Hey guys! Thanks for all your patience! Life's been crazy lately. I've applied for the Teaching Fellows Scholarship, and that madness mixed in with two AP classes, and senior exit speech, has been driving me insane! But I have the computer to myself today, and plan to finish this chapter finally! But to try and apologize for the long wait, you now have the longest chapter yet!
Jane Austen Fan, DancinAlways416, guardgirl414, and Weasleygrlz07 all get special apple pies, cause I'm in a thanksgiving mood.
Love Remains the Same
I
find a place where we escape
Take you with me for the space
The
city buzz sounds just like a fridge
I walk the streets through
seven bars
I have to find just where you are
The faces seem
to blur
They're all the same
Half the time the world is
ending
Truth is I am done pretending
"Kim Connweller? Seriously Jarred, couldn't you have done better?" I ground my teeth as my fists balled. I had promised Emily not to get into anymore fights with him… "She's so plain, so boring… but hey, if that's what you're into…" he said sarcastically, not long after the words left his mouth my fist connected with the side of his face.Life had quickly become hell again. Kim was talking to me, but that was the only thing I had going for me at the moment. Paul had joined our pack a week ago, and it was the first time I seriously considered murder. Paul had to start a fight over everything, and as soon as he learned about Kim, he wouldn't let it go.
It was only mere seconds after I lunged at Paul that Sam was pulling me off of him. "Jared! Paul!" he scolded as he held us apart. "Why do I feel like the Father of two four year olds with you two around?" I hung my head ashamed, but not sorry. "Jared was the one that swung at me!" Paul accused. My head shot up, a new fire in my eyes. "Me? You need to stop talking crap about Kim!" Sam sighed. "This again Paul? Leave Kim alone. You have seen yourself how Jared feels about her." Paul didn't say anything. But nodded. "Now go inside and clean up before Emily gets back. If she learns that you two were fighting again…" All three of us shuddered. Emily was the sweetest woman I had ever known, but the idea of her angry, could send any man running. Sam waited until Paul was inside before turning to me. "I know it can be hard, but you have to try and ignore him…" I shook my head. "It's not that easy, Sam. Every time he sees me he has to say something." Sam sighed. "Maybe he just needs to get to know her, to understand why she means so much to you. Why don't you invite her to the bonfire tonight?" It was like a light bulb finally turned on in a dark room. Maybe re-hearing the legends was exactly what Kim needed. Maybe then she would believe me. "Sam, you're a genius!" he grinned. "That's what they say."
I pulled into Kim's driveway later that night, still happy that she had agreed to go. I nearly ran to the front door. I was greeted by her father. He was nearly as tall as I was, even though he looked thin, from the chemo I gathered. He was frowning as he called for Kim. Her smile matched my own as she appeared at his side. "Bye Daddy!" she kissed him on the cheek before turning to me. "Shall we?" I asked offering my arm. She blushed as I lead her of the porch. Within minutes we were at the beach. I could see Sam and Emily from where we parked. Sam was building the fire, and Emily was trying to look like she wasn't watching us. Kim was quite as we walked their way. I stopped halfway worried by her silence. "Kim, what's wrong?" she shook her head and wouldn't meet my eyes. "Nothing." I gently raised her chin, our eyes meeting. "They'll love you." She bit her lip, but nodded. "Emily already loves you." I encouraged. She took my hand as we resumed walking.
Emily's grin grew as we neared. "You must be Kim. It's nice to finally put a face with the name. I'm Emily." Kim smiled, feeling the warmth in Emily's voice. "Hello." I pointed to Sam across the fire. "That's Sam." He smiled and waved, Kim waving in return. We took our seats in the sand just as Paul arrived. I felt Kim stiffen next to me, but Paul passed by silently, and she relaxed again. It wasn't long before our guest of honor arrived. Billy Black was being carefully wheeled through the sand by his son Jacob, who quickly took off for the other end of the beach once Billy was situated. Sam and I exchanged a look. It wouldn't be long before Jacob was one of us. Billy greeted us all and began to re-tell the legends, tribe stories that had taken on a whole new meaning since I had phased. "These are better than ghost stories." I whispered to Kim.
By the time Billy got to the story of the third wife, Kim was fighting sleep. A soft, but cool breeze blew past us and I watched the shiver travel down her spine. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grinned as she leaned against me. Jacob returned for Billy once the legends were done, and I glanced down to find Kim asleep. Emily was smiling like a proud mom from across the fire, she herself leaning against Sam. Paul stood and walked to me. "Need help?" I was surprised by the genuineness in his offer. "Could you get her door for me?" Paul walked with me and held the door open for me. As I stepped away, Paul glanced from me to Kim. "You really love her, don't you?" he sounded confused. "I couldn't imagine loving anyone else." He shook his head and shrugged. "I don't understand it, but I can respect it." "Thank you." Paul smiled and left to his own car, and I climbed into the truck.
"Kim?" I called softly, trying to wake her up gently. "Jared?"She blinked trying to recognize her surroundings. "You fell asleep at the fire, you're back home now." I explained. "Oh!" she looked disappointed. "I hate that I fell asleep, Billy was a great story teller." I opened my door and came around to hers just as she was opening it. I lifted her down, my hands lingering on her hips, and her's on my shoulders. My body moved on its own, my neck bending to touch my lips to hers. It was as if an electric current went through my body. The kiss was soft, but so much better than anything I could have imagined. It was too short, but I pulled away before I could push any father. Kim deserved better than that. She was blushing harder than I had ever seen, but smiling a mile wide. I kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight Kim. Sweet dreams."
