collin, Leah, stay behind me. Don't put yourselves in any sort of danger whatsoever.

Yes, Kevin.

The fell into file behind me, Leah directly while Brady and Collin flanked her. Tony and Cohl loped in the opposite direction the scent was coming from.

I snapped my jaws. It smells close. Any identification, Brady? He had the best sense of smell between the four of us.

Umm… he thought and inspected the scent carefully. Human-drinking she-vamp. She smells very vampire-y. She must be low on blood; otherwise we'd be smelling that clearer than day.

A hungry vampire, I snorted, alleluia.

Leah snorted. The scent is getting stronger. I bet she isn't a mile from our current location.

Correct. I checked Tony and Cohl's coordinates. They were far enough away to be safe. Good. Those two are safe; let's take care of this bitch. Brady, Collin, stay behind a good several paces. Leah and I will lead. Watch your partner's back at all times.

I didn't like their thoughts, but I managed to ignore them all. We crept forward, looking around for the creature which we stalked.

Minutes ticked by slowly. Not a silent footstep or unsteady breath was heard. Maybe she had run away… but we could smell her stench from all around.

Suddenly, in a blur of white and black – she attacked. We hadn't even known she was right behind us! The first wolf she attacked was me – latching onto my hind leg. There was a loud crack as pain shot up it. I yelped and grasped her head between my jaws and tossed her away as if she were a wash cloth.

She landed on her feet; utterly still. Her hair was straight and black. Her eyes – raging ebony had only the slightest sparks of crimson in the tiniest flashes around her pupils. She hissed at me as I stood; feeling the bone mending itself back into place quickly. I snapped my jaws in a taunt. Come at me, leech!

And come at me she did! She was attacking me – but not physically. The pain was mentally strong. Most vampires had different powers – I knew what hers was. She could sense bonds. Perhaps it was the way I sidestepped toward Leah, or the panic expressed on her face when I was attacked – whatever the cause, she knew.

Leah writhed on the ground. The vampire hugged her. Before any pain could be inflicted, I lunged at the vamp. My teeth sliced a clean cut – causing cracks to spread up her arm rapidly as if she were dry, cracking earth.

Letting go of Leah, she turned to me – eyes raging. A hiss – and a solid fist lashing toward my face all before I knew what was even happening. My left eye was blinded temporarily – pain spasming in my head as I toppled to the ground. Her arms wrapped around me.

The world seemed to shrink. The edges of my vision grew hazy with a numb feeling. Wait… that wasn't numb, was it? That was pain; pain so intense that it felt numb. Crack! Crack! Crack! Yikes… what was that? Smash! I was choking on the blackness. It filled my lungs and head with dizziness. It didn't allow me to think like air did.

Kevin! Kevin! I could feel Leah's saccharine voice prodding the edge of my mind – but it was as if we had all been on one radio wave and I were fading to another. A thought occurred to me. If I didn't open my mind, Leah couldn't hear Brady or Collin – vice versa.

That was the last thought I processed. Crash! The pain emerged from behind the cover of numbness – the blackness instantly gone. I saw a light – a very bright light. It blinded me and made me feel so many emotions at once that I felt faint. It was hard to breathe. It was hard to think. It was hard to not move, but impossible to move.

A final crack occurred, and blackness evolved me once and for all. My eyes fluttered to a shut – my heaving sides shallowing. I gasped – falling into an abyss of nothingness.

But the abyss wasn't completely empty. No – there was one last reoccurring thought that played in my empty mind like a broken record. Distress, agony, selflessness, and defeat. In the emotionless world, I felt emotion. I felt like I was letting someone down – someone that I cared for dearly. I just couldn't imagine whom.

Seconds dragged by as long as minutes in that abyss. Nothing, but everything was relevant to me. A gentle pair of hands prodding my skin – had I phased? The stink of a vampire; not so offending so I knew it must be Carlisle. The companionship of others that I trusted as I was carried away. There was a lot of bumpiness I was aware of – riding in something? But for whatever frame of times I wasn't being carried, I was surrounded by the warm arms of someone – or something. I couldn't tell.

All these motions ended as soon as I was set down somewhere. There I stayed – unmoving apart from my gentle breathe. There was something wrapped in my right arm.

The blackness surrounded me. It wasn't until after a good I'd guess several hours after it'd trapped me did I notice a shift in the atmosphere. It was growing lighter. The abyss had an end – I wasn't going to fall forever. Pain became sharp as it radiated from my left shoulder area and ribs (though they were less).

