Bellingstone, Pennsylvania

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“Lassie? Yeah I’ve never heard that one before.” Lassiter scoffed and took a heavy drink of his coffee before sitting the mug down again. “And it isn’t like I care for the old bat or anything- I just don’t like porcelain figurines thrown at my head.” He backtracked quite obviously, but found Caroline even holding an inkling of a thought in her head that he had compassion for little old ladies with mental disorders. Next think he knew she would be volunteering him for time with children at burn clinics, or informing all the elderly of Bellingstone that he would love to escort them across the road.

Those pale blue orbs followed Sam over to Sara’s booth and he found himself glancing at those two before coming back to the blackness of his coffee. Now if there was anyone that Lassiter felt sorry for it was Sara, because the events that had befallen her shouldn’t happen to anyone. Yet he didn’t agree with the way she handled things, but then again he wasn’t wrought with an abundance of female emotions to cloud his judgment.
Caroline’s laughter snapped him back to reality in a moment, and he had to admit that it was a beautiful noise amidst all the other snorting kerfuffle that existed in other women. Lassiter couldn’t help but to crack a smile as well and took a rather gallant drink of his now-cooled coffee. “I think I dropped my beer when he started doing that. One moment I was just sitting there and the next it was like my entire mind shut down at the sight of it.” It was then he took a moment for them to both catch their breath before he smirked. “Ah not near as amusing, but always better than watching paint dry or getting attacked by little old ladies.” Lassiter then paused, “look I don’t have to work Monday- so I was thinking about stopping by the bar then. I figure if you are there are we can engage in our favorite pastime. How does that sound?” About that time though Lassiter saw that Sara had found her way over from the booth, and to Caroline’s side. He took that as his cue to quiet himself and refocus on the rest of the diner in its’ entirety.

Lassiter was pulled away from his ‘don’t make it awkward’ stare when Jo started talking to him. While Caroline and him had to play pretend in the ‘romance’ department there was nothing keeping him or Josephine on good terms with each other. Still he had a rather guilty wish that they too could have some illicit affair if only to make things more interesting. But alas she found him about as interesting as a pile of rocks, and he found her as impressive as a wet sock- it just wasn’t mean to be. Not to mention it was a well-known fact that the female Beta preferred humans to werewolves any day. And Lassiter might have understood this if the werewolves were less attractive than the humans, but they weren’t- if anything they were more attractive. Ah well- she always struck him as a ‘rebel without a cause’ and so he left it at that- assured that her cause was ‘just because she could’.
“Good morning Jo- glad to see you can grace a lowly fellow like myself with your radiant being. Oh however shall be able to honor your properly.” Lassiter said with obvious sarcasm. “Maybe I shall relish you with an entertaining story about how I was accosted by a lady off of her meds- and she damaged my beautiful face with a porcelain figurine.” He stated in a gasping bravado, “I know what you are thinking: no not his pretty face. But worry not- it shall be fine with some ace bandages and Neosporin.” Lassiter then took a long sip- “So how was your morning- hopefully less eventful?”

Sam rotated around to ask Jo what she wanted with an obvious strained look on his face. That only meant one thing, and Lassiter was honestly not in the mood to comply so wholly. Truth be told if he wasn’t starving- he would probably just abandon the diner. “So what does it take to get service around here? Do I have to show you my breasts?” He questioned Sam with a serious look to his eyes as if he really meant it.

---

"I've been good, what about you sweetie?" Sara heard Caroline respond. She looked up at her, and saw a mixture of sympathy and pity in her eyes. Sara clenched her jaw slightly, taking a small breath, "I.. I've been busying myself with work." she said softly.

"It feels like it's been such a long time since I last saw you." Caroline responded to her, "Yeah.. Two months to the day." she said quietly, her eyes beginning to prick as she realized what had made her come to the diner. Two months previous, on the exact day, was when her family had been taken to her. And out of need for support, she subconsciously came to the diner, "I-I miss them.. S-so much." she croaked softly, looking up, she met Lassiter's eyes for a moment, before looking down and away, closing her eyes to she as she wouldn't tear up, her throat clenching slightly. She hated them seeing her like this, weak.

"I suppose I can do that. Vivian.... she is a character. But I think she can handle her own. Isabella, on the other hand, I think would be the best for me to train. I'll try to contact both of them and see which one needs to be trained the most" Cristine smiled and tucked herself into the leather seat of the bar. "But hopefully, the our relationship with the wolves will not get any worse. I want to meet with their leader, privately, but truthfully, I am a little scared" she laughed and looked a Livius.

"But if you tell anyone that, I swear I will personally kill you. I do not get afraid, at least, I want everyone to think that. The spiders are not helping that, by the way" she turned back in her seat and smirked. "However, I may have to. Some of the fledgelings hate the werewolves from what I have heard and vice versa for the wolves. It's horrible really. This town was founded on a friendship between the two, not a hate" she pressed her face against her hand and sighed. "Now if only we could get that back. The wolves are always good for a party, or at least they were. I've skirted around talking to them" she turned her head to the table and looked down at it.

"I.... would rather not drink, Livi. I do intend to help Vivian or Isabella" Cristine blinked a few times and turned around in her chair. "I must be off. Find the little ones" she laughed and started towards the door. "I really hope I can fix this before the shit hits the fan" she whispered to herself. It would be best if nothing between the two groups happened- she really did miss when they had mutual respect for each other.

Annelise growled at Alarick's comment about looking gloomy, "This is just my face.." She murmured unhappily, fearing people, well Alarick since she didn't speak to anyone else much, would figure out her secret love. She never bothered to call it a crush, because it wasn't. She had crushes before and they went away after a week or two, but this feeling never left after years and it wouldn't any time soon, she just hoped if Sebastian ever found it wouldn't be rejection. Annelise didn't know if she could handle that along with the death of her father..

She tapped her foot anxiously, ignoring the annoying squeaks of the seat as she chewed her lip and sighed. When she laid her forehead down on her folded up arms Annelise almost fell asleep, gasping slightly as she heard Sebastian's soothing voice beside her. "Morning, Alarick. Morning, Annelise." Her body jolted up, sitting straight as she smiled at her leader and successfully hiding her blush. "Morning.." She replied, almost a whisper as she moved over to make room for him. For a few moments she watched Sebastian as he talked with Alarick, before giving up and laying her head back down. At the sound of Alarick inquiring about the girl she scoffed, "Pfft, liar.. You wanted to tell him something else too.." She yawned, lifting her head again as she looked at the two with a smirk.

Jo smiled up at Sam as he poured her the usual cup of coffee and slid her a menu. He knew that she didn't really need a menu, she had a habit of getting the same exact thing every day. As she began to tell him what she wanted, he broke in before she could even utter a syllable. "I'll be right back, I've got to get an order started. Think about what you want," an with that, he hurried off to the kitchen to make Sara's order. She waited patiently listening to the conversations going on around her, not really partaking in one. She peered around and can just make out Sam in the kitchen. His gaze wasn't on his work, but on Caroline and she felt a ping of jealousy. Not for his intense love for her persay but the love in general. She wished that she could find someone to love as much as he loved Caroline. Most of her pack believed that she wouldn't date a werewolf, but she wasn't totally against the idea. It just so happened that many of the pack were rigid and wouldn't stray from the rules, with obvious exceptions of course.

