Turning Tables (Paul LaHote)

Seventeen

"Well aren't you just a hero?" Jared called when she walked into Sam's. She flipped him off and made her way into the kitchen.

"Shut up Jared." Jazmine smiled when Embry started talking. "How could she not play hero when she had a chance to get Paul back?"

"You're a dick." She sighed. Emily smiled gently and held out a muffin.

"Ask me to stay Embry," Jared begged and Jazmine spun with her eyes narrowed.

"Out, don't phase in my house," Emily yelled. Jared was up and running in nanoseconds but Jazmine was just behind him. While Jazmine could phase mid jump Jared had yet to master that and lost valuable time when he stopped to think about phasing.

He had just become a wolf when Jazmine bowled him over.

The two fought, turning each other over and snarling. Jared whined when Jazmine bit at his front leg and in turn dove for her.

"Aren't you gonna stop them?" Embry asked Sam who had been on patrol.

"No, he deserves it. I hope she leaves a mark." Sam sounded smug and Jared whined when he realised he was on his own in this one.

She did leave a mark, two. That's when Sam stepped in. To add insult to injury, when they phased back Emily forced Jared to apologise before he could have dinner.

"Aw Em, he just got his ass beat by a girl and you're still gonna make him apologise. Hasn't he learned his lesson?" Embry teased.

"One, Jaz could've phased in the kitchen where she was, right beside me. I don't heal like you guys do. Two, she'd beat your ass too." Emily warned. Jared frowned but muttered an apology while Jazmine high fived Emily.

"You tell him, girl." Jazmine laughed and got stuck into her food.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You cheated." Jazmine laughed and Jared shook his head.

"It's Go Fish, you can't cheat." He had the worst poker face ever.

"Let me see your matches, how come we have four odd cards left?" Jazmine asked. She reached across the table to where Jared was gathering his cards up in a hurry.

Embry was just laughing while Embry looked on as if they were kids. Jazmine was considering diving across the table when two sharp howls echoed through the forest.

They all froze before running out and shouting assurances to Emily. Jazmine was first phased, Jared seconds later. Embry was last phased in and then they were running. Sam was running after something and Jazmine pushed through his thoughts to find why he was running. It was only when she focused did she realise there was a fifth mind.

"Paul?" Jazmine pushed herself harder to catch up with the wolf who was running in circles.

"Jazmine, what's going on?" Jazmine caught up to Sam and bypassed him. The fear Paul was feeling drove her onward.

"I'll explain in a second, remember that place we used to go in the spring, the clearing?" Jazmine realised her mistake as soon as she said it.

Some of the things they'd done in the clearing weren't exactly PG and they were the first thoughts Paul focused on.

"Oh, man here comes my dinner."

"My mind, I'm going to have to pour bleach in my ears."

"Jesus Jaz, you're nasty."

Jazmine fought them out of her mind and focused only on Paul. He was scared and confused, the kind of wolf they didn't need running into anyone.

"Go to the clearing and we'll meet you there." Jazmine urged.

"I don't know if I want to walk through there." Embry joked but turned silent when all of Jazmine's focus turned to him.

"Keep the jokes for a day when we don't have a confused wolf near the beach." Jazmine snapped and Embry backed off.

Paul was waiting for them when they got there. He was taking in his own appearance when they got there and he whined when the four of them.

"Jaz?" He asked in confusion.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jazmine balanced the food in one hand and knocked on the door with the other hand. It swung open after some mild swearing and Joy smiled happily.

"Jazmine, I haven't had a chance to call you since the accident." Joy opened the door and Jazmine hesitated before making her way in.

"It's fine. I just thought I'd come over and check on you. I brought some food because I know it's gonna be hard for you to cook with only one working hand." She eyes the cast on Joy's right hand cautiously.

"You got me, I was going to send Paul into the diner to get some food but he got a phone call earlier and he hasn't come back since." Joy frowned.

"I'm sure he won't be long." He would be. He was currently learning how to phase back and it wasn't going well. His dad had called.

"I was hoping he'd be with you," Joy admitted and Jazmine cringed. She wasn't very good at lying, especially to Joy.

"I'll probably see him later, so how are you coping?" Jazmine asked. She took a seat at the table and smiled softly at the familiarity of it all.

"I'm coping well, I'm on meds for the pain so it doesn't bother me much. I guess the only problem now is there are a few nightmares. Just about how things would've been if you hadn't found me." Joy sighed.

"They'll go away. It's a shock to the system but eventually, you'll settle again." Jazmine smiled.

"I really do owe you, though, you were amazing. You kept me so calm and you called an ambulance. You even called Paul to let him know everything was okay." Jazmine rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Anyone would've done it." She sighed.

"Not everyone would have been strong enough to get into the car and help me like you did. Especially not if they'd been through what you had." Joy was serious now and Jazmine nodded.

"Joy, there was never an option for me. I wasn't going to stand off to the side and wait for an ambulance. You've been as good as a mother to me in the last four years." Jazmine reached out and took her hand.

"You know, you've been just like another daughter in the best way." Joy was crying and Jazmine got up to pull the woman into a hug.