Open - Freedom

[Maxwell 'Max' Phillip Evans]

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Nothing interesting had happened the past few weeks and Max hadn't seen Maria in what seemed like forever. The girl was supposed to come to his motel and they were going to talk more without worrying about someone overhearing them but she never came. Maybe the woman was afraid that the government was still around somewhere. Still, Max was finally starting to realize that maybe, just maybe they were safe now. Maybe they were free. He was happy to think that, but could it be too good to be true? He still had his doubts but he was getting to the point where he actually thought they were safe and then the group could finally be together...somehow. He would have to figure out a way to contact everyone, if there was a way, he really wanted to see all of his friends again.

He needed to think more...well all he had been doing was thinking for the five years, he hadn't really interacted with anybody because he thought it would be better and safer to be alone, not getting anyone else involved in his mess. But he needed to think somewhere that wasn't in this motel room, all he had done was sit on his bed and stare at the wall while he was thinking, he would get up to eat and brush his teeth and shower of course but that was about it. He was a pretty boring guy and he needed to start socializing with people...but he was alright with not because he was just that type of guy. He decided that he would take a stroll in the forest...not the safest thing to do but he was sure he'd be fine, he wouldn't worry and if he heard anything he would just hide or something.

The boy left the motel and walked into the woods, it was dark so it was probably bad to be in here this late since he didn't know if there were any animals that were dangerous in here, but he'd take his chances. Being in the woods felt refreshing and he felt like he didn't have to hide who he was, he was open to the world right now and it felt really good, but a part of him wanted to scream at the world for his pent up frustration that had been building up for five years, he wanted to scream at life for making him be alone all these years. He had been lonely before but this was just to the next level. Seeing Maria was a sign of hope and he was glad that maybe he and Liz would be together again.

He walked around through the woods and looked at the stars. It was strange to think that out there in the dark void, his home was there, although he didn't remember much of it, it was still home, it was his past. He couldn't believe he was so close to going to Antar, he would have died there. So much has happened because of him and he felt bad for putting the people he cared about in danger. He knew he had a lot of thinking to do and the woods was actually helping him right now, he decided to take a seat by a tree and just look at the stars as he thought, he decided he would stay here for a while and just enjoy the cool breeze and the little sounds of crickets and the night sky.

Word count: 583
Tag: Open
Outfit: Here!
Notes: None

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[Michael "Mike" Andrew Guerin]

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Michael wondered just how well this was gonna go. He wondered if he would be welcome with open arms or if his friend would freak out on him. Michael honestly didn't know how Max would react to him just showing up on his motel doorstep and reuniting with him. Max was always the worried one in the group you could say. The one that always looked over his shoulder to make sure nothing was coming. The one that sometimes made them not do something because it was to risky, because it was life and death, because it was reckless.

Putting that aside however, Michael and Max haven't seen each other in 5 years. They were just like brothers, and part of Kyle wanted Michael to be glad that they finally reunited. That they could finally be bros again. But knowing Max he would probably tell Michael he has to go, it was to risky to be seen together. Either way, Michael was dead set on seeing Max tonight and nothing was gonna stop him. He had to know what Max wanted to do. Isabel, Maria and him all wanted to stay here together, Kyle, Liz and Max were the only ones he needed to convince.

Michael didn't like going through Maria's purse, but he needed the hotel and room number. All she said was that he was here, and finding out where here was exactly, he had to. He would feel guilty later about it. Maybe even admit to his lovely girlfriend that he did it, and after a brief fight over privacy, they can make up hopefully. But that wasn't Michael's main concern right now as he pulled up to the motel on his motorcycle and pulled up to the room that Maria wrote down. He looked at it and wondered if Max was even here right now, he would just have to wait if not.

He got off his cycle and walked up to the door, taking his helmet off and fixing his hair. He knocked on the door and waited patiently. When there was no answer he knocked again. "Max, open up it is Michael." Michael called through the door, making sure to keep his voice quiet enough so no one but the near area and hopefully Max could hear him. When no answer came again, Michael began to worry and look around him to make sure no one was watching, it was risky, but he had to see if Max was inside the room. He used his powers and unlocked the door.

Entering the dark room, it was soon evident that no one was home. Michael decided that he would wait outside for Max to return. He shut and locked Max'es door and approached his bike, setting his helmet on it. He looked up in time to see a shadow roaming in the forest. Either someone was watching him and saw to much, or it was Max trying to hide from him cause he thought that Michael was an FBI guy or something. Michael walked into the forest and called out quietly. "Max, Max you in here?" He called out getting no response.