Turning her gaze back to her coffee, she sighed and stirred it in a bored fashion, adding a bit of sugar. After a few minutes, Sam came back out ready to take her order. Before she could say what she wanted, Axel came up behind Sam and shoved him. "Good morning, Axel. You know you've got really horrible service here." she said winking and turning back to Sam. "I would love some blueberry waffles please." She said, grinning as she slid the menu back to him.

As Sam went to get her order ready as well as others, she turned around in her barstool. It was then that Lassiter took that time to answer. She turned back around so she could listen to him properly. "Good morning Jo- glad to see you can grace a lowly fellow like myself with your radiant being. Oh however shall be able to honor your properly." Of course she assumed his response would be sarcastic. It always was. "Maybe I shall relish you with an entertaining story about how I was accosted by a lady off of her meds- and she damaged my beautiful face with a porcelain figurine." She laughed as she noticed his bandage sticking prominently on his forehead. "I know what you are thinking: no not his pretty face. But worry not- it shall be fine with some ace bandages and Neosporin." "A shame, it would have mad quite a pretty scar." She responded. “So how was your morning- hopefully less eventful?” He said after taking a sip of coffee. "Mine was not nearly as entertaining as yours. If only I too could have such an exciting job as yours. Alas, I am but a librarian. That is the most boring of boring jobs." She said, turning back around to watch the other patrons.

Axel and Sam flitted here and there, taking orders and making them. That however wasn't the most interesting people that day. Her gaze rested on the trio in a booth. They didn't quite seem to fit together with the young girl and the man she knew was a player. And then there was the bigger man who had just lit up a cigarette. He was the Bellingstone sheriff. Why he was sitting with the other two was anybodies guess. She glanced back to Caroline, Sara, and Lassiter and then to Axel she gave a small nod, nearly imperceptible to the human eye signaling that she wanted to speak with him privately.

Seb shot Alarick an obviously feigned smile before blowing a stream of smoke off to the side. "My day just isn't the same without seeing your ugly mug, sweetheart," he shot back. Sebastian leaned back against the booth and picked up a menu to glance over it. It was then, it seemed, that he realized he had not eaten since yesterday afternoon. By now, the hunger pangs in his stomach were bugging him and the smell of food from the kitchen didn't make anything better. As Alarick opened his mouth again to speak, Seb leaned forward and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth.

"See the brunette up there- the one besides the EMT- happen to know who she is? I’m considering asking her out. I wonder if all her friends would mind." Sebastian's face basically lit up like a child's on Christmas. Both he and Alarick had the same suspicions...so, there must be something going on at least. It couldn't be a coincidence, right? Regardless, a third opinion couldn't really hurt, right? Seb leaned back again and closed the menu, having decided upon what he wanted.

"You don't stand a chance, buddy," he said, still grinning. "They'd rip you to shreds." He hoped this subliminal message of his would reach Alarick the same way the latter's message had reached him. They'd both seen the sights of werewolf attacks. Although they weren't very common on humans, they were on animals and they certainly weren't a sight for the weak of stomach. As Annelise spoke again, Seb raised an eyebrow and looked back at Alarick. "Is there something else?" Before Alarick could answer, a figure approached the booth and Sebastian fell silent, the cigarette still between his lips.

---

Axel rolled his eyes dramatically as he kept walking, still watching Sam. "Gee, thanks," he replied, laughing quickly. "Glad to see you too, Sammy. You're just a bundle of joy as always today, aren't you?" His voice was filled with a fake, teasing sarcasm that the alpha was quite guilty of using on many occasions, even those that should have been serious. Jo also greeted him and so he looked at her too, smirking.

"Mornin' Jo." he replied, stopping and leaning against an empty table a few yards away from her. At her jest about the service, he shrugged and pointed toward Sam. "Well, it's certainly not me that's the problem." If Sam were to look back at Axel, he'd see a quick, cheeky grin before the alpha turned to look around the place. A quick glance around the diner showed him that there was one table that appeared to have been completely untouched by Sam yet. However, he still hurried off to a few more tables first where some roadtrippers had settled down. With a handful of orders in his hands, he hurried back tot he counter and placed them down, looking to fill them when he had finished the orders. While walking towards the counter, though, Jo quickly nodded to him. He understood the signal but held up an index finger and replied in broken, poor Spanish: "Uno momento, por favor."

With the other tables taken care of, he walked over and planted himself at the head of the booth he'd viewed at first, flashing a quick smile at the lot. They were an odd little group that consisted of a young girl, a man who seemed too cocky for his own good, and non-other-than Bellingstone's sheriff. Axel nearly greeted the man courteously...until he saw the cigarette between his lips.

"Sorry, sir," he began, gesturing to the cigarette. "No smoking in the diner." The sheriff raised his brow high as if surprised by this. Of course, he couldn't be though, considering he was the sheriff.

"Really? That's unfortunate," he replied in a tone both monotonous and a bit annoyed. The man pulled his cigarette out from between his lips and tossed it on to the tile floor, crushing it beneath his boot. Axel clenched his jaw slightly, fighting back every urge to roll his eyes.

"What can I get for you all?" he asked forcefully, fighting to keep his tone even and genuine. The sheriff looked down at the menu front as if that might tell him what he wanted before looking Axel in the eye.

"Ham and cheese omelette," he replied, handing the menu to Axel. He paused for a moment and then smirked slightly. "That brunette up there is quite attractive...mind telling me her name?" An urge to yell at the man for being disrespectful and then asking about Jo came over Axel and he dug his fingers into the menu to keep himself from doing so.

"No can do, Sheriff," he said tersely. "We don't just give out the names of others here..." The sheriff nodded and turned back to face the other man at the table, grinning subtly. "So, uh, what can I get the rest of you?"

Vivian rolled her eyes as the posh little woman on the television droned on about a missing family in Pennsylvania. People were always so fascinated with what happened to others hundreds of miles away, and she could never figure out why. Was it a culture thing? Was it expected that all people should pretend to care about other people? Plus, it would only last for a week or so and then everyone would forget about it as the new great tragedy came rushing in. Vivian didn't know about others, but she didn't care in the least. Either it was a vampire on a feeding frenzy, or a psycho. Either way. She didn't care.

Vivian rolled over, her ruby hair flaying out on top of the black pillow. She lay on the top of a large bed with rumpled black blankets dressed in a long onyx nightgown. Silk, of course, as if there was anything else one could make a decent nightgown from. It wasn't like she truly slept anymore. Not truly, but there was something fun about laying in bed late just watching television. Plus with all the anti-vampirism going around, it really was just a hassle to go outside. Werewolves didn't like them. Humans didn't know about them, and those that did... well, they were just a bunch of self-righteous bigots. All this 'human' rights business, and yet those 'hunters' chased down good god-fearing vampires like dogs. Tsk tsk.

