Kimberly Price (conflicted) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2011-06-16 00:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | kim |
Saturday, December 13th, 2008
Who: Kim and Ed (with an appearance from the Metcalfes)
When: Saturday afternoon
Where: The Metcalfes' home in Salem
What: Kim has to break the news to her brother.
Hands clutched tightly onto the steering wheel as a green Honda Element rolled to a stop in front of the Metcalfes’ home in Salem. Kim had been dreading this moment as soon as she and Starbuck found out she was pregnant. There was no way she could get away with not telling her brother about this, and even though he was still being a royal douche about everything, Ed still had a right to know.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, going a mile a minute as an infinite number of thoughts raced through her mind. Every single one of her nerves were on edge, and even though Starbuck had healed her sore muscles from the previous night’s shift, she still felt physically drained. Luckily, Ed still felt just as drained if not more from running around on the full moon. That had been the whole reason why Kim waited until now to fill her brother in on the news. She didn’t want him possibly attacking Starbuck once he found out that Kim was pregnant.
Once the engine was turned off, Kim sat in the serene silence of the car, taking one deep breath after the other to calm herself down. She could do this. She had to do this. It wasn’t something she could go on avoiding for much longer.
Taking one last deep breath, she pulled the key out of the ignition and got out of the car. Her heart sped up again and her feet felt heavy as she made her way up the path to the Metcalfes’ home. The last time she had been here hadn’t been too pleasant either. She had come by to hopefully patch things up with Ed on his birthday, but no such thing happened. Just like every other time they encountered each other lately, their meeting ended up in a heated argument. That had been in April, but the last time she had actually seen Ed was in July when he and Luke had invaded her and Starbuck’s apartment in Boston. Even though she was originally opposed to pressing charges against Ed, Kim eventually realized that it was probably for the best. She hoped it had given her brother some time to think about what he had done wrong, but she now had a feeling that that wouldn’t be the case.
Kim stopped at the front door, her hand frozen once poised to knock. Fear stopped her, but she knew she had to push ahead. There was no avoiding this. Once she had knocked, she stepped back, trying to calm herself as much as possible until the door finally opened up.
The day after the full moon wasn’t the best of days to be bothering a family of lycans, but she had no choice. Still, she was torn between being thankful and being annoyed that it was Luke who had answered the door. “Hey there, KimKim. Afraid you’re a day late for all the fun.”
Kim’s brows furrowed, a no-nonsense expression settled upon her face. “Where’s my brother?”
“What, no kiss or hug hello?” Luke replied as he feigned being offended. “I think I deserve something since it’s been a while.” As he spoke the last words, he moved in closer to her, leaning in for a kiss, but Kim promptly shoved him away.
“You don’t deserve shit after coming into my apartment and attacking me and my boyfriend.” She glared daggers at him, her stance remaining strong.
Luke winced when he was shoved, no doubt still sore from last night’s transformation, but Kim obviously didn’t care. “Technically, I didn’t attack you. I just picked you up like Ed told me to.”
“Don’t fucking get technical with me. An attack on Starbuck is an attack on me.” Shoving him once more, Kim stormed past him into the house. “Where’s your mom?”
After regaining his balance once more, Luke shut the door after Kim walked in and followed close behind her. “I thought you wanted to see Ed..”
Kim walked through the foyer to the kitchen, but there was no sign of Mrs. Metcalfe. “I need to talk to your mom first.”
“About what?”
“None of your business.”
“Aww, c’mon, Kimmy. Don’t be like that,” Luke replied, trying to pull Kim back towards him.
She wasn’t having it though and she quickly pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned in her spot to face him. “Touch me again and you’ll have to deal with another broken nose.”
Luke immediately backed off, holding his hands up in a submissive manner. “Alright, I won’t.”
“Where’s your mom?”
One of his hands came down and pointed through the living room towards the back of the house. “She’s in the den.”
Kim began making her way to the back of the house but stopped after taking a few steps. “And Ed?”
“Upstairs in his room.”