Michael, soon realizing that he was getting lost and if he didn't turn back now he would get completely lost he stopped and turned and began walking the other way, hoping it was the right direction. Suddenly he heard some rustling in the bushes near by and he stood there still looking at the spot. "Max, is that you?" He asked in a whisper, hoping the person would hear him and reveal themselves to him. Last thing he needed was a bear or something jumping up and attacking him.

Tags: Max Evans, Open
Words: 616
Notes: I left who he ran into open as I know Britt wants to jump in as well. But if you want to reply and have Britt jump in later, thats ok too.

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[Alexia 'Lexi' Lynn Branson]

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She was beyond annoyed as she arrived back at her hotel room. Originally she had been staying at the Gilbert house however after Elena had done the de-invitation spell (she didn't blame her) she had been staying at the Salvatore house. HOWEVER since Damon had decided to be a jackass she had rented a hotel room for the past few weeks. She briefly thought about getting an apartment and made a mental note to do some research on it when she sobered up a bit. Not that she was drunk so might as she was frustrated thanks to a fight with a fright and she knew she was in no shape to deal with technology tonight.

Stripping off her sparkly top, skin tight black skinny jeans and kicking her sparkly shoes out of the way she pulled on the first garments she could find, desperately needing a run to get her mind off of what all had transpired recently. Her fight with Marina had been the latest series of events however it was the one that was grating most on her nerves right now. She had always been protective of Stefan, feeling like he was something akin to her brother, child, best friend, and god knows what else. However when it came down to it she was mama bear when it came to him and no one messed with him if she had anything to do with it. She was sure he would tell her to get over it later and make up but until then she was going to live in her anger for awhile.

Taking a quick look in the mirror she noted that her hair was still in it’s pretty twist but she really didn’t want that tonight for a run as she was sure it would fall out. Taking it down she put it back up, this time in a messy bunch before taking stock of her outfit. Her outfit was simple, a pair of flare jeans, a gray tank top, a black hoodie she had stolen from Stefan that was big yet not huge and a pair of flip flops. Not many girls went running in flip flops but then again she wasn't most girls so whatever. Her ring sat on her finger as usual and she was ready to go. Sliding the hotel key (which looked like a credit card), her actual credit card and her cell phone into her back pockets she headed out the front door, waiting until she hit the woods before breaking out into a sprint. She could have used vampire speed but figured in case she happened upon anyone it would look better to run at the pace of a human.

Running took her mind off things. She knew most vampires didn’t bother with it since it wasn’t really like exercise or anything of the like however it gave her a chance to clear her mind and not think about anything except the sounds of the woods and the beating of her feet against the earth.

Lexi heard a voice asking who was there and stopped, walking out into the open as if she hadn’t just run ten miles from her hotel. “Uhh…I’m not Max but you know, I’ve been called worse.” She stated randomly, hoping that she hadn’t scared him.

Word Count:: 581
Tag:: Max Evans & Michael Guerin
Outfit:: Click here for Lexi’s Outfit
Note:: SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG! I TOTALLY FORGOT! <3 <3 <3

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[Maxwell 'Max' Phillip Evans]

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He had no idea what to do, he had sworn Isabel was here and now she was gone, so once again the man was alone. A s mall part of him, well a big part of him wanted his friends to be in this town with him but was it truly safe enough? That was what he wondered, if it was then yeah he would try like hell to get them all together, no matter how long it took. He knew Maria was missing Michael like he missed Liz, so the two could get a plan and try and find the two and of course the others. He really did hope that everything was alright and no one was in danger...that was the last thing he wanted, for someone to get hurt because all of his doing. If someone was going to get hurt, he wanted it to be him, not them as they had already been through so much, not to say he hasn't but if he was to die at least he'd die knowing everyone was okay.

As he sat there in the forest he just thought, it felt good to think, even though he had been thinking alone for the past five years, but tonight was different. He just felt different, maybe being alone changed him or just reverted him back to being the timid teenage boy he was back in high school before he saved Liz. He needed to stop thinking about the past, but the past was what was keeping him sane and at least a little bit happy as he thought of the good moments...but then there were the bad moments he thought of, so sometimes it wasn't the greatest to think of. He needed to think of the future and finally being able to be normal, or seem normal. He needed to think of a future where everything was okay and he was finally happy, that was the future he needed to think of.

Max had one of those feelings...he wasn't sure what it was, but it just felt weird. He got up and looked into the darkness where the trees laid ahead. He started to walk closer to the feeling wondering what was going on. He then stopped when he got closer and finally figured out what it was, well who it was. It was Michael, his best friend, who was more like a brother but he was here...in Richmond. Max didn't know what to think right now, he just stood there behind the tree, it seems as if Michael was looking for him but how did he...Isabel, she was the one who told him where he was. That or he gained a new power, but Max was going to go with the whole Isabel telling. He was about to walk up to the man when he saw a blonde woman, not one who was familiar. It didn't seem like Michael knew who she was either, so she was a stranger, but what if she was following one of them? Maybe he was just being paranoid now.