I made out a gray wall – my ceiling. I was awake. Before attempting movement, I blinked and stared for some time. I didn't want to push it. Slowly, I then turned to look at what was in my right arm.

It was a girl – long and lean with beautiful, longish black hair. She snored quietly, looking at peace. Some time passed before I finally put a name to her face. Leah! Yes – now it was all coming back to me. "Leah," I whispered.

At the sound of her name, she was aroused. Her gaze was sleepy as she looked up at me. "Kevin!" Relief flooded through her as she scooted closer to me in an instant, wrapping my chest in a hug. "You're alive!"

"Did you ever think I'd leave you here alone?" I asked her rhetorically.

"No. I wouldn't have let you go anywhere without me," she answered anyway.

I moved my right arm and clapsed her against my chest. Her head rested on my neck, causing dull pain to throb. I attempted to move my left arm, but stopped when searing, venomous pain slashed up it. I groaned, causing Leah to look up. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" I asked, staring at my arm in disbelief. Why couldn't I control it?

"The she-vamp attacked and you were pushed to the ground. She cracked your ribs – which healed safely and are just recovering yet. Then she broke your arm and bit you. The venom is why you're taking so long to heal. As long as it's in your system and you're fighting it, your healing will take longer. But your body heat will burn it off soon. As a finishing touch, she broke your shoulder. Any further up and she would've had your spine…" she broke off as conflicting expressions broke her composure. She was basically saying any further up, and I would be dead.

"And let's not go there," I growled as I shook my head away from the thought. She started sitting up to look back at me, but I held her hand so she couldn't go too far away.

"Let's. Kevin," she was watching me very closely, her voice strict yet forgiving. "Never do that to me again."

"What?" I asked, completely innocent. "What did I do?"

She seemed to be fighting back several emotions as she spoke. Her voice had dropped to a whisper. "Never put yourself before me like that again."

"I can't promise that," I shook my head.

"You don't know the pain I've been through for the last two days-"

"Two days?"

"Yes." She shook her head. "Never do that to me again. Never jump in to save me and put yourself in harm's way again. It hurts me more if you get hurt than if that blood-sucking leech had drained the life out of me there." Her eyes were wide, serious. I'd never seen her so… so… tormented before.

"But…"

"No. No buts. Never do that to me again." She was furious to a point she'd never been with me before. "I will personally rip someone's throat out. Sam, Cohl, Seth's, I don't care whose but someone's. Never do that again!"

"Yes, Leah. I'll never let myself be harmed saving someone again."

"Even me."

"Even… you." I growled grudgingly. "Unless it's killing you." I ignored her sigh of exasperation.

"Fine. Like that'll ever happen," she replied curtly.

I stayed silent and watched her as she stared out the window. I simply smirked in return. Tugging her hand, I pulled her back down to me. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

"As if you could get me out of here." She settled down in a similar position as I had woken to find her in. I watched her steadily for a few moments before she spoke again. "What if your parents walk in? Won't they find it weird if I'm lying in bed with you?"

"Nah – as if I give a damn what they think." I rolled my eyes, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

"If you insist – but if you end up with 'the talk' don't come whining to me."

"I've had plenty of 'the talk'-ing to in the last decade and a half. Don't worry about it." I pressed my lips into her hair. "Sleep, now, Leah. You look like you've been up for a while."

She didn't respond. Within a few moments, she was asleep – and so was I.

The indistinct thump of footsteps woke me. Leah was still asleep beside me. Her breathing was slow and steady as her head rested on my shoulder. The footsteps were closer now, slowing as they approached the door. Crap! I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

With a creek, the door opened indistinctly. It was Dad – I could tell by his scent. I couldn't smell anyone else because he would be blocking them for the most part. The door opened further as he watched Leah sleeping beside me carefully.

More feet thumped down the hall. Mom, Dammit. She defiantly wouldn't like it, but I had told Leah I didn't care what they saw. I put an effort in to oblige this promise.

I could imagine Mom shaking her head as she watched beside Dad. "They're a funny couple –that's for sure. Do you think they're moving too fast?"

"I think Kevin knows what he's doing." Dad responded for me.

"How can you be sure? It almost never goes right the first time." Mom doubted me.

"Kevin and Leah are both different. It'll work out, I'm sure."

"Maybe we should talk to him about it…"

"Sure!" Dad seemed that he would be more than pleased to talk to me like the parent and not the chew toy. "We'll do that as soon as he's woken and Leah is gone."

Now I most certainly didn't want Leah to leave.

"Maybe we should call her parents to let them know that she's here…"

"They already know that she's here," Dad pointed out.

