Chapter 23: Kim's Mine

"She's gone," Kim announced, plopping down on the leather couch she was very slowly learning to love.

I had seen the 'for sale' sign outside was removed from outside her mother's house about a month ago, though it wasn't until yesterday I noticed the curtains and all personal effects were removed. Everything that made it look occupied was gone, including the old tricycle that lie rusted on her front porch like a rotting skeleton of lost innocence. Shit, that was good. I was a regular poet.

Kim had gotten me reading a lot lately, I was currently working on Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck was a god! I always knew she read, but I never really thought of her as very academic. I was wrong. The two of us had our own personal book club now.

"Yeah… I saw the sign was gone. You okay?" I asked. She curled into my lap and grabbed my arms wrapping them around her waist. The pull on my wrist made me hiss and she cried out as if she were in pain.

It had been two months since the confrontation with the vamp in January, but my wrist hadn't completely set. And since I couldn't go to the hospital because of my abnormal genes I was forced to wait it out, cringe and curl as the bones moved sluggishly in my wrist.

The healing went faster when I phased, but it still hurt like hell. I was on duty every night now too, the redhead vamp returned, dancing around the line trying to get in, or annoy us, one or the other. It was Friday night, my first Friday off in a long time, we were taking it as time to chat, cuddle and fuck—our sex schedule had been severely disrupted in the two months since we returned to school.

"Jared, I'm sorry! I forgot."

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. It's been two months, you need to see a doctor!" She cried, she hated this more than me.

"I can't." We'd had this conversation too many times in the last couple weeks. I never thought I'd be annoyed with her worrying about me.

"You won't!"

"Same difference."

She huffed when I said this and I searched for something to say to her, but I didn't need to. There was an urgent call from the north, Paul, it was two long howls so I knew he was calling me. I kissed her goodbye smiling at my luck and running out the door.

"It's not over," she called when I was already at the bottom of her stairs, I knew it wasn't.

I was phased and in the forest in less than five seconds holding a pair of shorts in my mouth and sniffing the air for signs of leech. There were none.

It was just past ten pm it was dark and the air was cool, the first weeks February. I was assaulted almost immediately with a storm of Embry's moving picture narratives, Paul's inner monologue and a new mind. Wild but composed, scared and angry but invigorated.

Jacob Black.

I knew it was him the second I reached him, his home was closest to Kim's so I got to him first. He lay huddled in a ball and even in a ball shape it was easy to see how big he was. He twitched when I got near so I backed up giving him some space. Wow, he really was big. The true alpha had arrived, and he was massive. He was bigger than me and within millimeters of Sam who was the largest of the wolves by far.

Wow. Jake. You're gigantic. Embry called to him as he reached us. Embry was the youngest therefore smallest among us, and when put side by side with he looked like a cub.

Fuck you, Jared! Embry shouted, showing me images of parts of his body that were not small— but that I definitely didn't need to see again. It was a part of being in the pack, clothing was sometimes optional and Embry liked to opt out and show off. He needed to imprint bad, he had far too much energy to burn.

No. No I don't need to imprint. I want to share this with many. Embry showed us another image, him and a ruler. I never understood that part of being a guy, the ruler thing, until I became a wolf and grew so much I was too curious not to.

Whoa! Whoa! Why am I seeing so many penises? Jake asked his thoughts were interesting: optimistic, innocent almost.

Hey, hey man! Out of my head. What the fuck is this?... This can't be happening. Jake shook his massive russet brown head and—

Are you saying I have a big head? He did, but I didn't say anything.

You just did!

No I didn't. I thought it. It's different. I defended myself but not too harshly. I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with the new alpha.

Alpha? What the fuck is going on? All this time you knew Embry? You knew this shit was real and you didn't think to tell me I'd burst into a wolf at the equinox or some shit? It wasn't the equinox, he was obviously no astrologer.

Embry thought of all the times he was going to tell him but chickened out, hoping he wouldn't be destined to the same fate.

I didn't know for sure you would join us.

But why? Why now? This is crazy! And it always came down to this.

Vampires. Paul said finally joining us. He liked a dramatic entrance. (His thoughts not mine.)

Paul laid flat on his back, kicking his legs straight in the air. He didn't want to cut his hair too short cuz the ladies like it, so he was the shaggiest of the wolves. He also liked lying on his back so his sack got a healthy breeze. (Again, his thoughts not mine.)

Dude, can we stop with the dicks and balls right now? I'm a werewolf because of vampires? Because of vampire people who— he stopped himself. The legends caught up to him and I watched as all the dots in his head connected. An image of Edward Cullen, his arm around Bella's waist halted into view. She was wearing a cast, and a dress, some sort of formal occasion from hell.

Prom. She went to prom with a vampire. How could she not know he was—

She knew. I wasn't ready for the flood of emotions he would unleash when I said that. Anger. Jealousy. Pain. Sadness. Pity. Sympathy. Rage. Disgust.

Disgusting is about right. Paul agreed kicking up and rolling over so he was closer to us.