He still stood behind the tree watching the two interact. Maybe he should just walk away? He wasn't sure what the right thing was to do. He wanted to hug Michael, he wanted to talk to him, tell him he was happy to see him but upset that he surprised him like this and how it couldn't be safe or at least scope out the place. Max had been in Richmond for a month now and it seemed as if everything was normal, but he felt like he needed more time to see the place and get a feel for it before all of his friends returned. He didn't know what to do, maybe he should leave town, but then that would defeat the purpose of him trying to get everyone together once again. God, he was just confused and he didn't feel like he knew what he was doing. He just had to think for a moment, and he would for the time being, he needed to make his decision soon though, if he wanted to sneak off or if he wanted to go up to the two people.

Word count: 705
Tag: Michael, Lexi
Outfit: Here!
Notes: Sorry it took long! School has been busy!

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[Michael "Mike" Andrew Guerin]

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"Oh, sorry..." Michael told her as she finally revealed herself to him. He wasn't scared, as whoever or whatever it was he could just blast if they were a threat to him, but she didn't seem to be a threat to him, not in the least, but you never knew and Michael knew now better then ever and probably better then anyone that you can never judge a book by its cover. So she seemed harmless, for now, but in the right setting, maybe, just maybe she could be dangerous. Michael knew better then to go off of first instincts on such things.

"I was looking for my friend Maxwell. You haven't seen anyone else out here have you?" Michael asked her. Running into a strange girl, well she wasn't strange per say, but she was a stranger, in the middle of the forest at this time of day just felt a little off to him. But then again, who was he to question her as to why she was out here when he himself was out he, though he just had an excuse for being out here right now and she didn't have one yet. "I saw someone leave the motel and head into the forest, I thought it might of been him." He added.

He then decided to look her over more properly and his eyes fell on and rested on her flip flops for a few moments. "Is it a bit odd to be trumping through the woods in flip flops?" Michael asked her, his suspicions were now firmly raised. This was an odd situation in deed. Michael might be paranoid, but he can't deny something seems fishy when the evidence was there to support it. Her, walking alone, in the forest, in flip flops, at this time of day, yep, Michael's fishyness meter was off the charts now. He wondered if he really was just being paranoid however.

"You know why I am here, now Why are you out here?" Michael asked her, deciding his suspicions were more important then rather or not it was acceptable to ask her such a thing. Michael had to protect himself and his friends, and he was not yet sure this girl was a safe bet or not. For all he knew, she could be working for the FBI or CIA, or someone like that, and her knowing that Michael and Max were both here didn't bold well for them and the rest of their group. So no one could really blame him for being paranoid right now.

Michael then thought he heard something behind him, a rustling of leaves or a twig snap or something like that, but he didn't dare take his eyes off of her for fear of her trying something. He watched her while keeping an ear out for the sound again, but it never came. The sound was probably a squirrel or something climbing up a tree and Michael was just being overly paranoid now and needed to stop that. He was paranoid the other day over Jesse and so far that turned out alright, so he had little reason to think this would turn out any differently.

Tags: Lexi Branson, Max Evans, Open
Words: 533
Notes: *Snuggles*

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[Alexia 'Lexi' Lynn Branson]

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She chuckled, hearing another heart beat near them but not giving up the hiding spot just yet. "Nope, haven’t seen anyone other than you...and if I may just say...if you're not trying to attract attention I'd suggest not screaming around in the woods someone's name...someone could jump out at ya." She told him with a wink and a friendly smile. She could tell that this guy had a wall up around him a mile thick and she doubted he would even begin to joke around with her however that was just her personality. She was a friendly person unless she was pissed off so she figured why fight her natural personality?

Looking down at her feet she flexed her toes instinctively. "It's better than heals." She told him with a shrug, her hoodie moving as she did. "Besides, I personally think flip flops are more comfortable than most shoes. If it was socially acceptable I would walk around bare foot since really not many shoes are comfortable but since I gotta follow the rules and all I figured I would at least do it my way." She told him absentmindedly, pushing a strand of hair out of her face that had fallen out of her messy bun.

She was surprised that when she moved slightly she felt a surge of power around her. It was clear it was coming from the man in front of her however she could also feel another bit of power coming from where she heard the heart beat. Hmm. They weren’t vampires, nor were they werewolves or hybrids…but they were definitely something. She wasn’t afraid but she was insanely curious. It was one of her downfalls as a person, her curiosity. If anyone could attest to that fact it was Stefan since if she wanted to know something she’d hound the person until she got it out of them. Stefan was a prime example of that.

