Chapter Thirty-Six
It was a full week before Jared saw Kim outside of school hours again.
He understood Sam's insistence that getting an education was important; really, he did. But he also knew a good night's sleep was (arguably more) important. And yes, that was even considering the fact that lately he'd been forgoing sleep in order to patrol the rez due to the recent sighting of a red-headed leech they'd been unable to catch (something Kim was less than pleased to learn about via whispered conversation in their homeroom two days after the fact). And then when he wasn't patrolling, he was fulfilling his role as the Alpha's Second by attempting to coach Embry Call on how to phase back to human (a circumstance Kim did not understand the significance of at all because Jared knew the back of a crowded classroom wasn't the place for that conversation, an explanation he knew Kim only accepted because she didn't really have much choice thanks to Jared's recent absence from all other aspects of her life). Altogether, his life was kind of a mess right now. A very sleepless mess.
So, long story short, favoring sleep over going to school could have prevented the situation he was currently in. Then again, this was the only time he got to spend with Kim…it could be so much better spent, though.
"Jared…" Jared smiled to himself at the soft voice. Kim.
"Jared…you have to get up, now…" This time the familiar voice was accompanied by the sensation of something running through his short hair. It took a moment for him to realize it was Kim's hand running through his hair, and then another to realize that his eyes were closed. "The period is almost over, Jared."
Opening his eyes, the first thing Jared saw was Kim's face smiling softly down at him, her long hair forming a curtain on either side of his head.
"I fell asleep, didn't I?" Jared asked through a wide yawn. He remembered coming to the Cafeteria with Kim to have lunch (Paul was…Paul was somewhere else; Jared didn't really have the brain power right this minute to remember the excuse Paul made) and after practically inhaling all of his food, he remembered Kim suggesting he lay down across the bench they were sitting on so that he could rest, because he clearly needed it if he planned on making it through the rest of the school day. And so, with very little persuasion necessary, Jared stretched out and put his head in Kim's lap and…he didn't really remember anything after that until right now.
"If Sam keeps this ridiculous patrol schedule up for much longer, I'm going to have a few words with him," Kim said sternly. Then she grinned. "Actually, no I'm not. I'll have Emily do it."
"You're adorable when you're frustrated," Jared informed her, sitting up and kissing her briefly before he stood up fully and held a hand out to her. "May I escort you to class, milady?"
Kim smiled back and picked up the book she'd obviously been reading to occupy herself while Jared slept (she was amazing and he didn't deserve her, honestly) with one hand and slipped the other into the one Jared offered her. "You may."
Hand-in-hand, the pair walked out of the cafeteria just as the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang out.
"Things should get better soon," Jared stated as they made their way through the hall together.
"How soon?" Kim questioned, clearly disbelieving.
"As soon as Embry gets his shit together, for one," Jared replied thoughtfully. "He's actually calmed down quite a bit since he first phased last week, so that's good. Now we just need to convince him to stay calm enough for a long enough period of time to phase back. Once we don't have to constantly take turns basically babysitting him, things will definitely be easier with the patrol schedule."
"Even with that redhead you guys spotted after Embry phased?" Kim pressed.
"None of us have spotted her again yet," Jared stated, "And we haven't picked up her scent anywhere in the area again, either. At this point, there's no real reason to think she'll come back; with the exception of the Cullens, leeches haven't really ventured out this way in the past hundred years or so."
"Well…as long as you're sure about that," Kim trailed off. Then she looked up at him hopefully. "So you should be back to a normal patrol schedule soon? Meaning you'll be back to a normal sleep schedule, too? And you won't be half-dead every time I get to see you?"
"That's the dream," Jared said brightly. Or, at least, as brightly as a sleep-deprived teenager, recently woken up from a too-short but much-needed nap can be.
It was after school let out that day that Jared found out just how soon 'soon' really was.
Embry phased back a few hours ago, Sam informed Paul and Jared without preamble as soon as they phased in after school.