Wasn't much to do that day as it was. It was Sabbath, so she didn't intend to do anything that required more labor then getting dressed as wasn't that the point of a Sunday? The other vampires would be off doing, whatever it is they did. Darling Cristine was most likely working at the mechanics 'shop'. If a man could ride it. They loved it. Explained why they were so fascinated with horses, then cars, and well, they have always been fascinated by women. Or at least, the woman's body.

Vivian cast her blue eyes over the walls of her room, the skyblue walls adorned with numerous masterpiece paintings done by the greatest artist of all time. Herself. Some were of the ocean, others of mountains, some of cities, a few of people, and one of herself which was across from the door. The first thing anyone walking in would notice. Her apartment was small, but she preferred it that way. Much less cleaning, and much cheaper. Vivian detested paying for anything, she had money. Lots as, technically speaking, she had invested all her daddies money when he passed away, but once a penny pincer always a penny pincer.

Flipping the channel to what appeared to be a soap opera and watched on as some man revealed to his 'wife' that he slept with a woman who turned out to be his long lost sister. Oh, joy.

Annelise cringed at the tension in the air, rigid as she sat squished between Sebastian and the window. She didn't like the behavior between the two, she didn't need one of the few people she had left to be murdered by some stupid wolf, it happened before already. In fact, she didn't like being in the diner at all, the only reason she wasn't having a panic attack was because of Sebastian and Alarick. Looking up, she handed her menu to Axel. "French toast." She muttered, monotonous as she retracted her hand quickly and went back to her hunched over position. She sighed and chewed her fingernails anxiously, tapping her feet to the beat of a song in her head.

Caroline watched Sara, guilt washing over her as she saw the tears prickle in the brunettes eyes, perhaps she wasn't ready to speak to anyone yet and she had practically forced Sam over there, reaching out she grasped her hand, offering a quick squeeze, she just hoped it would comfort her a little. "Yeah...Two months to the day" Sara murmured, confirming Caroline's suspicion that her absence from the pack had journeyed into the months, she couldn't exactly say if she thought Sara's self exclusion was a affective grief mechanism, she had never lost any family, hell, she didn't have a family, so she couldn't pass judgement on grieving methods if she had never actually lost someone. Although she did suppose, she would be in a similar situation if something were to happen to Sam, the mere thought made her shiver, concluding her thought that she would probably shut herself off also. Still the thought of Sara at her house by herself, with nothing but her own thoughts and painful memories couldn't be heathy, for anybody. Caroline suddenly felt guilty for not trying harder to reach out to her, she should have gone down there, beaten on the door and not stopped until she answered, perhaps her regular leaving food on her door step wasn't enough.

Caroline offered a warm smile and another squeeze of her hand, her thumb rubbing her knuckles in a circular pattern, hoping it would do something to comfort her "I-I just miss them... s-so much" Sara croaked, her tear filled eyes, slowly looking at Lassiter and Josephine before her eyes once again met the floor. It was hard to recall that not so long ago, this was a strong independent woman, who loved to laugh, full of life and had her whole life ahead of her, now, she was a shell of her former self. Caro had never really gotten the full story about what had happened in those woods, but she had heard the words 'hunters' and 'ambush' fall off the lips of some of the pack, so she can only assume that they were unjustifiably targeting for being what they were. "I know you do sweetie" Caroline mumbled, her voice, soft and gentle "but you know I am here for you if you need anything...we all are."

"I know you do sweetie,but you know I am here for you if you need anything...we all are." Sara swallowed hard and nodded, "Th-thank you." she croaked quietly, giving Caroline a weak smile. Hearing the door to the diner open, and a whiff of a slightly familiar scent, Sara stiffened, though it wasn't noticeable. She watched at two men and a young woman walked past her and Caroline. She was about to pass them off as just another group of humans, when she was finally able to place the scent. Her eyes widened just the slightest, before she looked towards the kitchen, biting her lip, "I-I'm going to be late for work.." she muttered quietly, handing Caroline some money, "Tell Sam I had to go." she murmured, standing up, she shoved her hand sin her pockets and walked out brusquely, down the sidewalk, and rounded a corner, into an alley, her body being wracked with slight convulsions and choking sobs, much like how a person would react to seeing their attacker, Sara realized that the man she had seen in the Diner, Sebastian she could've sworn she had heard his name was. That man was the one who did this to her. Who ruined everything for her and her family. She hugged her chest tightly, seeing him, in a place so close to both her and her pack, and never made her feel more violated and horrified since the day she was originally attacked.

She quickly made her way down the sidewalk, trying to clear her mind, she blinked, smelling a Vampire close by, intermingled with the scent of werewolf. Her eyebrows knitted together, as she was confused, before she got within earshot.

"Oh yeah, I use them all the time when trying to pick up vampire girls. You blood suckers really go for the buff wolves." she heard the man say, causing her eyebrow to perk up in confusion from coming in halfway through the conversation.

"All I see in front of me is a buff man, You are making it pretty damn hard, though. My name is Gabby" she heard the blood sucker say, as she tried in vein to flirt. Something in Sara seemed to snap at seeing that. Regardless of it being a Vampire, she was a woman first, and seeing her act as such to anything that moves, not even within the same species made bile rise in her throat. If there was one thing Sara hated, it was women who had no respect of sense of boundaries. She approached the pair, narrowing her eyes. God damn did she feel like she needed to blow off some steam right about now.

"Oi. Blood Sucker, the man doesn't seem to want to be bothered by him. Why don't you stick to your own species, and keep your damn legs shut." she hissed, some of her previously lost spunk returning, "God damn. You lot will fuck anything that moves, doesn't even need to have a pulse. It's disgusting." she said, her voice absolutely dripping with disdain, "Why don't you go out, and get yourself a set of morals? Or are you too good for those?" she said, her eyes hard and cold. Today was just not a good day, and she was just not in the mood to beat around the bush.

After he finished his drinks Livius told the bartender to send him the ever clear bottles that he ordered to his home. He then left to go to the local Catholic church. He usually did not like to visit churches unless it was Sabbath. He did when he was a boy so he sure would not stop in his twelve hundreds. When he arrived at the church he walked slowly to the priest. "Father Andrea, do you have those crosses I asked for?" Andrea gave him a box filled with ten silver crosses and the vampire gave the priest a check for thirty five thousand dollars. "Here's a fraction of my tithing, I will give you the rest at the end of the month." He told the happy priest. He tithed about half a million each year to that church so he was good friends with the priest.

Livius struggled to leave the holy grounds. It felt as if he had been working against a hurricane just being inside of it. He felt like he needed some coffee so he decided to head to the diner. It always had good coffee as well as a comfortable atmosphere. As he walked across the sidewalks he heard a some talking with the reference of a "blood sucker". He walked over to the noise to see Isabella and two werewolves in town. He made note two keep track of the numbers the pack had just in case.