"I'm out here avoiding my best friend if you must know." She told him flippantly. "He's a little pissed at me at the moment and since he'd track me down in town figured I'd hang out in the woods. Well that and it's a nice night out and I wanted to run for awhile. I like to keep in shape ya know, but I don't think going to the gym and watching skimpy girls flirting with guys the idea work out so running takes the place of it."

Figuring she should call the other person out from their hiding spot she nodded towards a tree. She could still hear the heart beat but she figured that if she waited too long the other person would leave. Not that it mattered to her however she didn’t want anyone sneaking up on him. She didn’t like seeing people get hurt and with the state of Mystic Falls today…it was easy for others to be hurt. “I think your friend might be here.”

Word Count:: 522
Tag:: Max Evans & Michael Guerin
Outfit:: Click here for Lexi’s Outfit
Note:: Sorry this was so short. Work plus school plus this craptop is driving me nuts.

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[Maxwell 'Max' Phillip Evans]

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When Max listened to the two speak he couldn't help but shake his head bit as Michael used his name, the girl could have been an FBI agent or something like that. She didn't look it considering she was wearing flip-flops but one couldn't be too careful. Looking at his best friend brought back memories of the two, the two had always been close and although Isabel was his sister, Max usually told Michael more things than her. He had missed him, it had been five years and finally it seemed like everything was falling into place again, first Maria and now Michael, he wondered if anyone else was in town...maybe Liz. He was wishful thinking right now, and he knew he shouldn't when it had been so long, he was really starting to give up or slowly giving up which meant he would never be happy.

He did want to believe that fate and destiny played a part in this, wanting the group to be reunited but he wasn't going to become happy all of a sudden, he didn't want to become happy and then for something to happen, he wouldn't be able to deal with that. If Mike was in trouble though, Max would help out, he wouldn't let someone who was like a brother to him get hurt. He just eyed the girl cautiously as he hid behind the tree wondering what on earth he should do, he knew he should step out but he wanted to make sure there was no danger at all, and if there was he could surprise attack her. The man had a smile on his face when Michael sort of interrogated the blonde. He had always been like that, it was just who he was.

It seemed as if the man was suspicious of her, and he had the right to be, she was in the woods but she did explain herself so maybe she was just a normal person, but Max knew that things weren't always what they seemed. He didn't know how...but somehow she knew he was here which just raised his suspicions. The woman had basically called him out. As soon as she finished her sentence he went out of his hiding spot, looking at Michael and the blonde girl but showing her he wasn't afraid of her. If she was a threat then he'd have Michael to help out which he hoped didn't come to that. He just hoped that the woman was just a normal girl who was in the woods and wasn't trying to start anything or trying to kill the two men.

"Who are you?" He asked the woman barely acknowledging Michael, but he needed to know who she was before he could be happy to see his best friend. He wanted to tell him he was happy to see him but he had to know who this girl was, he couldn't turn his back on her. It didn't seem like she was an FBI agent if she was, he would know, or at least have that feeling, he didn't have that feeling though. He eyed the girl, he didn't take his eyes off of her. He would say his hi's and give his hugs later, right now he was going to get to the bottom of this, and now. He didn't want anyone to get hurt tonight, and he really needed to talk to Michael about a lot of things that had happened the past five years.

Word count: 584
Tag: Michael, Lexi
Outfit: Here!
Notes: None

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[Michael "Mike" Andrew Guerin]

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"That's good to know." Michael replied to her, she was clearly trying to play around with him and joke with him, but Michael wasn't having any of it. He didn't mean to be rude, it was just how he was, how his life was before they had to flee from New Mexico. He wasn't much for joking around, neither was Max or Isabel really. Their lives were far to complicated to be telling each other silly jokes and pretending like everything was fine when it wasn't. So he meant no offense to her by not playing around as well, it was just how he was, forever a stick in the mud.

"Interesting." Michael told her, which he didn't find her shoe, flip flop, barefoot story that interesting to begin with, but it was his fault as he was the one that asked. At least it seemed like a legit response. He thought it seemed out of place and decided to question it to make sure she wasn't hear for bad reason's. He guessed that she did have a point, most shoes were not comfortable even if they claimed to be, and flip flops were comfy if he was gonna be honest, so he didn't argue her point any as it seemed legit to him, he would know if it was a flat out lie.

"Ok, I will bite, why are you avoiding your best friend?" Michael asked her. It seemed like a valid question to him and she was the one that brought it up, so if she felt like sharing that he wanted to know. So far her story seemed credible, about avoiding her friend, running to exercise cause she didn't want to hit the gym, the fact that it seemed to be a nice night. None of it didn't fit, but this was really one big test for her, to see if she was really trying to hurt him and Max and the rest of their friends. Michael could never be to cautious and she could understand that.