She knew! She knew she was dating a vampire? A creature who drinks human blood, and she didn't even care? She's mourning over a murderer? He was fuming and I pulled back, this dude was gunna blow.

I'm not going to attack you, god! What's up with you? He asked looking at me. He had some pretty interesting self-control for a newbie. Embry was a terrible little cry-baby for like a week and Paul was so fucking snippy. It took him two days to realize Sam was friend not foe.

FUCK YOU! Embry and Paul both called out in half felt outrage, they knew it was true.

He doesn't technically drink human blood, but yeah— I said trying to get out of the corner I was thinking myself into.

So what does he drink? Life forces? Souls? Memories? Loove? Sarcasm was apparently Jacob Black's friend.

Animal blood. Embry thought, he apparently found Jacob hilarious. I'm so done with sarcasm, its very tenth grade.

We are in the tenth grade numb nuts! Embry was annoyed.

I was missing out on much needed sex with Kim for this. The thought brought up lusty images of our last roll in the sheets.

Great! Again with the family jewels! And now we've got tits to add to the mix. Jake tried to put off an attitude, but he was laughing deep down. Tonight was my night off, of course a new wolf comes on my night off, my night with Kim.

Ugh! Enough about Kim. Just go. We got this. Sam is on his way anyways. Embry shooed me away with his head. I thought I should probably stay until Sam came, but then I thought of Kim, my most intense powerful image of her: the second I imprinted, her long lashes kissing her cheek—the world realigning.

What was that? Jacob backed away from me, as if I had attacked him.

My girlfriend? I stretched the words out like a question. I thought that's all that I was showing them, but I'm not sure what I could have possibly had in the background of my thoughts. Minds are complicated.

Were you on drugs or something?

Jacob? Sam phased, running towards us and that was my cue to leave. Sam could explain imprinting just fine. When I turned to run towards Kim's my wrist cracked loudly and painfully, I howled without meaning to and dropped to my hind legs. SHIT that hurt!

It's still fucked man? You need to see a doctor. Paul was worried, very worried.

I can't go to a hospital. I was tired of saying that.

You can go see Sue. Harry's not in the best of shape right now, Sue's taking his place, she's a nurse and she knows about us now. I just saw her this morning. She knows about your wrist, she thinks it needs to be reset. You would need an x-ray which she could do, but someone's going to have to re-break it for you. Sam was trying to control his thoughts, but seeing Leah today, with Harry in such bad shape was eating him up inside. He knew he should be with her, he should be comforting her when she needed him most, but instead he went home, made love to Emily and proposed.

Proposed? Paul was impressed, I ignored it. One word was concerning me right now.

Re-break? I think I'll just wait on that.

Pussy. Paul chuckled.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm off to get. I shot back, phasing before they could stop me, picking up the shorts where I left them and running off. I was not going to re-break my wrist. It was crazy and stupid and OW, OH FUCK!

As I pulled on my shorts the pain shot through my arm was so painful a tear formed in my eye.

When I got back Kim wasn't there and I following her scent until I found her at Emily's. The two of them had apparently had a very interesting chat while we were away, I liked that they were forming a tentative friendship. I forgot all about my w when we made it back to her place. We rolled around on the living room floor to needy to make it the last few steps to the bedroom.

In the morning Sam called, he was picking me up in two hours. I was skipping school today to take care of my wrist. I was doomed!

"I don't want you to be here for this. It might not be pleasant. Sam might have to break my wrist again," I honestly wanted her to be there to support me, but I also knew I was going to be a crying bitch. I had finally gained enough street cred for her to respect me- I didn't need it to have her see me crying.

"I'm going. I can't sit around here worry about you. So stop being a baby. I know you're going to cry. If you didn't cry I'd be a little creeped out, no lie." She was a goddess!

"Okay," I nodded resigned.

"We can make out while their breaking the bone. It might be a good distraction. I wouldn't be opposed to some other kinds of oral distractions either, but I don't think Sam would appreciate it," she said pulling me with my good hand towards her bed. We had time before Sam was picking me up and we didn't waste it.

Knock! Knock!

Worst timing, I sped up, I could feel her moisten and we both needed the release. I would soon be in the most heinous pain and she would have to watch it.

"One minute!" I screamed and Kim pulled my hair.

"Don't you dare stop," she threatened and I pulled her on top, her favorite position. We came together, a sport we had mastered along with the art of getting dress in less than 5 minutes.

It was Sam, he raised his eyebrow at us, sighed and motioned for me to follow him; very cryptic. When Kim followed to her eyed her for a while before he spoke.

"I don't know if you're gunna wanna see this."

"Actually I'm a sadist, so I'm going to love it. Huge turn on," she said dryly, hopping in his jeep. I laughed, he didn't.

"Emily said she liked talking to you last night. If you want I can take you to hang out with her for a bit. This won't take too long," he said looking back at her.

"She liked talking to me? I thought I scared the poor girl with talks of fellatios and contraception," Kim said in an obvious attempt to make him uncomfortable, it worked. He coughed and looked back on the road heading to the small clinic on the far edge of town.