"We should call them to come and make sure she's all right. I think all the worrying about Kevin's been stressful."

"I guess… but we don't know them."

"Maybe that nice Dr. Cullen knows them. He said he'd contact them."

"Sure."

There was a howl outside – unfamiliar to me. It must have been Cohl. It was accompanied by Jacob's voice from the other side of the border. I felt Leah stiffen as she was woken. I invisibly clapsed her still with my hand which was rested near her hip. Sensing my parents, she froze before continuing breathing slowly.

"Was that a wolf?" Mom asked, concern in her voice.

"Um… it sounded like it. I bet it's just a lost dog," I could hear Dad's voice tweaked in anxiety. He knew what that meant – it meant that we had work to do. "Come, let's go into the living room and start dinner. Kevin and Leah will be hungry when they wake up."

"I guess…" Mom seemed to be reluctant. I listened to their footsteps thumping faintly down the hall.

Only when they were completely gone, Leah sat up. She was wide-awake. "We've got to go… but you can't phase." She glared at me knowingly. "Not in your condition."

"Of course I-" I attempted sitting up, but was stopped by searing pain as it blew through my back – my ribs and shoulder. "Dammit!"

"That's what I thought." She seemed smug. She opened her mouth to continue speaking, when she was interrupted by the buzzing of a phone. My phone.

She picked it up. "It's me. Seth must have taken my phone. Here." She handed it to me.

I opened it hesitantly, not taking my eyes off Leah. "Hello?"

"Kevin," it was Jacob.

"Jake, what do you want?" I asked.

"To talk to Leah. Sue has some news."

"I'm here." Leah announced, surely using her sensitive hearing.

"She doesn't want you at Kevin's house too much more…"

"I know that tone, Jacob. What is it?" Leah snarled.

"She doesn't want you at Kevin's house." Jacob seemed repentant. "Ever." Or not…

Anger flared inside me. The look on Leah's face said the same. "What?" we growled in sync, using a lot of effort to make our voices quiet.

"Well…" Jacob was about to begin a long story. I set the phone between Leah and myself so my hands could clutch the sides of my beds. I heard fabric tearing. At least it was the fabric that was paying instead of my shoulder as I phased into a wolf.

"She doesn't believe you've imprinted." Jacob continued. His voice was tight. "You were quite angry – even more so – in the weeks leading up to your imprinting. She thinks that you were desperate and in an almost demented state of mind; henceforth, you must have imagined your imprinting. I mean… come on, girls don't become werewolves, let alone imprint!" I could hear by the sarcasm blade in his voice that he was repeating exact words. I could almost see him making little quotations signs with his fingers in the air.

"What about me?" I snarled.

"That's another thing…" Jake hesitated. "Leah?"

"Kevin, I didn't quite tell my mom that you're a werewolf. I just said we meet at night because… that's the only time you get out." Leah glanced away from me.

I wasn't angry at this, but it may have helped explain to her mother why she was sure she'd imprinted – because I had as well. But, the emotions that must have registered past my composure must have seemed so. Leah's face dropped. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"It's okay. You need to tell her-"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Jacob was silent on the other side of the line, probably as still as a vampire.

"Well…"

"She just can't for Pack purposes. For Charlie's sake, for Sue's sake, it's best that they don't know." Jacob's voice was as hard as flint.

"Okay… so what does Sue want Leah to do?" I continued back on subject, a grimace carved onto my face.

"Sue wants Leah not to see you at all. She wants Leah to get past this 'phase' of 'denial' and face reality. Sue had always been a… realistic person. Even when it comes to the supernatural, she has her beliefs and she'll stick to them. She doesn't want Leah at your house or elsewise."

"I'll tear her head off!" I shouted, ignoring the fact that my parents were only in the other room. In a jerk of movement, I stood to phase only to fall half-way up with a cry of pain.

"Shhh!" Leah stated, watching me. "We'll work this out-" she didn't have a chance to continue. Footsteps made their way down the hall. I could scent my mom. Great.

"The phone!" I gasped. I slapped it shut and threw it under the covers of my bed without another word from Jacob.

Leah stood by the door, waiting as the footsteps stopped and the knob started turning. She placed her hand on it, opening to meet my mom. "Oh, hello Mrs. Clark. I was just coming out to tell you that Kevin is awake."

"I see…" Mom pursed her lips as she glanced past Leah at me – lying in my bed with the covers half up as I was frozen by the pain. I tried to smile at her, but the best I could get was to not grimace.