Finally Michael's questioning had got haulted as she motioned to the woods, claiming that his friend was here. "Maxwell?" Michael asked as Max finally left his hiding spot and came up to them, Max pretty much ignored Michael and went to talking to the women. "Gee, nice to see you to Maxwell." Michael told him as he asked the women who she was. "I was just getting to that." He told his best friend truthfully. Michael had already interrogated her so to speak, so Max really didn't have to worry about that, she seemed to be ok, but Max had every right to be extra cautious.

He knew that if push comes to shove, him and Max would have no choice but to fight her alongside each other. But she seemed like a decent enough person and Michael didn't think she was their enemy, not tonight anyways. But if there was one thing Michael knew for certain was that looks can be deceiving, so he didn't blame Max for double checking.

Tags: Lexi Branson, Max Evans, Open
Words: 511
Notes: *Snuggles*

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[Alexia 'Lexi' Lynn Branson]

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She rolled her eyes but smiled a friendly smile at the same time. "I'm Lexi...or if we want to be formal here I guess I could go with that too. I'm Alexia Branson though if you call me Alexia I probably won't realize your speaking to me so Lexi is much better." She stated with a shrug. "And as I told your friend here since I'm sure your next question will be why am I in the woods all by my lonesome I'll answer that for you too." She told him before moving so that she could lean up against a tree that was a few steps behind her.

She didn’t move because she was uncomfortable or for her benefit really, she moved for theirs. Even though they pretended they weren’t worried about her she could see the unease in their eyes. She also could tell by their scent that they weren’t fully human though there was definitely humanity within them. It reminded her of a way that a werewolf smelled though not in the actual scent. It was more that a werewolf had humanity within them but at the same time they were mixed with something else, wolf. It was the same with these two but again, it wasn’t a scent that she recognized so she couldn’t decipher it. She made a quick mental note to look into this further later before moving back to what she had originally been talking about which was why she was in the woods.

“The reason I’m in the woods is so that I can avoid my best friend who is a little annoyed with me. The reason I am in flip flops is because I’d rather be comfortable while walking in said woods. Now I could ask the two of you the same question. You seem awfully suspicious with you walking around yelling your friend’s name.” She mentioned to the first man she had met before motioning to the one who had just stepped out from behind the tree. “And you with hiding and spying on him…however you don’t see me questioning it because really it’s not my business.” She stated, sending a short jibe towards them as she pretty much told them without actually saying it that they were acting rude by questioning her when she could be doing the same thing to them and yet she had kept it to herself.

"As for why I'm avoiding my best friend? Well a couple reasons to be honest. The first and main one is that he's pissed off at me for sleeping with his brother since they don't get along that well. The other reason is that I got pissed at him a week ago and we've not talked it out and I've been avoiding him and it annoys him." She stated with a shrug as if it was nothing that she was talking to complete strangers about her sex life. This was Lexi though she really, this wouldn’t have surprised anyone that had actually met her more than once.

Word Count:: 560
Tag:: Max Evans & Michael Guerin
Outfit:: Click here for Lexi’s Outfit
Note:: Yes! I am back! I mean I still have work and school but at least I have a laptop that doesn’t overheat every 6 minutes so that means I can post again! WOOT! <3 <3 <3

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[Maxwell 'Max' Phillip Evans]

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So the girl's name was Lexi. It didn't seem like she meant any hard but he still had to be cautious, he couldn't just think everything was okay. In all honestly though, he wasn't getting any bad vibes from her. She just seemed like a normal girl, nothing to worry about. She just didn't scream FBI, maybe if he listened more he would be able to tell. He just didn't want to be wrong about this, he didn't want to put Michael in danger by just listening and not doing anything, it wasn't him. God, if he put in his best friend in danger by just being in town then he wouldn't be able to forgive himself and he would leave town being alone again, he just hoped everything would be okay.

There was something off about her though and he wanted to figure it out. He just there was more to this girl. If what she was saying was true about escaping to the woods to avoid her best friend then who was he to judge? Still, it was weird for someone to be in the woods at this time of the night...then again he was here as well. Maybe the man was being paranoid and needed to calm down or maybe he was onto something, he really didn't know and he was hoping that all of it would be figured out sooner rather than later as he didn't want this to be on his mind, he should be rejoicing at the fact that his best friend was here and they could finally be able to keep that friendship.