About time, Paul grumbled.
You're one to talk, Jared retorted, Didn't it take you twice as long as this to phase back to human the first time?
Paul didn't respond, but Sam and Jared both saw his thoughts as he contemplated how much extra speed he would have to put on to catch up to Jared, who was running several paces in front of him, and tackle him.
Sam cut in quickly, Shut up, both of you. Embry is at Emily's right now eating. She wanted me to tell the two of you to come over, too. Apparently we need 'pack bonding' time.
Will there be food? Paul asked immediately.
Yes, came Sam's immediate response, his thoughts flashing to all of the food Emily had apparently spent the afternoon preparing. It was more than enough to make Jared begin salivating, just at the thought of it all.
Then I won't even make a comment about how whipped you are, relaying messages for your imprint, Paul informed him.
Unsurprisingly, Sam did not even attempt to make a retort to that comment. He would very happily do anything his imprint asked of him. Which reminded Jared…
Do you think it's okay if I bring Kim, too? Jared asked, already adjusting his course to take him to the woods closest to Kim's house. She should be home from school by the time he got there.
She's pack, was all Sam responded before he phased out. Jared understood the underlying implication in the response, though, just as Sam had clearly understood the implication in Jared's question.
Embry was new, but he was safe. Sam trusted him enough to leave him alone with Emily, even if it was only for a few minutes and Sam was technically right outside in the yard. And, regardless, Embry had been made aware of the pack laws. It was safe for Kim to come over. Plus, she was pack; she was always welcome.
You know, Paul interrupted Jared's thoughts, In between his moaning about not being allowed to spend time with his two little besties anymore, I never thought to actually be glad to have Embry as a pack-brother now.
But now you've changed your mind? Jared asked in slight amusement.
Uh, yeah. Now I'm not completely surrounded by lovesick fools and their imprints.
No one is going to laugh as hard as me if you ever imprint, Jared promised his friend.
You just keep dreaming, lover boy, Paul shot right back.
By this time, Jared had reached the woods just behind Kim's house. Quickly, he phased back to human and tugged his shorts on. The rest of his clothes had been shoved into his backpack, which had then been left in his truck after school let out. Eager to see his imprint, and actually spend some quality time with her, Jared was across her backyard in just a few strides before he knocked sharply on the back door.
Almost immediately, Jared heard the sound of a familiar set of footsteps approaching the door; he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation. He really missed Kim.
The door was pulled open to reveal Kim, just as expected. "Jared? What are you doing here? I thought you had patrol?"
"First things first," Jared said shortly, before swiftly pulling Kim flush against him. It was just a bit rougher than he normally handled his imprint, but he had a hard time feeling bad about the manhandling when it meant her body was practically molded to his. Also, the fact that she immediately threw her arms around his neck and clung to him tightly told Jared that she didn't really mind either.
With Kim this close to him (pressed this intimately to him for the first time in what felt like years), though, Jared didn't waste any more time with pointless thoughts. Instead, he occupied himself with the far more enjoyable pastime of kissing Kim as passionately as he could. And when they finally separated due to a need for oxygen and Kim looked up at him with a dazed expression…well, then he took a moment to feel a bit smug.
"My apologies for not having enough time to do that nearly as often as I wanted to in the past week," Jared told her.
"If I don't accept your apology does that mean you'll do it again?" Kim questioned, her expression still slightly dazed.
"Chances are pretty high I'll do that again if you do accept my apology," Jared stated with a smirk.
"I look forward to it, then," Kim replied. Then she seemed to remember her initial question. "Why aren't you on patrol?"
"Cancelled," Jared said. "Embry phased back earlier and Sam wants everyone to come over. Well, actually, it was Emily's idea. She's really big on pack bonding time. But anyway, I came to get you. Because I miss you, and I love you, and you're part of the pack so I'm using that to my advantage and not spending any more time apart from you than I have to."
Now it was apparently Kim's turn to initiate their kiss. God, he missed this.