"Isabella. You need to talk to Cristine pronto. Important business. He looked at the other woman who he had heard say "blood suckers". "Good morning mutt." He told her and he continued walking to the diner. Perhaps he could get in a chat with Axel while he ordered his coffee.

The sheer fury that was escaping Derek's every pore, now tangible in the air, had pooled entirely to the expression on his face. His icy blue eyes shone like beacons in the defensive sort of rage that came with being in the presence of not one, but two vampires and an unknown wolf. A low growl erupted from his chest and he proceeded to back away from the three strangers with teeth barred. "Have you all completely gone mad? I'll have nothing to do with you fangers or the pack. Back. Off. Or. Else." He ground out, tone dangerously wolfish, and his gaze as threatening as a loaded, level gun. Derek walked backward for a few paces before turning and retreating as calmy as possible down the street to a small diner. He silently hoped allowing time for the supernatural gathering on the sidewalk to disperse would prove wise, he could purchase a bottled water to rehydrate, and most importantly wouldn't be resigned to ripping the heads off of some evil undead in front of a street full of people.

Derek's pale skin almost glowed in the bath of floresent light that fell upon him as he entered the eatery. Obsidian scruff and a wash of dewy sweat beads across his cheeks contrasted beautifully against that skin. His gaze hardened as he regarded the patrons in the room, now feigning a smile where his lips had been drawn down at the corners in reaction to the number of Werewolves present. What had he gotten himself into?

Benjamin Lafitte, or affectionately Benny, was the only staff member remaining in the small diner. The vampire had been left in charge of closing up shop for the night and seeing the last of the straggling patrons out the door. After scrubbing his stove top until it was impeccably clean, that not even a single smudge marred it's surface, he meandered around the bar to the main floor where a gangly sixteen year old boy sat atop a lonely bar stool, sipping on a free strawberry milkshake he had been awarded by Benny. See, even though Benjamin had only been in this small town for a few weeks, he had come to look at this boy, Harrison Morgan, with a strange fondness. Well it wasn't all that strange actually, he was after all the boy's great-grandfather. This teen was one of the only ties Benny had to his human life, and one of the very reasons Lafitte had come to Bellingstone, of course this was all unbeknownst to Harrison. His mother worked doubles at the local hospital, leaving him alone more often than not. He spent nearly all of his time after school in the diner playing on the Gator Country arcade machine that rested in the back corner.

"Time for closing son." The vampire said, his voice rich with a musical southern timbre. Harrison jumped up in surprise from the rickety stool so fast that he overbalanced and nearly went straight over onto his face, but Benny caught him out of nowhere and hoisted him up by the back of his worn and faded tee shirt. “I’m good, I’m good!” Harrison tugged the hem of his tee down and found his footing. Benny just chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "Benny, please stop looking at me like I am the most adorable cat video you have ever seen.” Harrison groaned. "I am not." Benny lied, eyes crinkling up with his smile as Harrison heaved himself back on his stool, bobbing his straw idly in the remnants of his melted milkshake. "Any luck finding a room mate yet?" The boy quickly asked, hoping to distract his friend so he could stay for a fraction of a second longer. "Naw, not yet. I put the ad in the paper, but I suppose folks aren't all that eager to shack up in my tiny ramshackle old two bedroom apartment, and split the rent." Benny replied, tone light and jovial, but underlying with secret venom. In truth, the vampire feared that a creature of supernatural means would answer said ad. He vehemently wished in vain that he could have written the ad out with an additional sentence. "Humans need only apply."

After about fifteen extra minutes of friendly chit chat, Benny finally shooed the boy out the door and turned the lock, grateful to be away from the taunting heartbeat of his great-grandson. He swallowed hard, realizing it will be infinitely more difficult to resist his thirst with a room mate, but what other options did he have? If he wanted to afford to stay in town, to be near his only surviving family, then he'd have to take this on. He buried his hand deep in his navy blue peacoat pocket, retrieving his cell phone to check it for messages from any applicants for the apartment.

He was oddly silent, this wolf. And he was unpredictable. Gabby wasn't exactly sure if he was going to chill out (she highly doubted that, however) or jump forward and rip her head off. It was all a bit exciting for her. She wasn't one to play it safe, at least not anymore. Becoming a vampire had changed her entire life, and for the better. Thinking about what would have become of her otherwise disgusted her. A housewife who stayed home to take care of the kids and clean, only leaving to head to church every Sunday. Never doing anything daring or dangerous that would get her adrenaline up, her heart racing. Not that her heart was beating now, but it sure felt like it sometimes. That feeling was unlike anything else, and she lived for it. This wolf was giving her that excitement.

Unfortunately, her fun got ruined. Out of nowhere came another woman, eyes already narrowed as if she were pissed off. And she was a wolf, if Gabby's nose was correct. That wet dog smell wasn't easy to miss. Oh great. "Oi. Blood Sucker, the man doesn't seem to want to be bothered by you. Why don't you stick to your own species, and keep your damn legs shut." This woman's threats made her smile, not a smirk, but a full out grin. A laugh escaped her throat, its tone musical and beautiful to the ears. Apparently just because she was a wolf, she had the right to cut right into their conversation and be a total bitch. Gabby wasn't intimidated in the least. "Because I'm sure he would much rather be bothered by you," she simply said, her tone cool and void of any emotion.

This woman didn't stop. "God damn. You lot will fuck anything that moves, doesn't even need to have a pulse. It's disgusting." That made Gabby smile as well. This stranger did realize she was talking to a vampire, didn't she? Gabby had no pulse, so why wouldn't she have sex with someone just like her? Her ranting was void of any logic. "Even without a pulse, I'm a much better catch than you would ever be. Not to mention what I can do in the bedroom. Or any room really." She said this with a wink at her stud, smirking. She wasn't going to be thrown off her game just because some bitch decided to get in the way.

She had one last line before she was finally finished. "Why don't you go out, and get yourself a set of morals? Or are you too good for those?" Gabby took a step towards this woman, her heels clacking against the sidewalk. "Obviously you are too good for them, since you decided to ruin a perfectly good conversation with your endless bitching." With her heels, she towered over the wolf, and she folded her arms, looking down, her eyes cold and dead.

"Isabella. You need to talk to Cristine pronto. Important business." Her gaze was broken as she turned to look at the new voice. Of course she already knew who it was. Livi. Cristine's second-in-command. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Very well Livi, I'll find Cristine." There was something she really liked about him, although she had never been able to figure out what it was. Even if he spent way too long on his hair. He walked past her and towards the other woman. "Good morning mutt," he said casually, then strode along down the sidewalk. Well, there was another reason to add to the list of why she liked him. She smiled at his back as he walked away.