"He was wondering what's for dinner." Leah continued as if it were all true, her voice not breaking for a second.

"Chicken." Mom replied instantly. "We're just grilling some chicken." Her gaze flickered to Leah, obviously looking for any sign of a lie. Apparently, she found none. "I'm going to go continue working on it. You two come out soon for dinner."

"We will."

"Yeah… I'll be there." I gasped slightly, hoping Mom hadn't noticed.

Maybe she had, but she didn't show it. She left the room without another word.

"Come on, Kevin. Let's eat and hopefully you'll be better by morning." Leah's voice had dropped drastically. "Jake's going to be pissed that we hung up on him. Sue's going to be a pain in the ass. Seth's going to have to tell-her-so that I know who I imprinted on and I know it damn well. But now, let's just go and eat some chicken."

I chuckled. It seemed quite vulnerable in the context of pains in the asses and annoying brothers, but chicken did sound good. "I'm coming." I sat up, ignoring the throbbing as blood rushed through my arm.

Leah was at my side. She grasped my good arm. "Let me help," she offered.

"Perhaps…" it was a struggle not to accept the invitation immediately. I stood, grunting as my arm swung limply. "This is going to be difficult."

"You're already half healed," she responded.

"I'd hate to find out what it felt like before." I tried to joke lightly.

"Here, Carlisle left this for you." Leah grabbed a single crutch and placed it under my good arm, stepping away so I could operate with it.

"My arm's broken, not my foot." I grumbled.

"All the same, he said that your coordination would be messed up due to lack of fore-arm control and that you should use the crutch to help you not fall and rebreak your healing bones." She spoke matter-of-factly, obviously quoting directly from Carlisle.

"Of course, as you wish, Dr. Clearwater." I mocked as I stumbled toward the door. It turned out that the crutch actually did help a lot.

Her eyes glowed momentarily as she watched me; not moving from the position in which she stood next to my bed – arms crossed and a thin smile across her face. "And the indestructible wolf falls prey to the meek vampire." She shook her head, starting to laugh.

"Was I the only one injured?" I asked, hoping with a shiver that I hadn't appeared weak in my drastic decline in health.

"Yes, thank God. I tore that damned stone off you. Brady made quick work of it." She bared her teeth at the memory. "I was busy trying to keep you alive. It was horrible – watching your hardly visible breath become shallower and shallower until you scarcely had any." Her voice trembled.

"Remember," I coaxed her gently as I stumbled to where she was standing, "that I was saving you." Trying to lighten the mood, I hinted in a light – if anything – joke. "You're welcome."

She seemed taken aback as she realized that I had only been saving her. She'd probably overlooked that fact after so many hours. Leaning against me, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to my cheek very gently. "Thank you." Her voice was gravely sincere.

"If you'll kiss me, I need to nearly kill myself more often."

"If you nearly kill yourself more often, I'm going to kill you myself." That was definitely a joke. We couldn't live without each other. This comment earned her a smile from me.

"Come, Leah, let's go eat dinner."

"Good idea. I haven't eaten since the attack and I'm still tasting dead leech." She grimaced, reminding me of the own sour taste in my mouth. I clicked my tongue as I tried to ignore the sudden bitter that I hadn't noticed before.

"Kevin, Leah, dinner!" my mom called from the other room.

"Almost there!" I responded bluntly as I literally crashed down the hallway. "Mom, can I have a glass of water? I'm parched." I sat at the hardly-used table with a huff of relief. My mouth tasted worse than hell sounded.

She didn't respond; instead handed me a glass of milk. "That'll work." I started chugging it, letting the flavor dull the aching agony. It was gone in a few flat seconds. Leah watched me in amusement. "And can Leah have a cup, too? I bet she's starved." Or in extreme discomfort.

"Sure, Kevin, but after you're healed we won't be waiting on your hand and foot," Mom warned light-heartedly.

"When should that be?" How long should I pretend to be hurt? Leah drank the milk almost as fast as me.

"Dr. Cullen said it would only take a couple of days before you are back in full health. It must have been quite a fall – keeping you unconscious this long."

"Yes… we're lucky you didn't break any bones." Dad cocked his brow as he gave me a meaningful scowl. Why did he always need to know everything?

Standing, I stumbled toward where Dad was grilling the chicken. "Sometimes, secrets are best worth kept that way." I growled/coughed. "These look good, are they ready?" I raised my voice.

He cast me a silent glare. "Yes. Take whichever you prefer." He grumbled and turned away from me.

