Hey guys, I know, I know, I am the WORST person in the world! It's been MONTHS and I really have no excuse, sure I had college going on, but I should have made time for even a nibble of a chapter. So, I am very sorry for this late update but I hope I still have a couple followers! Here's the new chapter.

A Cinderella of Sorts

Kim's POV

"Jared, there's something I have to do-"

"Yo, Jared! Everything all right down there?" Embry shouts, interrupting me.

My eyes widen, and I panic. I'm not ready for them to know yet. Jared hesitates, seeming to pick up on my feelings, and although I am sure he doesn't like it, he waves Embry away.

"Yeah, I think so. False alarm I guess; it was nothing."

I smile with closed lips, peer up at him gratefully, and hold my hand out for him. He grasps it quickly in his large one, and hugs me closely.

"Are you gonna tell me?" he whispers into my ear.

I nod into his chest, "but not yet. Please, Jared, I don't even have all the pieces myself. I know it has something to do with something that happened to me as a child, and to my powers, it's all wrapped together, but I don't know how yet."

"Okay," his body is rigid, and I know he is worried, but he's sincere, "when you're ready. Promise me."

Oh Taha Aki, I don't deserve him.

"I promise," I whisper back.

He gives me a half-grin and then leans down connecting our lips softly.

"Jared," I whisper when I pull away, "I can't say for sure, but…I think part of this big secret I am trying to unwrap is that something happened and I was taken from my family…and molested when I was a little girl."

Before I even finish, Jared is already vibrating rapidly, growls rumbling from his gut up to his chest. He grabs my upper arms, and forcefully but still gently moves me back a few feet before stepping backwards, closer to the woods. At this point, I have realized what set him off, and I take a step forward to comfort him like I normally would.

Except this time it's different. He barks sharply, and shakes his head rapidly from side to side at me. Stepping further into the forest he turns, and sprints faster than I can follow with my eyes. A few moments later I hear a piercing wolf howl.

And my heart hurts. Because he…rejected me. He'd never done that before. And it hurt.

But, as I stood there, staring blankly after him I knew deep down that he was just protecting me, as usual. That he didn't want me close because he didn't want to hurt me. But it still hurt; put an ache in my chest and a crack in my heart. It was irrational, but feelings never are, are they?

I sighed, and decide to wait for him in the house. Turning around, I see the entire pack has piled out of my house and are staring at me confused. I shrug.

"He just needed to go for a run," I smile bleakly.

They don't look like they buy it, but something in my face makes them fake it for my sake.

"Cool, I'll just go run with him then," Seth chirps, "I got next patrol anyways. See ya later, Kim"

He kisses my cheek in a brotherly manner as he passes, and I give him a real smile. He really is a sweetheart. After he disappears, the rest of the pack, minus Emily and Sam, disperse, some going to Emily's no doubt to beg for more food, or to go home and sleep before their next patrol. Only Embry stays behind. He leans against the jamb of my back door, and gazes at me intently. It's strange, but not exactly invasive. He lets up after a moment, and nods his head inside before turning to go in. I follow slowly. Embry has become a really good friend surprisingly, and I know that he can probably see that I'm not okay.

"Are you okay?"

I shift in my spot on the couch, uneasily.

"Yeah, I just said something about the kidnapping, and Jared got upset again, and I really should have known better I guess," I sigh, giving him a half-truth.

I did say something about the kidnapping, just not the one he's thinking of.

"Hey," he pokes my side, "you know he's just protecting you right?"

"Huh?" I'm confused.

He chuckles deeply, "Kim, you tried to calm him down right?"

Wow, okay so maybe he knows me a little better than I thought.

"And he didn't let you, right? And now you're upset, even though you know it's not rational," he says.

"Uh, yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head," I roll my eyes.

"He didn't want to hurt you. Don't upset yourself; you know he loves you more than anything right?"

I nod reluctantly, chin down.

"Then, that's all that matters," he puts a finger under my chin and pushes it up, "He'll be back soon. I should get going; I haven't seen my mom since yesterday morning."

"Thanks, Embry," I smile at him thankfully.

He just smiles back, and heads for the front door.

"Hey, Embry" I call before he's completely out the door.

He stops halfway on the porch and pokes his head back in.

"Yeah?"

"How'd you know all that? Like read my mind or whatever," I clarified.

He's looking at me now, head tilted to the side, and suddenly…I just know.

He shrugs, gives me a crooked grin, and closes the door behind him.

But it was enough. I saw what I needed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I murmur in the quiet.

"Kimmy, come on! We're gonna miss it!"

"Miss what?"

"DUH! The fireworks! Remember silly? They go off every fourth of July, dummy."

"Hey! Don't call me a dummy, you big bully!"

"If you gonna come with me, put down your Barbie doll, and let's go!"

"Whatever, Embry."

"What about mommy and daddy? Are they going too?"

"Nah, they're off doing stupid grown-up stuff, but don't worry. I'll never leave you alone! It'll just be you and me, 'til pigs fly!"

He brings up on of our old inside jokes.

"And ya know, pigs can't fly right, sissy?"

"DUH!" I smile.

An echo of my own childish laughter. Giggles, and grins. Innocence personified.

If only it could have stayed that way.

I blink, and realize, I have tears running down my face.

Sniffling, I wipe them away hastily, and go to the kitchen to do dishes until Jared returns.