Up until that moment, she hadn't really focused on the third person present, her stud. But she sensed his change in mood. Her green orbs turned to look at him, and what she saw displeased her greatly. Saying he looked angry was an understatement. Why was he mad at her?! She hadn't done anything except be nice, and incredibly sexy, towards him. "Have you all completely gone mad? I'll have nothing to do with you fangers or the pack. Back. Off. Or. Else." His words stung her slightly, although she would never admit it out loud. She had done nothing, and yet he was treating her as if she had been the one to start this argument. But it was the bitch's fault. Sadly, she watched him back up, then turn and walk away. She considered calling out after him, but didn't want to make the situation any worse. She would see him again, she had a feeling. So she just let him go, staying silent.

After he was out of earshot, she walked up to the bitch once more. A devilish grin was on her face. "Oh honey, you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. You'll regret this." She stepped back and began to walk away. After a few steps, she paused. "And if he sinks so low as to sleep with you, he'll come running to me, begging to give him the greatest night of his life. Just you wait and see," she called over her shoulder. With that she ran off. She had no idea where to go, since Livi had left out Cristine's location. So instead she decided to go visit Vivian. Gabby looked up to her as a sort of motherly/best friend combination. They had somewhat similar personalities, and Gabby couldn't think of a better person to go see. Within minutes she arrived outside of the door and knocked quietly. She knew Vivian would hear. "Vivian?" she called softly, hoping the elder vampire was home.

"Good morning, Axel. You know you've got really horrible service here." Jo said towards Axel. A wink followed and she turned back towards Sam. He waited and rolled his eyes when he was sure Jo was looking at him. She ignored his exaggerated eye roll, and gave him her order of blueberry waffles. So typical for her. He should have known. She grinned, and he playfully grabbed the menu from her. "You'll be lucky if I don't spit in those waffles of yours..." he said deviously, then turned and left her behind, placing the menu back in the holder with all the rest. He looked over towards Caroline, and thankfully saw that Sara had taken his advice and decided to go chat with her old friend. The sight made him smile, because he knew Caroline would be thrilled. He made a mental note to ask her for some 'gratitude' later. Now he was really looking forward to tonight.

As he walked past Lassiter, the man made another of his seriously lame jests. “So what does it take to get service around here? Do I have to show you my breasts?” Sam just stared at him, a smile not appearing on his lips. Like he would give the Delta that kind of satisfaction. He ripped the top page off of his pad, with Jo's order on it, and tossed the rest of the pad in front of Lassiter on the counter. "Keep your breasts in your training bra, Lassiter. If you have so many complaints, you can help out yourself." He raised an eyebrow at the man, and began walking away, mentally blocking out any rebuttal the jester would come up with. He made his way back to the kitchen, where Sara's chicken fried steak was cooking nicely. He began preparing Jo's waffles, humming softly to himself as he worked.

Sam's thoughts drifted as he worked, since cooking had become second nature to him, and he didn't need to focus on his work. He was grateful that he had Caroline, because she certainly didn't deserve to be stuck with her fellow Delta mate. She was so kind and pure-hearted, and Lassiter was anything but. However, he needed to calm his angry feelings toward the male. He had nothing to be upset about. He had Caroline, and he wasn't worried about Lassiter stealing her away. He figured once the food was ready he would go out and finally take the Delta's order. Sam wasn't that kind of man, and he told himself he would control his anger around Lassiter. Regardless of how many sarcastic comments the wolf made.

His thoughts moved on to tonight. He would keep his promise and go visit Caroline at the bar. Depending on who was there, he could either openly flirt with her, or he would have to resolve to watching her from afar. He obviously preferred the first option, but he wasn't ready to publicly announce their relationship. It wasn't as if he thought Axel would kick him out of the pack, but he was afraid of losing his rank. And most importantly, the trust of his best friend. Axel was attempting to make it work with the Alpha female, Leanna, who was a real sweetheart. What would his friend think if Sam wasn't willing to do the same? He pushed that thought out, not wanting to ruin the day with negative thoughts. He decided instead to think of what he and Caroline would do after the bar. Hopefully she would come to his place, or let him come over to hers. Thinking of it brought a smile to his face.

The waffles were finished, and he placed the three on a plate and applied a healthy amount of blueberries on the top, as well as some whipped cream. He finished Sara's country fried steak, and placed it in a Styrofoam container so she could take it with her. He exited the kitchen, and placed the plate down in front of Jo, carrying the container over towards Caroline. He stopped in front of her, noticing that Sara was now missing. He placed it down on the counter, and looked at Care. "Where'd she go?" he asked, a confused look on his face. While waiting for a response from his love, he looked over towards Lassiter and smiled. "Alright, I guess it's finally your turn. What can I get for you?"

Sam looked around to notice at least two more patrons had entered the diner. One of them had very long blonde hair, and looked very feminine, while the other was anything but. He knew the latter was a wolf, just like Sam, but he wasn't part of there pack, and never had been. The guy was prone to anger and always seemed to be in a bad mood. He was one to keep an eye on, because he was unpredictable. It was extremely busy this morning. Axel was still stuck at the table with the the two men and younger female. If he was still there when Lassiter decided to order, Sam would go ahead and try to help both of the new men.

Caroline watched as Sara's demeanour went from slightly forth-coming to one of utter fear, her eyes wide, the brunette looked as if she was a deer caught in headlight as she stared off to a space behind Caroline. Turning her head slightly, Caro followed Sara's line of vision and her blue hues quickly fell upon the booth, filled with the girl who worked in the comic book store, someone she vaguely recognised from around town and the bar and finally none other than one of Bellingstone's officers; turning back to Sara, she stared at her friend with a confused expression "sweetie what's-" she began only to be swiftly cut off "I-I'm going to be late for work...tell Sam I had to go."

Rising swiftly from her chair "Wait...Sara" she called after her friend who practically ran out of the diner, something had spooked her, that much was certain and if her suspicions were correct it had something to do with the inhabitants of the booth in the corner. Frowning she dropped back onto her stool, running a frustrated hand through her hair, she had been so close to a breakthrough with Sara and now it was gone again, groaning in frustration, she shook her blonde head, tempted to throw her hands up in the in defeat, but she concluded that would be a little bit over-dramatic. God knows when Sara would muster the courage to come back to the diner.

[b]"Where'd she go?" came Sam's gruff voice, to which she simply shrugged "I don't know" Caroline sounded exasperated, she had come so close to gaining her friend back and just like that she was gone again, retreating back into her own abyss. Caro sighed heavily, her discontent about the situation being made publicly known. "Something scared her" she mumbled her gaze still fixed to the door.

Turning back to her friends...and secret boyfriend, Caroline offered them a small smile before standing up, grabbing her bag; digging around she pulled out her purse and put a few dollars down on the counter, enough to cover her breakfast and Sara's unused steak. "I gotta get going...the bar ain't gonna open itself" she stated quickly, taking the last sip of her coffee "Sam, breakfast was delicious as usual" she smiled, resisting the urge to kiss him goodbye...they couldn't do that in public; however difficult it was, but still they would have to have a conversation about their relationship soon, for Caroline, she was in this for the long run and she doubted they could hide it forever, no matter how hard they tried or rather Sam tried.