"Is Kylie home?" Jared asked several long moments later. "I forgot about her…Embry should be okay, but it's still probably not the best idea to bring her over there with us just yet…"
Kim shook her head immediately. "Mr. Lahote picked her up from school; she's spending the weekend there." She paused for a moment, then added as an after-thought, "He drove me home, too."
"Good. There's snow on the ground; you shouldn't be walking through that," Jared stated immediately. "That's probably another thing I should apologize for, isn't it? I can't believe you've had to walk to school all week. It's January!"
"Okay, Mr. Throws-Everything-Out-of-Proportion, calm down," Kim said with a laugh. "Before this year, I spent most of my life walking to and from school. One week walking now isn't going to kill me, and clearly it didn't. Besides, unless you parked your truck out front and then decided to come around to the back door, just how do you suggest we get to Sam and Emily's?"
Jared opened his mouth to reply and then promptly shut it again. He eyed Kim thoughtfully. "I could phase and carry you?" He suggested. "Or, I could just carry you, period. That would be totally fine with me."
"Or," Kim suggested, "We could both walk, because believe it or not that is something I enjoy even in January. And while we're walking, you can catch me up on all of the scandalous things happening in the pack, since we haven't had much time to talk lately."
"Have I told you how much I missed you, yet?" Jared questioned.
Kim smiled. "I'd guess it's probably just as much as I missed you."
After making sure that Kim was suitably bundled up to make the ten minute walk to Sam and Emily's through the Pacific Northwest winter (he was very impressed when she only rolled her eyes and allowed him to switch her hat that looked much warmer), the pair set off hand-in-hand.
"So," Kim began cheerfully, "Tell me all of your secrets. You've seemed kind of…I don't know, weird about Embry being in the pack now. I know he wasn't who you guys thought would shift next…"
Jared looked at her thoughtfully. "How much do you remember about what I've told you about the Quileute wolves?"
"Quite a bit," Kim said slowly. "Is there something specific I should be remembering?"
"How we become wolves."
"When there is a vampire threat," Kim answered immediately. "All of Taha Aki's sons could shift into wolves, but as time passed the shifter gene only activated when the tribe needed protectors." She frowned. "But wasn't there that redhead vampire? Isn't she what triggered Embry's phase?"
Jared sighed now. "Yes, that's what we think. But, well, I know you were mostly joking earlier when you asked about the scandalous things happening in the pack, but that's kind of what Embry phasing is: a scandal."
Kim frowned. "I don't understand."
"Taha Aki's sons could shift and there is a shifter gene that has gotten passed on to his descendents," Jared reminded her. "Just think about Embry Call for a minute. What's the one thing about him—especially in a small town like La Push—that no one is ever going to forget?"
"His mom moving down here from the Makah rez?" Kim questioned dubiously. Then, her eyes suddenly widened in understanding. "Embry isn't Quileute!"
Jared nodded. "Exactly. Embry's mom moved here while she was pregnant and everyone knew his dad was never part of the picture—"
"I always thought my mom and Embry's mom should be friends," Kim interjected here, talking more to herself than to Jared, "since they're both single moms…"
"But the other thing everyone assumed," Jared continued, "Was that his mom left his dad behind back in the Makah tribe. But now we know that can't be true. Since Embry is a shape shifter, his dad must be Quileute. And not only that, for him to have phased while Jacob and Quil haven't even shown signs of being close to it, we think he must be a direct descendent from the last pack."
Kim frowned thoughtfully now. "I don't think I know who was in that pack."
"It was Ephraim Black, Levi Uley, and Quil Ateara II," Jared told her. "Which means the candidates for Embry's dad would be Billy Black, Joshua Uley, and Quil Ateara IV…all of whom were married when Embry was born."
"Oh my…" Kim said softly, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Yeah," Jared agreed. "We've been trying to just ignore all of that though, and just focus on the fact that we're a pack of four now. But this is one of those times when the pack mind really sucks; sometimes peoples' thoughts drift and we all hear it."