Satisfied with Luke’s answers, Kim left him and traveled through the living room through the den where Mrs. Metcalfe was sitting in a large armchair by the burning fireplace. Her face brightened up significantly when Kim entered the room. “Kim! It’s so good to see you! It’s been so long.”
“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Metcalfe.” Kim’s nerves were at an all-time high, but the other woman’s presence was making her feel less on edge. “I’m so sorry to bother you on a post-full moon day, but I really need to talk to you.”
“Sweetie, you’re never a bother. You know you’re always welcome here no matter what. Come, take a seat.” Slowly, Kim made her way into the den and took a seat in an armchair adjacent to the one Mrs. Metcalfe currently occupied. She was about to open her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Metcalfe beat her to it. “You have some news to share, don’t you?” Her expression was almost identical to Mrs. Vallario’s while Kim was helping her clean up after Thanksgiving dinner.
Kim’s eyes widened instantly. Did she know? Could she tell that Kim was pregnant or was she just guessing? “I... um... I do,” she replied with a reluctant nod. “I don’t know if you know exactly what it is that I have to say, but I don’t want to say it right now.”
Mrs. Metcalfe’s expression remained calm as she nodded in response. “I completely understand.”
“I just... I have to tell Ed first. He’s probably not going to like it,” Kim stated with a bit of a frown. “I was wondering if you could be nearby when I do tell him. You know... just in case.” She didn’t want to come straight out and say ‘in case he gets violent’, but that was pretty much the reason why.
Once again, Mrs. Metcalfe nodded calmly. “Of course.”
Fear suddenly flooded Kim’s system once again as she issued a meek ‘thank you’ in response. It really was now or never.
Sensing the young lycan’s nerves, Mrs. Metcalfe reached over and squeezed Kim’s hands in her own. “He’s your brother and, as stubborn as he is, he still loves you. Just remember that.”
Kim nodded slightly and gave Mrs. Metcalfe a weak smile. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked out of the living room with the other woman. They both ascended the stairs together but their paths would split off at the top of the landing. “I’ll be right down the hall in the office. Everything’s going to be alright, Kim.” After giving Kim a quick hug, she went down the hall and disappeared into the office.
Once the door was shut, Kim turned around, feeling all of her senses go into hyper drive as she walked towards Ed’s room. The flight instincts within her were so strong at the moment, wanting to get as far away as possible from Ed, from this house, from the possibility of losing her brother for good, but Kim knew she had to forge ahead. Nothing but negative thoughts kept running through her mind as she brought her hand up and knocked on his bedroom door. There really was no turning back now.
Silence greeted her first knock and Kim wasn’t all that surprised. By Ed’s standards, it was still early for a day after a full moon, but Kim needed to do this now. Taking a deep breath, she knocked once more and this time, a groggy, grumpy voice answered from the other side. “Leave me the hell alone. It’s early.”
Kim suddenly began to question the effectiveness of this plan. Ed was probably incredibly sore from the night before and now grumpy because she had interrupted his rest. She wasn’t too confident about getting a positive outcome to this. “It’s me. Can I come in?”
Once again, there was nothing but silence from the other side for a few seconds until the door finally opened up and there stood Kim’s brother, his expression a mixture of grouchiness, annoyance and surprise. Ed silently stared at Kim for a moment longer until he spoke up. “What do you want?”
The anxiousness that had gripped at Kim’s insides began to melt away only to make room for some annoyance of her own. “Don’t be that way, Ed. I just want to talk.”
Ed immediately went on the defensive, his brows furrowing deeply as he spoke. “How the fuck else am I supposed to be? The last time I fucking saw you was right before I got ratted out to the cops by Stardouche.”
Kim should’ve been ready for this type of reaction from him, but even so, it got to her mostly because she couldn’t stand it when he called Starbuck that name. “You need to stop fucking blaming him for everything. I told him not to press charges.”
“Bullshit,” Ed spat out. He was convinced that that douchebag had his sister brainwashed into doing whatever he wanted. Why else would she be acting this way? Already tired of standing for that little bit, he retreated back into his room and plopped back down on his bed.
It annoyed Kim to no end that her brother wouldn’t even believe her on this one small thing, but it wasn’t going to deter her from telling him the news. “Fine. Believe what you want. That’s not why I came here.”