Placing her hand on Lassiter's shoulder in a friendly gesture, she remembered his earlier question "oh and Lassie, I shall see you tomorrow" she smiled, in confirmation to his question "see you later Jo" she chirped in to the brunette next to Lassiter. With one last look towards Sam, Caroline smiled secretively, looking forward to the night they would spend together, plans already whirling through the pretty blondes head. On her way out, she tapped Axel on the shoulder in passing, offering him a friendly smile "see you later Ax" she said in passing,placing a quick kiss onto his cheek as she usually did, glancing at the table he was serving, suspicions still rife within her, which one of these people made Sara change so suddenly? Offering the table a quick smile before exiting with her suspicions, as she walked through the door she passed a dark haired man on his way in "morning" she greeted in passing.

Once back out in the glorious sunshine, Caroline quickly pulled out her cell and typed a quick message to Sam, which simply read, 'Love you baby.' before shoving it back into her back as she made the short walk to her bar. She crossed the street and towards the building with 'Caro's' scrawled upon the sign. Pulling the keys from her bag, she quickly opened the door and walked inside, immediately flipping the light switch, dumping her bag in her small office, she then moved through to the main room, turning on the TV that was usually reserved for sports, onto the music channel, so she could have a little entertainment whilst she worked.

---

Alarick smirked wildly at Annelise’s comment. “Ah yes.” With that he brought his digits to the zipper on his jacket and slowly slid it down to reveal the pale grey shirt with the glittery emblazoned ‘Princess’ underneath a low sweeping neck. One could get an eyeful of his well sculpted chest but honestly he lost any sort of allure with the sparkling words underneath them. “I do believe she means to say that I am a damn Princess.” He paused for a moment as he zipped his jacket back up- seeming almost distraught at Sebastian’s next words, “and really-? You think-? I am a lot tougher than I look but they do look like they have a nasty set of fangs on them.” He offered his bright smile with his flat canines and glittering eyes. He couldn’t say the same of the man that approached them though, and Alarick let his smile fade into a look of just the usual morning pleasantries.

“Sebastian be nice,” Alarick chastised somewhat playfully before he turned to the waiter. “You will have to excuse the Sheriff he is not a morning person- or a day person, or a night person for that matter.” While it seemed as if Alarick was undermining his superior- all he was doing was attempting to drum up pleasant conversation in an attempt to soften up an edge in Sebastian’s mannerisms. While he was assured that the sheriff could get in the diner at any time just by flashing a knowing smile and a badge- Alarick wished to return un-harassed.
Yet their waiter’s lack of response in regards to the female at the counter near about made the half-Italian grin in his most Cheshire manner. Those words practically screamed: ‘I werewolf all the werewolf with the other werewolves in the werewolf werewolf.’ Yet Alarick just shrugged. Apparently he would have to do this the hard way, and to be honest- sometimes the hard way was the most fun. Either way he offered his eyes back to the menu for a moment before speaking. “I would like an egg over easy with a side of bacon. You only live once might as well enjoy the wonderful gift called: cho-les-ter-ol. Molto delizios. And some cranberry juice if you have it- if not water works fine.”

Alarick’s eyes inevitably flicked over to notice the steady stream of patrons entering the establishment and found his lips pursing a bit as a notable face crossed the threshold. Yet he said nothing, and instead just closed his menu and set it rather flatly against the table.

---

---

“Really Jo- a scar? Is that what you dig- rugged men covered in scars and oozing testosterone? I believe if that was the case- you should look no further than your mate.” Lassiter stated- sort of mumbling the part at the end into his coffee cup. Yet they both knew the answer to that statement: she didn’t want to. The beta female had never seemed keen on her own kind, and wasn’t about to start now that Lassiter had pointed out the obvious. No one ever really curtailed their life views because he blatantly stated how foolish their decisions were. Unfortunately that was the curse of being outside and looking in- you got to see how wonderful their life could have been.
He noticed shortly thereafter that the woman’s attention began to wane as she glanced over at Axel and answered his question with a robotic: ‘I work at the library- lest you forgot you moron.’ Everyone was always so infatuated with their Alpha, and Lassiter found himself lacking in that opinion. Sure he respected the man as any wolf did to his superior, but that respect only came with the fact that he kept the Wolffe pack order not because he much enjoyed the man. Axel had yet to acknowledge Lassiter, but then again the same sort of courtesy was show vice-versa. So instead of bring things up now he just offered a rather audible sigh. “If I bore you that much Jo- you can just excuse yourself.”

Yet it was apparent that everyone seemed to skirt around him like he was infested with the plague and probably an STD or two. Sam exhibited a wide berth, and probably would have complimented with a catty snap and eye roll if he swung that way. “If I didn’t know any better Sam- I would say you didn’t like me. I’m all heartbroken now.” It was a painful pantomime but he did it. The bell to the diner rang a few times in a row, and Lassiter glanced back with a bit of dismay. “You know what- never mind- it looks like you are getting a bit busy. I’ll leave you to it. I’m sure I have a frozen waffle or two collecting snow in my freezer.” He winked.
Lassiter found his shoulder warmed by Caroline’s hand and glanced up in enough time to offer her a smile. It was out of the blue, but oddly enough warranted. “See you then Blondie. I will drink you under the table this time missy.” He offered an air kiss in her direction- just for show and Sam’s irritation. He then scooped his keys up and offered Jo a smile. “Happy hunting.”

As the Delta male exited the diner he inhaled deeply the smell of wet dog and motor oil by one of the newest newcomers to the diner. Those eyes flicked up to the impressive man and he offered a deep scoff under his breath. “They let anyone in here now.”
With that he exited the diner and made the way to his car- the black ’69 Dodge Charger. It was a car that most represented him: a classy, rogue, sort of off-kilter vehicle that was somewhat sleek as well. “Yay waffles.” Lassiter grumbled.

---

Derek could tell from just standing in their presence which of the patrons were wolves. He was so attuned to Were's, from growing up in a pack, from spending all of his days since infancy surrounded by the beasts; that when they were around his body automatically fixed to their scent, sound of their heartbeat, and other familiar noises like low growls rumbling in their chest. Some of the pack took notice of his entrance, their gaze was what one referred to as heavy. Every time one of them looked, Derek could feel it. Feel it on his skin, in his bones.

He made a move to find an unoccupied seat so he could order his water and leave as quickly as was socially acceptable. His face was still plastered with a pleasant smile, but his icy eyes were borderline feral. He chose a small table rested close to the entrance, and sat with his back facing the wall so he could keep constant surveillance on the room and make a quick escape if things went south. Derek’s hackles bristled and his fingers curled to hide the claws that grew from his nail beds, it was just a part of his Alpha personality to be on edge around the strange wolves, around the another Alpha. His gaze immediately found Axel. He had never met the wolf before and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

When Derek had moved to Bellingstone, he had assumed he might have to seek the permission of the local Alpha to take up residence, but he never sought him out. It went against his every instinct, every fiber of his being. Derek was raised to be an Alpha, next in line to supersede his father before his pack was murdered. The mere idea sent his upper lip above his sharpened fang into a snarled expression of sorts.