"This whole situation sucks," Kim surmised. "Poor Embry. Hell, poor Sam. They could be brothers and they don't even know for sure."
She fell silent now and when Jared glanced down at her it was to see that she was biting her lip, a pensive expression across her face.
"What is it?" Jared questioned when a minute passed and she made no move to voice her thoughts.
Kim sighed. "It's just…that's something I've thought about lately…ever since I found out about Kylie and Paul, really. I have no idea who my dad is…he could be anyone. What if I have another sibling I don't know about?"
"Would talking to your mom about it help?" Jared questioned hesitantly.
Kim rolled her eyes and frowned angrily as she spoke, "That's never going to happen. She refuses to talk about the subject; talking about Kylie's dad is the closest we ever got. I think it's unfair. I mean, yeah, I know she thinks he's an asshole, but I still at least deserve to know a name. Since she refuses to give me even that much, sometimes…well, sometimes I wonder if she ever knows who he is. Of course, then that makes me feel like an awful daughter for even thinking that about my mom, but you have to admit, she clearly doesn't have the best track record with men."
"Well," Jared began thoughtfully as they turned down Sam and Emily's street, "If you do have a secret brother out there somewhere like Kylie did, at least there's one person we can rule out."
"Yeah? Who?" Kim questioned, a small smile crossing her face. Success.
"Um, me," Jared pointed out the obvious. "The love of your life, your soul mate…the Spirits think we're perfect for each other—I agree, by the way, if that wasn't already obvious—and I'm pretty sure they're not down with incest. So, there we go. That's one option ruled out."
Kim rolled her eyes again, but her smile was growing even wider now. "You're ridiculous," She informed him.
"Ridiculously awesome?" Jared pressed her.
"Ridiculously sweet," Kim stated.
"Eh, I'll take what I can get," Jared shrugged. "But come on, we're here. Let's get you inside. Your cheeks look kind of red. Are you cold? I told you to tell me if you were getting too cold. I knew I should have gotten a second scarf for you to wear—"
"Jared," Kim interrupted as they walked up the steps to the front door. "I take back what I literally just said about you being ridiculously sweet. You're ridiculously overbearing. I'm fine."
"I just worry about you," Jared muttered, coming to a stop right outside the closed door.
"And it's sweet, it really is," Kim insisted, taking a step closer to him and slipping her left hand into his right so that they were joined by both hand now, "Except when it's completely unnecessary. Like right now, for instance, when I've just spent the past ten minutes practically running to keep up with what you seem to think passes for walking, while holding your scorching hand. So stop worrying, hot stuff, I'm completely fine and still toasty warm."
"Ew, gross," A new voice interrupted, and both Jared and Kim looked over to see that they hadn't noticed the door being opened. A shirtless Paul now stood there, leaning casually against the frame. "You don't really call him that when you're alone, do you?"
Although he frowned at Paul for interrupting what could have easily turned into another (more than welcome) make-out session with his lovely girlfriend, Jared was pleased to see Kim meet Paul smirk head on with a smirk of her own. This should be good.
"That depends," Kim told him, "Do you worry about Barbie and Teresa's fashion emergencies when you're alone?"
Paul's eyes immediately widened in alarm and Jared burst out laughing when he easily put two and two together. Kim merely smiled sweetly at Paul before dropping one of Jared's hands and tugging on the other one so that he followed her into the house.
a/n—I have some problems with some of the information presented in this chapter. Namely this: the identity of Embry's father is such a huge scandal in the series, but the only options given are Billy Black, Quil Ateara IV, and Joshua Uley because they're all descendants of the last wolf pack. However, at the time Embry phased, only one of the three wolves was actually a direct descendant of that pack. Only one! Needless to say, that made writing Jared's explanation to Kim a bit difficult; I had to rewrite things several times. Hopefully it all turned out alright, though.