Embry, I exhale, oh Embry why didn't you say something?

I am broken out of my reverie, by the sound of footsteps crackling on the gravel driveway in front of my house. I wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been standing still in contemplation. But I had, and the pack never entered through the front. They always went through the back door because they usually came from the woods. Besides, they just left. Maybe somebody forgot something?

Yeah, right, Kim.

"Jared?"

No answer. The footsteps have stopped.

I open the door and simultaneously call out hello. Despite how stupid that is, I'm hoping it is Jared.

I shut the door after a moment and turn around, running into somebody.

I scream. The person puts a hand over my mouth and the first thing I register is that it's warm. I open my clenched eyes and my eyes nearly roll back into my head in relief. I pull his hand away from my mouth and smack his chest lightly.

"Don't scare me like tha-"

He cuts me off with his hand on my mouth again. Then brings his other hand up and puts his index finger to his mouth in the universal sign for "shh." I nod up at him, eyes wide.

So it wasn't Jared's presence I felt.

He removes his hand and presses me gently against the wall of the door, pressing firmly when I shift even a little. I get the message, "Stay here."

I nod again to let him know I understand.

He looks at me anxiously before walking swiftly, but so very silently, through the house, and out of sight.

My heart feels like it's going to beat right out of my chest. Elaine. Oh, my God, what if it's Elaine?! She's going to kill him. Please, God, please, no. I whimper in my head, tears welling in my eyes as I think of all the gruesome possibilities of what she'd do to him. I want to throw up.

Take a nice, long look at your boy when you wake up, Kimmy. Because I promise, when I catch up with you, -take a nice, long look at your boy-Oh, poor Jared, he really wasn't invincible was he? It's the last time you'll see him in one piece-one piece-one piece…Elaine's shrill voice echoes in my mind.

"No," I puff out between heaves of my chest, "no! Jared!"

I can't let her hurt him! No, no, no, no, no, NO! I trip and hit the floor as I scramble to go after him. He couldn't have been gone more than a minute or two but my house is small, what if she was here, what if-

"Kim!" Jared screams.

But it's all wrong. His voice is wavering, and coming in and out, like there's bad static interference.

He is in the room now.

I gasp; his back is to me because he is backing up slowly into the room.

"Jared!" I cry holding my stomach with my arms.

"Kim, Kim everything's okay," Jared soothes.

"Jared, no, no Jared, it's not," I wail.

He hasn't turned around yet.

Elaine steps out from in front of him, claws retracted in one hand, but extended in the other. She holds the clawed hand out to me, palm up, and grins, her teeth glinting malevolently in the low light of my living room.

"Just go with her, Kim. You're just not worth this!" Jared shouts, suddenly turning around to growl at me.

I gasp. At his words. And his eyes.

They're black. Black holes.

"Jared," I sob, "Jared, what happened to your eyes?"

Elaine smiled.

"I told you, Kimmy," she holds out the declawed hand, it is in a fist shape.

"To take a good look at him, because the next time I see him, I am going to take one thing after another."

She steps forward once more, and I crawl backwards frantically.

"I'm going to make it slow, and so…very…painful," she punctuates each word with silence, "And not even those childish little powers of yours can save him."

She holds her hand de-clawed hand out and opens up the fist, showing me what's inside.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Because in her hand, are two bloody, brown eyes staring lifelessly at me.

Jared's eyes.

He is sitting at her feet now, like an actual dog waiting for its owner's orders.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice is telling me this can't possibly be real. It just can't.

"Oh, Kimmy," Elaine sings.

I clench my eyes and try to ignore her.

"Kim!" but this time it's not the same voice.

My eyes pop open, but Jared's mouth isn't moving.

"Kim, wake up."

Elaine's smirk fades, and she huffs out a breath.

"Well, damn. That's inconvenient. Guess I should be going now. Wouldn't want you thinking you can actually try a stunt like last time," she growls at that last part.

What? What's going on…?

My mind is fuzzy; Elaine and blind, unseeing Jared are blurring before my eyes. A familiar green glow fills my vision, and I have the sudden flash back to what Jared had said; that I didn't listen to before.

"You're just not worth this!"

Just before it fades to black, I have a sudden epiphany.

My eyes snap open and I sit up with a jerk, nearly smacking right into Jared's face hovering over me.

I shakily take in my surroundings. I'm on the couch, where Embry left me. I guess…I fell asleep before I started the dishes…

I turn to Jared and examine him carefully. He appears to be intact, so I launch myself into his arms.

I could cry with relief. And I do. Fat, sloppy, hot tears are running down my cheeks, and I am making an embarrassingly loud keening noise, whilst hugging him to me as tightly as I can. He is making soothing circles on my lower back, and whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I intertwine my hands through his hair; my legs go around his waist, my head fitting perfectly into the crook between his neck and shoulder.

And I sob.

Because no matter what, no matter how many times he may accidently hurt my feelings, no matter how many times I feel insecure or not worth him or his time, I know. It's that epiphany again.

That I am worth his time, no one will ever come between us, and I will never let him leave me, and I will always love him and he will always love me.

Because he is my sun and my moon.

And I am his world.

Yay. So Kim finally gets over it all and understands that deep down their love is all that matters. 3 Yes it was all a dream after embry left except for that memory with him in it. Sooooo tell me what part you think Embry plays in this? Please REVIEW!