"I'm sorry," he told Michael. He didn't want him to think he was just ignoring him, he was trying to get to the bottom of this situation. All he could do was apologize because he didn't want to turn his back to the woman and focus on Michael as he wanted to make sure this Lexi girl wasn't going to pull anything funny. Well, she was proving to be not in the FBI. "I wasn't spying," he told the girl. And he wasn't hiding either, he was just making sure she wasn't a threat and if she was he would have jumped in to save his friend, he was no coward. The man wasn't full of words but he at least spoke more than he did back in high school. Which was a good thing, but still, he needed to work on being outgoing.

she explained herself with what she was doing in the woods and sleeping with some guy's brother. He wasn't really sure why she was saying all of this as it was a bit personal, she didn't seem to care at that fact though. Maybe she was just a carefree girl and she didn't care what people thought of her. "Why the woods?" He asked the women. He wanted to know exactly why here...why jog here at night. He just didn't get it, no one would truly go in the woods, especially someone who seemed so full of life, he came out here to just think since he was that kind of person, but he didn't truly know the woman so how could he assume? He would just have to wait and see, and he needed to calm down and be less paranoid. He needed to realize that everything was going to be okay, he just needed to breathe.

Word count: 572
Tag: Michael, Lexi
Outfit: Here!
Notes: YAY

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[Michael "Mike" Andrew Guerin]

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Michael listened as Lexi said her name and repeated her story for Max'es benefit. Michael just nodded. "Well I am Michael and this is Maxwell, but you are better off calling him Max." Michael told her, it didn't seem to matter if she knew their real names or not, but Max would probably throw a fit at him revealing their names to her, but he really didn't care. The girl then went on about how she had slept with her best friends brother and that is why he was mad because he didn't get along with his brother that well.

This made Michael think about the situation between him, Isabel and Max. It was kind of similar. Isabel and Michael were suppose to be together, but they only considered themselves family, friends really. But knowing that made it weird between them for a few days and they didn't want Max to find out. Yeah they didn't sleep together, but they knew Max wouldn't be to thrilled to find out his best friend and sister were some sort of interstellar soul mates or something like that anyways. It wasn't till Max found out about Tess and him that they relaxed over it.

Three questions arose in Michael's mind. None of them matched Max'es question of why the woods. His questions were, first, why would she sleep with her best friends brother for? Michael would never sleep with Isabel, mostly because, ew, no offense to her, but partially because Max wouldn't like it that much, and he got along with his sister. The second question was why the heck was she that open about her sex life to a couple of guys that she didn't even know? He guessed she just didn't mind it, like it was no big deal to her.

The last question was why did this guy hate his brother? Michael and Max were not real brothers, but they treated each other as such and they loved each other. Family was something to love and protect, not hate and throw away. Well at least her story made perfect sense now and Michael didn't think she was an FBI agent or anything like that, just a normal girl with a weird story that was really personally and emotional but not something she should be sharing with strangers but for some reason she didn't care. Michael kind of liked her to be honest.

"Sorry we were giving you the third degree and everything. We just don't trust easily." Michael replied to her when she asked them why they were in the woods. "Well like I said, I followed Maxwell in the woods to find him, as he was staying at the motel but he wasn't there. I guess Maxwell was in the woods for the same reason you are, to think and get away from his stuff motel room?" Michael said, trying to cover for him and his best friend. Something seemed off about her as well, he didn't know why but he could just sense it. Sure she was a normal girl in appearance, but there seemed to be more to her.

Tags: Lexi Branson, Max Evans, Open
Words: 522
Notes: *Snuggles*

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[Alexia 'Lexi' Lynn Branson]

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She didn't see either man as a coward but she knew she had bruised the second man's ego. She didn't really know who either were but she found herself getting bored of the conversation. Clearly they weren't hybrids...wait...is that she smelled? She knew that they smelled somewhat like werewolves but they also gave the impression of the vampire werewolf HYBRIDS. Hmmm... They weren’t vampires, they weren’t werewolves…yet they reminded her of werewolves with the way they smelled semi human and they gave off the power of hybrids. What the fuck were these two men and why couldn’t she come up with it?!

Maybe her brain had been abducted by aliens? Ha, yeah right.
She was more than a little relieved when the first guy, Michael, FINALLY introduced them to her. She was getting sick of calling them Man 1 and Man 2. It reminded her of Thing 1 and Thing 2 and she doubted either of them would appreciate the comparison. Then again maybe they would find it amusing? Taking a look at both of their serious faces she could pretty much guarantee that they wouldn’t find it funny. Neither looked like they had much of a sense of humor.

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh when he asked why the woods. "Why not?" She asked with a twirl of her hair before shrugging. "Honestly because my best friend is sort of popular around here and if one of his friends sees me then he'll show up in about 10 seconds flat. Again, really trying to avoid that confrontation if I can." She stated before motioning to the dark woods around them. "Besides, it's peaceful here. When you are around as many talkative people as I am every day it definitely pays to have some quiet time."