It was not a hospital, Sue used to work at the hospital in Forks but when the Cullens returned she was begged by her husband to take a job closer to home. She worked at an expensive private practice, with calming blue walls and good equipment.

I was x-rayed for free, Sue asking a friend for a favor, then we took up a doctors room. Sam stayed outside he didn't like doctors offices. We stared at the x-ray with the x-ray tech for a long time, he had never seen anything like it, and he theorized that something as heavy had fallen on it. Eventually he called the doctor in to see the medical miracle of my semi-healed wrist that I injured just a week ago.

"You broke it that severely and didn't get it checked out?" The doctor said staring at the x-ray very closely.

"Yeah, well," I couldn't finish that sentence, no idea what I could say that wouldn't make me look like an idiot, so Sue just went on for me.

"What's the best method for this type of fracture doctor?" She asked, sitting next to me.

"Well, if you look closely the break was not clean, so it started to reattach on an angle, it's going to have to be broken and reset, possibly with pins. That's a surgical procedure, so I can't say much about help. You'll need a surgeon, they would likely use a clamp to hold the bottom half of the bone in place and basically realign it, then you will need a hard cast," the doctor sighed.

"Thank you doctor," Sue said as she ushered us to the door.

"I'm going to call a friend at the hospital in Forks," he said with his hand on the knob.

"No need. We're taking him to a friend in Tacoma, thank you," she said standing. I shook the doctor's hands with my good one and Kim wrapped her arm around me, pulling me to the door.

We took the x-ray and bounced, Kim lightly tracing my wrist with her fingertips, kissing my cheek and neck and anything she could reach. I sat in the back with her, my good arm around her shoulder, her head nestled into my chest.

"This is really going to suck," she whispered and I heard the fear in her voice.

"We're going to do it at Sue's place, you don't have to be there. Just say the word and we'll drop you at Emily's or your place," I whispered, taking her earlobe between my teeth, she liked that.

"No. I'm doing this," she said as if it were a challenge she couldn't back down from. I frowned but let it go. I was too worried about my own fate right now, she would be grossed out, yes, but I would be in pain. Burning, disgusting, vomit-inducing pain.

When we got to the house Leah was there, curled up looking half-dead on the couch watching re-runs of the Simpsons.

When Sam walked in the room she sat up, looked at him in a way I never seen anyone look at him before. It was a mix of love, hate, revulsion and lust and I turned away, it seemed extremely private. She stood, gave him the finger and was out the door and the house in no time. Sam stood frozen at the door, looking out as if he wanted to run after her. He was hurting, he loved her. I wondered what that'd be like, to love someone but be imprinted. My heart didn't have enough room for anyone but Kim.

"Okay, Sam get in here," Sue said eyeing the door as if she were hoping Leah would come back in happy again. She wouldn't. I knew from Kim that Emily had called Leah to tell about the wedding. After months of seeming better again, Leah had snapped.

I took a seat where I was directed just as Paul arrived. Sam had called him in the car, but I was too busy kissing Kim behind the ear to listen. "Perfect, just in time."

Paul eyed me, he was not pleased to be here. He was a big softy when it came to me, even if he was a dick sometimes and he didn't want to break my bones anymore than I wanted him to.

Sam kneeled on the floor in front of me and Paul sat on the side not occupied by Kim.

"I can be on my knees too if you want," Kim joked, whispering in my ear. Her lips brushed my ears and I almost didn't feel Paul holding my elbow tightly.

"Do you want us to count off or do you want to be surprised?" Paul asked. I wasn't looking at him, my eyes were on Kim, her lashes now had tiny little tears stuck to them.

"Surprise me," I said, kissing Kim again. She pulled away, holding my other hand.

"You can squeeze if it hurts," She whispered in my ear I chuckled.

"Then you would have a broken hand."

"I'd rather me be in pain then you," she said kissing along my jaw.

She was the most amazing women. I couldn't imagine doing anything without her anymore. Even this was gross and I would likely cry, I was happy she was here. I needed her always, I couldn't ever live in peace without her.

"Will you marry me," I whispered. It had come to me as some sort of revelation. I needed her forever, I wanted to marry her and I wanted the world to know she was mine. It was embarrassing knowing Paul and Sam and probably even Sue could hear it, but then I didn't care. I was the luckiest guy in the world and I wanted to stay that way forever.

She looked at me for a few seconds, big eyes opened even wider, then a smile, her devilish smile spread wide across her face.

She kissed me much more passionately than she usually did in public, her tongue tracing the roof of my mouth and then it hit. Like in cartoons when the asshole animals throw brick or anvils or pianos on people, that's what it felt like. I gasped in her mouth but she didn't stop kissing me, her free hand running up and down my chest, her tongue wrestling with mine.

"You okay, Jared?" Paul asked but I didn't respond, I pulled Kim closer to me. I didn't care that she didn't answer, not verbally. I knew with her smile that she was mine and that she would be mine forever.