Grabbing the remote, Ed turned on the TV and aimlessly began surfing the channels. This was his fucking day of rest, dammit! Why the hell did his sister have to come and mess with that? “What do you want then?”
She had done it so many times before, but Kim really needed to take another deep breath or risk falling to pieces in front of Ed. That just wasn’t an option. “I want for things to be ok between us again.”
Not even a second passed before Ed let out a short, derisive laugh. “That’s not gonna happen as long as you’re with that loser.”
Kim’s brows furrowed and her frown deepened as she spoke now. “Starbuck is it for me, Ed.” Her voice remained as calm and as even as possible as she continued to speak. “I love him and I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with him.”
At her last words, Ed’s head snapped over to look at his sister with a stern expression. “You better not be marrying that little bitch.”
Kim felt her confidence waver slightly under her brother’s scrutinizing gaze, but she was determined to stand her ground. “And if I was? Would that be it for you and me?”
Ed did not like the way this conversation was heading at all. Dropping the remote, he got to his feet, looking down at his sister now. His voice was eerily steady as well though it still packed a firm punch as he hoped to get his point across to her. “If that’s what it would take to make you come to your senses..”
Her eyebrows raised slightly, unable to completely believe what Ed was saying. It felt like he had just driven a cold knife into her chest. “You would really turn your back on me for that? You would risk losing the only family you have left?” Kim refused to believe that it would be that easy for him to turn his back on her. He loved her and that’s why this was all happening in the first place.
However, Ed saw this differently. He figured once he let Kim go, she’d see the error of her ways and come back. Blood was thicker than water no matter what anyone said. Besides, he had proven that Starbuck couldn’t protect her when it mattered the most. “You deserve better than him. He can’t keep you safe and I proved that.”
Incensed by his words, Kim was starting to lose patience with her brother. “By attacking us in our apartment?!” What little fear that was left in her system was gone, now completely replaced by anger at the entire situation. Kim stepped forward, trying to keep a bit of composure even though she wanted to hit Ed again so badly. “Do you even hear yourself when you talk? If you want to keep me safe, abandoning me is not the way to do it.”
Kim was a strong, independent girl and Ed was proud of her for that, but he wasn’t proud at all about the choice she had made in dating Starbuck. And he sure as hell wasn’t proud of her right now as she talked back to him. Somehow, he was the one who still retained a more peaceful exterior at the moment. “I’m not abandoning you. That’s your choice,” he finished off, jabbing a finger into her shoulder to get his point across.
“I don’t want to lose you!” All composure went out the window now as Kim raised her voice, well aware that Mrs. Metcalfe could probably now hear them from the office down the hall. “But I’m not going to give him up either. I love him.”
And now Ed was the one who lost his composure. He had no idea how he’d kept calm enough, but his patience was completely worn thin by his sister’s antics. “He’s a freakin’ water wuss, Kim! He’s nowhere near good enough for you!”
There was no backing away from any of this now. Kim desperately wanted to get through to her brother in a calm manner, but it seemed that this was the only way he would respond to her at all. “He’s the best fucking thing that’s ever happened to me! I don’t care if he doesn’t have lycan strength. He’s strong and supportive when I need it the most. And what have you done?” She jabbed her own finger into her brother’s chest now. “You’ve done nothing but berate him and our relationship from the start and I’m sick of it. You need to learn how to deal with this quickly because no matter what you say or do, I’m never gonna leave him and he’s never gonna leave me.”
Breathing was all that could be heard between the siblings as the silence seemed to span on forever. As Kim looked up into her brother’s eyes, she could tell that he was seething on the inside. And somehow, his demeanor was once again composed. “You’ve fucking changed. You were never like this before. Never the emotional, needy girl and I know it’s his fucking fault.”
Kim breathed deeply to calm herself down. Her heartbeat had sped up, but she had to cool down. She couldn’t let him get to her like this, especially not in her condition. But now she had her opportunity, so she took it. No longer glaring at her brother, her expression was calm, almost neutral as she spoke. “For once, you’re kinda right. It is somewhat his fault that I’m more emotional right now.” She took a pause, needing one more deep breath before she finally said it. “I’m pregnant.”