Okay, so that part was sort of a lie since really out of all the people she knew she was probably the most talkative but still, they didn’t need to know that. She didn’t want to tell them the other reason was she wanted somewhere that she could release her real speed rather than keeping up at a human pace. Not that she would do so now even after she and the two guys parted ways since they were suspicious of her and she didn’t want to give them any more ammunition to be more suspicious but still, it was a nice thought to begin with.

"It's fine." She told him, waving the apology away. "I completely understand being paranoid about people and trusting people. I’m older than I look and I’ve learned over the years that sometimes being paranoid is the best way to keep yourself from being hurt.” She stated wisely, though there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes when she stated that she was older than she looked. She knew they wouldn’t figure out from that particular hint that she was a 350 plus year old vampire but still, it was always amusing to have people guessing her age.

Hearing that this Max kid lived in a hotel she scrunched up her nose. “Why live in a hotel? Why not get a cheap apartment at least? Hotels give me the heebie geebies.” She stated with a shiver.

Word Count:: 561
Tag:: Max Evans & Michael Guerin
Outfit:: Click here for Lexi’s Outfit
Note:: <3 <3 <3

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[Maxwell 'Max' Phillip Evans]

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Max glared at Michael as he revealed their names. Why would he do that? They couldn't trust the woman right off the bat, that wasn't how it worked and knew that so...why was he taking that risk? "It's nice to meet you Lexi," he told the blonde. Aside from his suspicions she did seem like a nice girl, he just wanted to make sure this wasn't a trap. The man knew he was being paranoid and he shouldn't be, he was in a new town and it had been five years, the government must have stopped looking after the second year, lost hope maybe. That was what he wanted to believe in...he really did and hopefully his dream of being left alone would become reality.

Before the conversation went on with the trio Max turned to Michael and gave his best friend a hug, which was short and quick, he wanted to show him that he did miss him. He then turned back to Lexi, "It's beena while since we've seen each other," he told the woman, he didn't want her thinking it was some random hug or anything, or that they were some kind of lovers. He wanted her to know that he had missed his best friend. When she went off about sleeping with her best friend's brother he began to think of Michael and Isabel together, well in their past lives. "I know the feeling," he told the woman. "The best friend thing," trying to make sense but wasn't really. He was glad that the two didn't end up together now, that would have been awkward and weird for the man.

The girl was pretty outgoing which Max found pretty weird and in fact it kind of made him even more shy than he was before, it just felt weird to socialize again and here this girl was talking about her sex life and why she was in the woods. It was a lot to take in for the boy and he wished that he could talk more but he had nothing to say which sucked. "Quietness is good," he said to the blonde. "But too much of it...can be lonely," he said with a frown as he looked down at the ground not wanting to show his vulnerable side. He was happy that Michael was here, he truly was but he still felt lonely and he knew it was because Liz wasn't with him right now, he could never feel happy until he had found her and could kiss her again.

"Older?" He asked the woman. How old could she exactly be? She must be in her late twenties, if she was in her thirties then that would be really shocking. He didn't really think about it to much as there was no need to, he wouldn't try and guess her age and if she didn't want to share it he was fine with that and understood. It wasn't like the woman trusted them or anything. Max let out a soft small smile as she talked about how gross hotels were, a normal conversation, it felt good. "I wasn't sure if I was staying in town," he told the woman. "But, I think I might now," he said a little happily. He could finally settle down and have a life, and hopefully his life would be filled with the group, if he could manage to find them all of course, which could be hard but he had nothing but time on his hands, and he had to make sure everyone was doing well, he could scratch Michael and Maria off since the two were safe and in this town, well Michael was, Maria was in Mystic Falls.

Word count: 621
Tag: Michael, Lexi
Outfit: Here!
Notes:

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[Michael "Mike" Andrew Guerin]

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Michael could tell she was curious as to what they were. She didn't really say anything, it was just the way she eyed them curiously. It made him a little uncomfortable. After all if she was wondering about them, than that meant she herself wasn't normal. If you run into Michael and Max on the street, most of the time you just thought they were normal guys, but she seemed confused as to what they were. Maybe he was reading to much into it, but it was still something worth monitoring over the next few minutes as they talked to each other.

He ignored Max' glare at revealing their names, it wasn't like she knew their full names anyways. There could be a million Max's and a Million Michael's for all she knew. Feeling the hug of the other man, Michael turned and managed a smile to him. At least Max was a little happy to see him after all these years. He just continued to listen to the girls story about her best friend and all that, and Max saying that he knew the feeling. Michael cringed at the thought, it would of been really awkward for Max if he and Isabel really did end up together, he was glad that he dodged that bullet.

She made a lot of sense about why the woods. Those were solid reasons. Michael himself liked the solitary of his life. Really the only one he didn't mind spending every moment with was Maria, not that he didn't care for Max or Isabel but they even would admit that to much of him would make them sick and tired of them, and it was the same for him. They were family and friends and so much more, but at the end of the day, they were individuals and needed their space. So Lexi had good points about the woods and he felt like they could trust her.