Taking the biggest piece of chicken, I settled back down at the table. Leah did the same with the second biggest – her eyes obviously eager to get rid of the vile taste once and for all. I held it on my fork and bit into the whole chicken, easily tearing it with my sharp teeth. They could bust a vampire – chicken was like cutting butter.

"Manners," Mom scolded me gently. I grimaced as my hand fumbled with the blade. It wasn't nearly as efficient. Leah cast me an empathetic glance as she did the same. "See, Leah can cut with a knife, why can't you? It ought to be easier than bighting and tearing the chicken apart."

"It ought to," I muttered the single response. Honestly, I felt like stabbing someone with the knife that wasn't the chicken. "But perhaps it would just be simpler… with my arm and all… to use my teeth. With my… hand at a point where it's hard to control, I can cut far more powerfully by biting." I lifted my brow and smiled a hint.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Eat." She ordered.

Dinner was long, considering it took eons to cut the meat with one hand. But, by the end, when I stood up to grab my crutch on the other side of the room, I could hardly feel any pain. I walked to it with nearly no problem with my coordination. My left arm swung limply. If Leah hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have realized that I was still supposed to be in pain.

"Kevin, you appear to be feeling better." Her voice had an edge to it.

"Um… yeah. I think it's because I've been moving." Making a mental note, I added a slightly bigger limp to my step. The crutch was now more of a nuisance. "I'll be in my room."

Leah had stood from her chair – about to follow me out of what had formed into a habit – when my dad spoke. "We've called your parents, Leah. We're interested to meet your mother and Charlie. They're coming down to see how Kevin's faring."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "What?"

"Leah's parents are coming over any time now."

Holding back a slight panic, I nodded. "Okay." I didn't say anymore, worried my voice might have a high edge to it. Leah was frozen in place, staring toward the living room where my parents sat. "Come on, Leah, we'd better get you ready to see Sue…" I growled under my breath as I took her hand, ditching the crutch.

We entered my room silently. Only then did I turn to glance at Leah. "It's going to be okay," I assured her.

"No. It's not." Leah sighed, falling onto my bed carefully. "I may as well just throw myself into a coven of newborn vampires now."

"As if I would let you do that. No, if you were so determined, I'd point you in the direction of the ocean and follow you. Less painful death."

"But slower," she argued. "The vampires would be faster."

"More painful."

"Tidy."

"Cruel."

"Just a crunch of the spine."

Opening my mouth to reply, I stopped. What were we arguing about? Ways to kill ourselves? This was absurd! "Look, we're not going in the ocean – or throwing ourselves into armies of senseless vampires. We're going to ditch my mom and Charlie and tell Sue and my dad what's what."

"Kevin,"

"Leah." I sat next to her, wrapping my left arm slowly around her as I didn't want to make any sudden movements with it yet. "It'll be alright. Something will work out." I promised as I set my mouth against her hair.

"But… if it doesn't…" she glanced up at me.

A horrible feeling of dread coursed through me. It was one of those moments that you thought of all the things that had gone wrong in movies – deaths, for one example – and thought they would never happen to you, but you realized that they quite possibly could. With a simple misspoken word I could be banned from ever seeing Leah again.

In response to her unspoken question, I hugged her close to me. "If it doesn't, I'll at least have my memories." No matter if they were worthwhile…

"It's too bad there aren't any memories that are worth keeping," I think I knew where she was coming from – where she was going.

"Every memory with you is worth a million dollars," I pulled away so I could see her face. "If not more."

Her eyes softened.

And for the second time, I leaned forward to press my lips to hers.

This time was so much different than the first. Longer. Better.

A few minutes we sat there, not separating as we knew what was to come soon. This was a memory so bittersweet I was sure I wouldn't forget a single detail. The bros were going to kill me when they read all this, as if I give a damn! Ha, let them suffer in not-so-quiet silence.

"Kevin, Leah, Sue and Charlie are here!"

The sound of my mom's voice broke us apart immediately. "Coming," my voice was a little high, panicky at the sudden change of mood from romantic to dreadful.

Only now did I look at Leah – the first time since before the kisses. I should've know, she felt the exact same way. "Well… um… let's go." She patted my shoulder.

I stood, somewhat dizzy. I could blame that on my uncoordnatedness due to my shoulder. Grabbing the crutch, I slowly made my way out the door.

Down the hall, I would meet Leah's parents.

I'd meet Charlie, the father of Bella.

I'd meet Sue, the mother of my true love.

And I'd meet a destiny that I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

Duhn dah duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… XD And that's all I have to say! Until next Chapter…