As soon as my truck was in park in my own driveway, I was running in wolf form to Kim's again. I found her in the backyard, wrapped in a blanket in a hammock that hung between two evergreens. She had her eyes closed and was smiling like she had been when I left. Cautiously I approached. I knew that this was the best shot I had at getting her to understand, while the legends were fresh in her memory. I placed my wet nose in her hand as I lay down beside her. Kim jumped and nearly rolled out of the hammock. I waited for the scream, but it never came. She just stared at me. "Kimmy?" a small voice called from the house. She looked anxiously at the house before looking back at me. Her hand flew to her mouth as our eyes met. "Jared?" she gasped. "Kimmy, where are you?" her little sister called, this time papering at the back door. By the time Kim's eyes had widened in panic, I was safely in the trees. I waited for her to walk into the house before phasing back and pulling on shorts. "Jared?" Kim called softly into the yard. "Are you still there?" "I'm here." I left the cover of the trees. She seemed to be in a daze as she walked back to the hammock. "So it's all true…" She sat back down on the hammock and studied her hands. "Yes. The legends are all true." She still wouldn't meet my eyes. "That first day at the beach…" "I would never lie to you." She finally looked up at me again. "I know." She whispered barely audible.
"I assume that the full moon thing is bogus?" She asked changing the topic swiftly. I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Yes, totally bogus." She sat up straighter in excitement as I sat down on the hammock next to her. "What about mercury? Silver bullets?" "Any bullet could kill me if aimed right… I'm not immortal, just more durable. I run a temperature, which would have killed me as a human, that's why I'm so warm. I heal fast, a scrap is gone in seconds, but if I got shot in the head…" we fell silent again. "What about vampires?" I could tell that she was expecting a no, so I said nothing. She stared at me for a while, and then gasped. "They're real? The Cullen's?" I nodded. "They are the cold ones from the legends. They've grown since the treaty. Another couple has joined them." Kim's eye's widened. "But Dr. Carlisle… you trust them." I was amazed by how quickly she was catching on. "We will remain peaceful as long as they obey the treaty." "We? There are more of you?" I nodded. "You met them tonight. Sam and Paul." She looked away again. "You're friends with Paul…" did she think that changed how I felt about her? I was confused. "I'm not quite sure what has happened between you two, but he won't be bothering you anymore." "How could you know that?" she asked sarcastically. "When we're in wolf form, we can hear each other's thoughts. He knows that if he even thinks about messing with you, I'll kill him."
Kim turned to look at me in confusion. "Why me?" it was my turn to be confused. "Why not you?" She stood and began pacing between the trees that held the hammock. She was quiet, and I worried that I had upset her. "I've known you since kindergarten." She started after a while. "We've had at least one class together each year since middle school, and I've had a hopeless crush on you since the eighth grade. So why is it that now you decide to finally show any interest in me?" "I've been so blind… I'm sorry for that. For so many years I've ignored you." I felt so stupid, but knew I had to say this. "There's this thing that werewolves sometimes do called imprinting. It's supposed to be really rare, but I've imprinted." Kim stopped pacing. "What is it?" "Finding your soul mate, your perfect match, your other half…" I reached for her hands, and gently pulled her back onto the hammock. "I've imprinted on you, Kim." She stared up at me, her wide eyes showing both hope and caution. "Will you ever trust me?" I asked in a whisper. She smiled and cuddled up closer to me. "I think that I'm beginning too."
I wrapped an arm around her waist as she laid her head on my shoulder. I sighed contently as I breathed in the lavender scent of her hair. "How did you know that it was me earlier?" I asked, remembering how she had gasped my name. "Your eyes…" she blushed before raising a hand to trace around my eyes. "I knew it was you, because your eyes were still your eyes." I smiled. I had never thought about that. "And you weren't scared?" She shook her head. "I was at first, but again I could see it in your eyes. You weren't going to hurt me, you're eyes held…" she shook her head again. "What?" "Love." She whispered. I laid a hand on her cheek.
"Kim, I Love you." I had never seen a smile that bright before. "I never stood a chance against you." Her smile quickly faded and she sat back up. "You never stood a chance?" I couldn't understand the expression on her face. "After I phased, I had no "After I phased, I had no choice but to love you." choice but to love you." She stood up and stared down at me. "Kim?" I understood her expression now. Fury. "You had no choice?" she hissed. My eyes widened as I realized my mistake. "No! Kim, I didn't mean…" She walked across the yard. "Go home Jarred." Her voice was hard and cold. She stormed into the house leaving me alone, confused, and angry with myself. "How many times am I going to screw this up before she won't forgive me?" I cursed at myself before immediately working on a plan to win her back.
Tada! I have finally updated. Sorry about all the typo's. My spelling is awful and my spell-check is busted R&R! They make my day, and motivate me to update… Like Jane Austen Fan's: "Please for the love of god! UPDATE!"
See? Motivation!