Michael too knew the feeling about to much quietness being lonely. He spent many days on end in a hotel room or in an abandoned house in quietness, wishing to talk to and see his family again. So Max had a point, but this girl hasn't been through 5 years of quietness, it sounded like she needed it. He realized he wasn't saying much, but he let Max take the lead on it, he knew how to handle this situation better then Michael could. "Just, don't you think it is gross to sleep with your best friends brother?" Michael asked her finally, it really was his only question on the topic.

He nodded when she brushed off her apology. Normally Michael wasn't an apologetic kind of guy, but grilling an innocent women in the woods just seemed like something one should apologize for. It was something Maria was trying to work on him, he was trying to be a better boyfriend and do the chores, but he also needed to learn to respect peoples feelings better. Though her brushing it off seemed like she didn't care about it, which made him trust her more, as it meant she really had nothing to hide. She would get defensive if she had something to hide.

He looked at Max as he told Lexi why he was in a hotel room and that he may stay in town now. "Really Maxwell? You don't think, well you know..." Michael said, he knew he was being cryptic, but it was because of their company. Max should know what Michael meant, and that was, was it dangerous for them to be in one place? Were they still being hunted? Max was kind of their leader, even if Michael tried to take the job from him at one point, it was his call, Michael knew one thing, if Max wanted them to leave Virginia, Michael was taking Maria with him, and that was a fact Max was gonna have to deal with.

Tags: Lexi Branson and Max Evans
Words: 659
Notes: *Snuggles*

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[Alexia 'Lexi' Lynn Branson]

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She smiled a bright smile when the man who was finally introduced as Max told her it was nice to meet her. She knew he was lying of course but still, it was nice that he was polite at least. She could tell both men were highly suspicious of her and that was okay. She was after all a predator whether she actually acted on her instincts or not. She hadn't killed in a long time yet she had before. She wouldn't hurt anyone unless they hurt those that she cared about but she'd do it and that was the difference between her and most vampires. They did it out of want, she did it out of necessity and only in the darkest of times.

She waved off the semi apology. "Hey anytime I see my best friend, whether I want to punch him or hug him, I usually hug him." She told them with a laugh. She understood why he had tried to explain though. It wasn't usual for two men to hug and if they did most women thought that they were gay. Lexi for one thing didn't care if someone was gay, straight, bi, it really didn't matter to her. She herself was bisexual and proud of it. However she also didn't judge people on a hug between friends, especially ones who she had a feeling were more like brothers than friends.

She smiled a sad smile about the loneliness. "Quiet can be good, it gives people to think. But too much of it, it can be unbearable. I usually stick to loud cities with a bunch of random people. It's loud so that it's not really that lonely yet I still have time to myself. Unfortunately in a town this small there is no 'time to myself' hence the running through the woods." She told them, feeling as if she had explained herself more than once but figuring it was better to get it out there.

She nodded in understanding. She had stayed at the boarding house for a bit after leaving Elena's because she hadn't known exactly where she was going to be staying. Technically she was still at the boarding house yet she knew that soon she would need to find an apartment or a house to rent. She didn't want to be up Stefan's ass all the time and she and Damon had a weird relationship if one wanted to call it and she knew they needed their space. Much better to get some space for the three of them rather than throwing them all into a house, no matter how large the house was.

"It's not a bad town...just a small one. Secrets don't stay secrets very long and all that so if you have any skeletons in your closet, either make sure you are aware that they'll come out or dead bolt the closet." She warned them. It was the truth and she knew it better than most. Secrets didn’t stay that way for long and she knew that these two had something that they were hiding. She didn’t mind, it made life interesting, but she knew others would…hence the warning.

She laughed at Michael's question about it being gross. "Nah, not really. Though I probably should since I technically had a friends with benefits thing going on with my best friend at one time too. Not at the same time of course but yeah." She told them. She knew most girls who spoke like she was were sluts but she wasn't. She was a vampire, a sexual being and while she knew she should have been embarrassed she wasn't. "I'm older than I look so it wasn't that close together. So no, I don't find it gross."

It didn’t take her long to realize that she was in their way of a conversation. Of course she had realized it earlier but she knew she was making them uncomfortable. “Alright, well I’ll let you two catch up. It was nice meeting you.” She told them, moving to walk around them so that she let them have their chance at hanging out. Besides, she really did want to run and she didn’t want to look any more suspicious than she already did.

Word Count:: 746
Tag:: Max Evans & Michael Guerin
Outfit:: Click here for Lexi’s Outfit
Note:: Figured either Lexi could leave or one of them could stop her. It’s up to you. I’m cool either way.

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