Another long silence spread out before them and the nerves suddenly came crashing back into Kim’s system. There was no taking those words back now. She saw her brother’s eyes flicker from her face down to her belly and back. Instinctively, her hands cradled her belly as she saw a spark ignite the anger inside of him. “What?!” Ed practically growled, his hands beginning to curl into fists at his side. “This better be a fucking joke, Kim.”
His tone was unlike anything Kim had ever heard come out of his mouth and it sent chills down her spine. She was honestly scared of him now since she really didn’t know how he was going to take this once it completely dawned on him that it was real. Still cradling her belly, she looked at the open doorway through her periphery, remembering that Mrs. Metcalfe would be there in a heart beat if she needed her. Kim took a step back, hoping that he would calm down a bit once she wasn’t in his face anymore. “It’s not a joke,” she replied evenly with a shake of her head. “I’m about eleven weeks pregnant.”
It was all so sudden, like a volcano erupting. Ed swung his arm out and knocked a lamp off the nightstand next to his bed, sending it to the floor only to shatter to pieces. “HE KNOCKED YOU UP?!”
Kim flinched and moved closer to the door and mere seconds later, Mrs. Metcalfe was by her side. She put her arm protectively around Kim, keeping her at a distance from Ed. “Ed, calm down.”
Ed was seeing red right now and having Luke’s mom talk to him like that wasn’t gonna do any good. “Calm down?! Do you have any fucking idea what’s going on?! That ASSHOLE that she’s dating got her PREGNANT!”
Now that Mrs. Metcalfe was here, Kim felt a renewed sense of courage wash over her. She even stepped forward a bit, though Mrs. Metcalfe held her back. “He is NOT an asshole!”
“BULL-FUCKING-SHIT!” Ed yelled as he slammed the side of his fist into the wall as he moved closer towards Kim and Mrs. Metcalfe.
At that very moment, Luke appeared in the doorway behind him. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”
“She’s fucking PREGNANT! That’s what’s wrong!” Ed yelled once again as he pointed at Kim. Luke just looked over at her dumbly as his mother continued to hold her back.
Mrs. Metcalfe looked over at her son though she still kept an eye on Ed who had just knocked the desk chair over. “Get your father.”
Luke’s eyes moved from Ed to his mother. “Huh? What for? Ed’s fine.”
Normally a very calm and kind woman, Mrs. Metcalfe soon became threatening, her voice dropping an octave and taking on a menacing tone as she spoke again. “Lucas, get your father,” she repeated firmly. After that, Luke quickly scampered out the door. There was no defying his mother. She was definitely an alpha female that wasn’t to be crossed.
“She knew before me?!” Ed asked Kim, still walking forward though he now pointed a finger at Mrs. Metcalfe.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Metcalfe remained silent but continued to retreat out into the hallway, pulling Kim with her. “I didn’t tell her. I wanted to tell you first before we told anyone else.”
“What the FUCK, Kim?!” He kept walking towards them, slamming the door into the wall as he did. “What is WRONG with you?!”
“Nothing’s wrong with me!” Kim replied, raising her voice once again. “We didn’t plan it. It just happened, but now I’m glad it did.”
Ed swung his arm out and punched the wall. He couldn’t believe this. “You’re GLAD?! The biggest fucking loser in the world knocked you up and you’re GLAD?!”
It was a damn good thing that Mrs. Metcalfe was holding her because Kim was about to launch herself at her brother. However, Mrs. Metcalfe reigned her back in, but it didn’t stop Kim from yelling. “He is NOT a loser! He’s amazing and he loves me and he’s always going to be there for me and the baby so you better fucking get used to it!”
Mrs. Metcalfe was getting worried now. She didn’t want Kim getting so worked up in her state. “Kim, you need to calm down, honey. It's not good for the baby. Let’s go downstairs.”
“Oh, hell fuck no,” Ed interjected. “I’m not fucking done with my sister so she’s not going anywhere right now.”