On his way to the diner he picked up a newspaper from a paper vendor on the street. He flipped through pages to find things that seemed new. Mortal news were always the same, simply repeating events. He did, however, find a ad for someone who needed a roomate for a small apartment. This could actually be a good place to hide if a war breaks out. After all Livius' home was large and extravagant with many windows so it was a poorly fortified position. He was to meet the man at that cajun diner outside of town.

The vampire walked to the edge of town to begin to stretch before running there. After the stretch he began to run through various hills and parts of the woods as to not be seen. He was fast indeed as that was a physical trait that he was very proud of. Soon he arrived at the diner, which seemed to be about ready to close, and he quickly entered the building. "Hello." He yelled through the building. "I am here for the rent of the apartment in the ad in the paper."

Axel glanced at Annelise as she spoke, her voice sounding forced and a bit uneasy as she handed him the menu. He nodded, acknowledging her order, and wedged the menus of Sebastian and Annelise under his left armpit while he scribbled on to his notepad with his right hand, recording what she had asked for. The alpha male then turned his gaze to Alarick, pen pressed against the paper he held with one eyebrow cocked as if silently urging him to speak. He didn't have all day, of course. The sound of the door opening piqued his interest and he swung his head around to view a young male entering. His scent was obviously that of a werewolf but, with great effort, he managed to keep himself composed as his inner wolf seemed to command him to investigate. As he continued watching, he felt a gentle hand against his shoulder. Axel swiveled his head quickly to catch a glimpse of Caro as she shot him a bright, cheerful smile and placed a quick, friendly kiss against his cheek.

"See you later, Ax."

"See you, too, Caro," he replied, nudging his shoulder gently against hers in the friendliest way possible, seeing as he really had no other way to say goodbye.

"Sebastian, be nice," said a voice as the other man at the table pipped up, apparently responding to the other man's comments and actions. He turned to face Axel, then, and gave a quick little apology to which Axel smiled and shrugged a shoulder.

"I've dealt with worse," he said simply, shooting the briefest of glares at Sebastian in a way that seemed nearly childish. The man, Sebastian, on the other hand seemed rigid and expressionless as he looked down at the tabletop and pressed his tongue against his cheek. The second man looked at his menu again and then spoke.

"I would like an egg over easy with a side of bacon. You only live once might as well enjoy the wonderful gift called: cho-les-ter-ol. Molto delizios. And some cranberry juice if you have it- if not water works fine." Axel watched as the man's eyes moved toward the door and then back at the menu, which he placed against the table. Slowly, the alpha reached over to grab the menu and tucked it under his arm with the other two, still smiling slightly while giving a quick laugh at the man's comment.

"Can't argue with that," he joked. In fact, bacon sounded absolutely wonderful at that point, having neglected to grab any sort of breakfast before leaving his home. Maybe he'd have to cook some up for himself. Regardless, he scribbled down the dark haired man's order and started toward the kitchen, dropping off the menus by the door first.

From the kitchen, as he cracked a few eggs over a pan with ease, Axel could see the man from the door slowly taking a seat in a stiff, awkward manner that obviously conveyed uneasiness and worry. There was no doubt in Axel's mind that this man was a werewolf, just as he was. The mannerisms, the uneasiness, everything just added up. A snarl formed on the man's lips as Axel walked out from the kitchen to run by Jo's spot, wondering what on Earth she had meant to tell him. As he approached her seat, he leaned against the surface in front of her and smiled quickly. "What's up?"

When you entered the Ragin' Cajun, dimmed lights illuminated the small, warm, and cozy establishment. The low rumble of chattering customers travelled thickly in the ambient of the diner, giving the room a contented feel. The smell of Creole, inexpensive liquor, stove grease, and wood varnish among other pleasant odours filled the air. The head waitress and cashier, Paulette, steered the other staff members to their posts whilst greeting the age old vampire Livius. She seemed already exasperated with the disorder in the small space and winced as she watched one of the newer waitress' drop an armload of plates. They came clattering to the ground, porcelain scattering across the floor like a hundred razor sharp daggers, and glinted violently in the muted light.

"I am here for the rent of the apartment in the ad in the paper!" The man called out to no one in particular. "I'm sorry sir, an ad you said?" she asked knitting her brows together as she kept her gaze on the odd looking man. His skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow and his hair fell in platinum waves, like the threads of gold, brighter than any halo; and almost too perfectly curled to be natural. He possessed a terrible beauty. Paulette just blinked a couple of times, as if trying to awaken herself...maybe she had fallen asleep in the back room? "You must be looking for Benny!" She said, clasping her hands together. "He has been grumbling about his rent as of late...just give me one second and he will be right with you." She trilled before shuffling quickly behind the counter top to tap on the cook's shoulder. Benny was lost in his work as always and had not noticed the other Vampire enter, his scent masked by the spices and herbs attacking Lafitte's senses. He wiped his bloody hands on his green apron, and whisked around with a warm and genuine smile. That was before he laid eyes on Livius that is.

What was it about other vampires that was so utterly repellant to Benny? One could argue that it was merely their status as a monster that had made people like Livius anathema to Ben. But the true reason for his hatred was deeper than that; it was rooted in the fact that he was a mirror for Benny. He feared that vampires like Livius were his dark reflection, one that would betray his humanity and fall back into monstrous behaviour. It was this that was the basis of his detestation and loathing. His abhorrence of his kind was not sourced solely in vampirism or status as a monster, but that Benny saw, in Livius, everything that he feared and hated about himself.

As blissfully ignorant Paulette left the pair to talk, Benny's lip unwittingly twitched, curling back over his sharp canine. "Hello." He said pleasantly enough, in a heavy southern lilt, but his stomach was in knots. Benny's ice pick eyes flitted over to the wirey teen swinging his legs childishly as he sipped on a glass of pepsi at the end of the bar. Harrison. "Can I help you with something friend?" He asked, swallowing hard, concerned for everything he loved in an instant. This vampire showing up here was not a good thing.

As Leanna turned over, sleep gradually left her and her conscious mind begun to engage. Through the edges of the curtains where they had not been properly drawn, light streamed into the room, casting little chinks of golden sunshine onto the carpet. As sad as Leanna was to see the departure of winter and the thaw of the icy lake, summer was also lovely too. It felt fresh, and the year's first flush of sun always seemed to leave the people of the town in a slightly better mood than in the icy winter. Although, with the current state of relations between the werewolves, vampires and hunters, Leanna knew it would take a lot more than a little good weather to thaw that hatred.

As soon as Leanna was properly awake, the first thing she became aware of was the ominous empty feeling of the house. She knew, without even checking, that Axel had already left. There was something that hung in the air when the house was empty. It was utterly silent, but that wasn't the only thing that caused the feeling. There was something almost tangible, but not quite, that left Leanna knowing she was alone. Axel had obviously decided to let her sleep instead of waking her, which she supposed she appreciated. But it only made the gap between them all the more evident in her mind. In public, she and Axel were expected to remain a strong, figurehead like veneer for the rest of the pack, which involved presenting the front that their relationship was flawless, and that they were just on the cusp of wedding bells, followed by pups. In public, she would comfortably stand by his side, kiss him, hold his hand, for that was what was expected of them. But at home, in private, where no one could see them, that pretence was stripped away. They were no longer performing for anybody, and whatever they said or did was not an act but the truth. If she kissed him, she was showing genuine affection for him rather than just doing her duty. And she'd... She'd made that mistake before. She'd lost sight of what she needed to do for the good of the pack in favour of love. And their Alpha had left, because she couldn't make him stay. She'd got caught up in loving Albrecht, Axel's brother. She'd become complacent and comfortable in their relationship. She'd forgotten her purpose, and he'd left. That had been a mistake on her part. A mistake she wasn't willing to make again.

With uncomfortable, reminiscent thoughts on her mind, Leanna realised she could no longer hope to go back to sleep. Her shift at the diner wasn't until a little later, but she wasn't going to just spend the whole day at home. She needed to get up anyway, her presence within town was expected. She pulled the duvet back and sat up on the edge of the bed before getting to her feet. She gently padded through to the kitchen, dropping a slice of toast into the toaster for her breakfast. She could always eat at the diner, but she saw little point in making Axel any more busy than he, undoubtedly, already was. He was a wonderful cook, which caused his diner to quickly become one of the town's most popular venues, all species' lured there by the promise of good. Though even Leanna's toast would come up as substandard in comparison to his, she was sure it would suffice in preference to creating more work for the busy Alpha male.

The toast quickly popped up and she buttered it straight away, so the butter melted on the warm surface. When she was finished with breakfast, she moved to the bathroom to wash. She had had a shower just the evening before, but she always liked to begin the morning fresh and clean. She switched the shower on, allowing it to heat up before stripping off and stepping in. But to her utter shock, the water was still icy cold. She leapt back from the freezing stream of liquid, startled from her fairly lazy morning, that had allowed her to remain in a sleepy haze. She stepped out of the shower, shuddering with cold, pulling a warm towel around her. A couple of minutes later, she checked the water with her hand once more, but it was still running on cold, even though it was set to the warmest setting. Evidently, there was something wrong with the heating system in the house, although she wouldn't have the slightest idea where to begin in fixing. Besides, the house wasn't even really hers. Evidently, she wasn't going to be able to avoid her place of work that morning. She would have to visit the diner to let Axel know something needed to be done.

With a sigh, Leanna gave up on the prospect of a nice, fresh shower. She dried herself off, putting on a fairly usual outfit for her and fixing her hair. Soon, she was ready to leave the house. She locked the door behind her, making her way down the sidewalk towards the diner. But she stopped at the sight of Derek Hale storming away from Sara Jay and a woman Leanna vaguely recognised but didn't know. She watched the woman get closer to Sara, exchanging a few bitter words before marching away herself, but not before throwing another insult backwards towards Sara. Leanna could've easily walked on by. She had somewhere she did want to be, but even though Sara wasn't a member of the pack any more, she had been. Leanna would've said she'd known Sara relatively well, before what had happened with her family, before she'd left the pack. And Leanna still felt a sense of family ties that most packs had. That was something just leaving couldn't bring and end to. Sara looked angry and shaken, and upset. Leanna hadn't spoken with her much in a while, and she couldn't just leave her stood here. So she carefully approached Sara where she stood alone on the sidewalk.

"Sara?" she said gently, as not to startle the girl. "Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

The affectionate term simply slipped out without thought, and she suddenly felt stupid and inappropriate for using it, now Sara had made it obvious she didn't want to be a member of the pack. But Leanna was a naturally caring woman. She acted as a mother, of sorts, to the rest of the pack. She was always protective of them, and saw it as a personal failure on her part if anything happened to them. Leanna wasn't the type to ignore Leanna when she looked upset, and she looked as if she needed some kind of affection, even if it wasn't the pack's support she wanted.

Sara stood, rooted to the sidewalk, a her frame rigid as a board, "Oh honey, you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. You'll regret this, and if he sinks so low as to sleep with you, he'll come running to me, begging to give him the greatest night of his life. Just you wait and see." the vampire said, before scurrying off. Sara stared out in a haze, struggling to differentiate all the emotions she was feeling at the moment. Distraught the two month anniversary of her family's death, utter fear from seeing the Hunters in the diner, disgust and malevolence towards the female vampire from how she was shamelessly flirting with the werewolf who obviously had no interest in her, and searing white hot anger towards the vampire for how she talked to her.

She took a few shaky breaths, trying to calm herself down, knowing if she let her emotions get to the better of her, she would phase in public. While taking a breath, she heard a small voice behind her, "Sara? Is everything alright, sweetheart?" she heard the voice say. She blinked, taking a moment to recognize the voice, before placing it as Leanna's. She turned, quickly wiping her face, as her anger had caused her to tear up, "O-oh.. Hey Leanna.. I-I.. I'm fine.. I was just heading to work." she said, her voice sounding scratchy and strained, as she have an obviously forced smile, hoping her previous apha hadn't heard the little scuffle with the vampire Sara had just had.

There suddenly seemed to be a thousand pairs of eyes on Sebastian, all boring into him like piercing daggers. He clasped his hands together and clenched them tightly until his knuckles turned almost white. A brief glimpse up showed him that this man, Axel, as the patrons at the diner seemed to call him, was glaring fiercely at him. Seb lowered his gaze again and looked to the tabletop, pressing his tongue against his cheek as the others ordered. It took quite a lot of effort to keep himself from lashing out at the werewolf. Hell, he could have easily taken him down then and there. As if for safety measures, his hand reached down and brushed against his pistol, loaded already with a clip of silver bullets. Finally, Axel picked up the menus and moved away to the kitchen.

Sebastian looked up, then around at the others in the diner, his gaze piercing and analytical. The closeness of the patrons at the diner was almost sickeningly sweet. He'd learned, from a young age, to never put that much trust in another person. The only person you needed to trust was yourself. That was all that mattered. Reluctantly, he moved the hand from his gun and placed it on top of the table with his other hand. As he tapped his ten digits against the surface, he looked up at Alarick and laughed quickly.

"Well, I always knew you were the more feminine of the group," he chided, commenting on the shirt worn beneath Alarick's jacket. In response to the comment he made in the werewolves, Seb glanced around quickly and added in an undertone: "they'd probably rip your throat out." His fingers stopped tapping against the table in agitation for a few moments as he turned to Annelise and looked down at her, hunched over and chewing at her nails. His brow furrowed slightly and then he raised one eyebrow. "Are you alright?" he asked suddenly.