Kim breathed deeply, trying to slow her heart rate down though she still set her brother with a murderous glare. “We’ll be done if you don’t get your fucking act together and just accept my relationship with Starbuck and the fact that we’re having a baby together.”
Ed glared down at his little sister, the fire still raging within him though he seethed silently for a moment. “I am never going to accept you with that douchebag, Kim.”
Her heart felt like it sank deep into the pit of her stomach. Ed had uttered the words she feared the most. And, as much as it pained her, Kim had no choice but to utter the next few words. “Then you’re gonna lose me for good.” All the fight had melted away from her body and she stood limply in Mrs. Metcalfe’s arms.
Ed also seemed to deflate visibly, though the look on his face was more one of disbelief. Was his sister for real with this bullshit? “You’re gonna pick him over me? I can’t fucking believe you.”
“You’re making me choose!” she replied, a little more force behind her words now. “That is the last thing I ever wanted to do, Ed. I don’t want to lose the only family I have left, but I can’t leave Starbuck. Especially not now.” Kim felt her throat start to tighten up, but she refused to cry right now.
“That is such bullshit, Kim. Some guy comes along and you turn your back on me?” Ed’s demeanor was calmer, but his words still packed a mean punch like they hoped they would. Tough love was apparently the only way he could get across to his sister.
A hurt expression took over Kim’s features as Mrs. Metcalfe finally felt it safe to let go of her. And at that same moment, Luke and Mr. Metcalfe walked up the stairs to join the rest of them in the hallway by Ed’s room. “I never turned my back on you. You keep pushing me away. How else do you expect me to react after you attack me and my boyfriend in our home for no valid reason?” Kim sighed, running her hands through her hair. “You need to stop all of this right now or you’re going to lose me for good. I can’t keep fighting with you like this for the rest of my life.”
Ed didn’t know how to process any of this. He was stunned speechless. Kim was the only one in his family that he ever loved and now she was slipping away. Still, he didn’t like the ultimatum. They never got a good reaction out of him.
Kim could see that all the wheels turning inside his head. She gave him a minute to process all of this before speaking up again, her voice soft this time. “I don’t want to lose you, Ed. Please don’t push me away. I need my brother now more than ever.”
The Metcalfes hung back silently behind Kim, the elder two ready to protect Kim at a moment’s notice, while Luke was still utterly confused by the entire situation. Ed continued to stare at his sister, multiple feelings floating within him. She looked so sad and helpless like she had many times before when they were still stuck in their childhood home. He felt the intense need to protect her from harm, but he just couldn’t seem to put it into words. Instead, he backed into his room and slammed the door shut.
When Ed closed the door on her, it felt like her heart had shattered into a million pieces. He didn’t care about her anymore and the pain of that realization resonated within her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she quickly pushed her way through the Metcalfes to get down the stairs. “I have to go.”
The Metcalfes followed down behind her, with Mrs. Metcalfe the closest to Kim. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry about how it all turned out. Ed’s just upset right now and you know how much he loves you. He’ll eventually come around.”
That was the last thing Kim wanted to hear right now. She had heard it so much before that she had started to believe it and look where it left her. Shaking her head, Kim refused to talk as she made her way through the foyer. One word and she’d completely lose it right now.
While the Metcalfe men remained silent, Mrs. Metcalfe pressed on, knowing that it wasn’t good for Kim to be this upset. “Kim, dear, please just sit down for a bit and calm down. Have some water or tea before you leave. It’s not good for you to drive while you’re still upset.”
Once again, Kim shook her head, issuing a pathetic little ‘no’ as she made her way to the door. “Can’t stay. Thank you,” she replied, her voice completely strained now as she ran out the front door. Making it safely into Starbuck’s car, she started it and drove a couple of blocks before she let the tears flow freely. She had lost her brother, the only family she cared about, because he couldn’t deal with her boyfriend or their unborn baby. Tears now completely obscured her vision and she pulled over. She couldn’t drive like this. All she wanted to do was curl up and sob her eyes out. Putting the car into park, she shut off the engine and rested her head against the steering wheel, her hands clutching at it as she cried.