( j u l i e t - j a y m e s )

     seeing just how many tests she got was enough to make anna feel more dizzy, but she managed to stand up and grab them. “ thank you… ” she whispered, pulling jj into a one armed hug before she left anna to take the tests. the werewolf spent quite the time in there, reading the instructions five times to make sure she was doing it right. having set the tests facing downwards on the toilet seat, anna opened the door when it was time, breathing heavily. “ i can’t. ” she said, shaking her head. “ i can’t look. i can’t do it myself. ”

     “ i – ” she started but quickly cut herself, knowing well just how she had spent the time with max there. “ shit, shit… shit. ” she mumbled, breathing heavily. at the time, they didn’t even think about it but now… swallowing hard, anna could feel tears pooling in her eyes as she turned to look at her sister. “ jj - i got some cash in my purse. can you - just – grab as many as you can… please. ”

     she mumbled a ‘thank you’ when jj brought her a glass of water, taking a few sips cautiously as she listened, eyebrows furrowing. she had a dangerous thought crossing her mind once or twice and now she was wondering if jj thought the same. “ what ? ”

     “ i don’t. ” she said as she dropped herself on the cool tiles, body slightly shaking from all that. numerous thoughts were roaming her mind as she shook her head and pressed her palm against her temple. “ the fuck is wrong with me… ”

     “ i’m fine, ” anna breathed as she spotted her little sister in the view of the mirror, having just finished brushing her teeth after throwing up for minutes. at this point, she was convinced that there wasn’t anything left, but apparently, her stomach didn’t agree. “ i’m, ” she began but couldn’t finish as she was suddenly on her knees again, holding her hair back as it all began once more. 

“yeah, yeah, that’s what everyone says when they lose big time.” there was still a wide grin upon the redhead’s lips as he spoke, even when he made a show to rub at his shoulder as if she had hurt him. “i’d like to see that happen-” he teased, his attention completely changing focus at the mention of snacks. “anything that is the least healthy thing you have and i’ll let you win for the rest of the day.”

      he matches her sticking her tongue out with his own; one of the few gestures that showed their true similarity. “we live with ben, it’s always gonna get oil stains.” jas grumbles though there’s no real annoyance behind it. he actually likes the predictability of their life. digging through the basket, he finds a shirt that looks like it used to be ben’s size. now it’s still bigger than him but it’s better than wandering around topless. yanking it over his head, dark hair mussed in the process, he flashes his sister a look. “extra cash ??” he had to wonder if the cash was obtained through work or light fingered means.

        she rolls her eyes and crosses the room, eyeing his hair as she does her best to smooth it out. even though she’s technically the younger of the two the instinct to protect her brother, to look after him, had been there for as long as she could remember. from picking fights with anyone that even looked at him funny to making sure he ate enough and everything in between. she shrugs at his question, not meeting his gaze. “i picked up a few extra shifts, and the tips have gotten even better since i let ben wash my work clothes.” not lies, but not the whole truth. better that he didn’t know everything.

the growl erupts from his throat, lips pulled back and fangs bared  and he curls tighter around the baby. he’s been there for the past half an hour, shifted in the middle of hunter’s moon, infant only a few months old covered by his tail as she gurgles at the crowd. pup snaps at a hand that gets a little too close, teeth barely scraping flesh before the other withdraws with a yelp. she’s his pup now. he wont let anyone take her from him. 

he finds himself leaning towards her, brushing her hair away from her face absentmindedly. she’s still as beautiful as last time, remembering their first meeting he’d just assumed it was the buzz of alcohol that made him think she was so stunning, it’s almost startling that it wasn’t. 

“ i handled you before  doll  , i’m pretty sure i can handle you again . this time though , let me take you out to dinner first . “

        it only takes her a moment to consider the offer yet she’s quiet for several more minutes before giving an answer, instead sipping her drink and studying him. he’s got the sort of eyes she could let herself get lost in, the kind that make her understand all the women in those terrible chick flicks.          “alright, lets say i said yes - when and where are you proposing we go?”

his smile grows, shifting from polite to something more personal and maddox leans towards the smaller blonde. he takes a moment focus on her scent, painfully familiar and still clinging to his bed sheets before he answers. their first meeting had been memorable to say the least, maddox easily entranced and jj unlike any wolf he’d met before.

“ whatever i like huh ? “

he drawls slowly, raven eyes low as he takes her in.

“ and if i’d like you ? “

        she laughs at that, a soft sort of sound that does a poor job at hiding how pleased she is to hear it. she’s heard similar lines before, time and time again, yet all the others had fallen flat in their delivery...or maybe it wasn’t the line and simply the person saying it. jj shifts just slightly in her seat, elbow resting on the bar and head in her hand as she studied him.         “very smooth, handsome. i did say whatever you’d like, and i’m not one to go back on my word, so...give it your best shot, if you think you can handle me.”

“AH!” he exclaimed, wide grin on his face as he held the controlled in the hand he was fist bumping the air with. “you should always look out for blue shells, you never know when they are coming.” @jaymessawyer

the alpha enters silently, pausing to take in the chatter of the bar’s occupants before he moves to take his seat at the bar. the deep earthy scent floods the crowded room and maddox takes a moment to be grateful for his scent blockers; they leave him seeming like nothing more than an ordinary wolf. maddox shrugs out of his jacket, leather slightly damp from the drizzle outside and he sets it on the bar stool next to him, grey henley stretched over his shoulders as he leans on the bar top, raven eyes catching on the person next to him.

“ evenin’ . what’s good here ? i’d hate to ruin my first visit by chugging swamp water . “

        for the first time in a week the blonde is back in the hunter's moon, perched on a barstool and chatting up a storm with one of the other regulars while she waits for one of her family members to pop in. she’s finally free of the bond and she’s itching to get out and run but she’s not terribly interested in going on her own today. she perks up slightly as a semi-familiar voice catches her attention, paired with a scent that she’s definitely familiar with. a brief flush colors her cheeks at the thought before fading away just as quickly as it had arrived, the wolf turning in her seat to face the man.

        “lucky for you they just sold the last bit of swamp water to a warlock that needed it for god knows what. enzo doesn’t really stock anything too low quality unless you ask ahead of time, so you should be safe with whatever you’d like.”

      discarding the t-shirt, he eyes his shrunken ( once favourite ) sweater held in his sister’s hand. “guess i’ll look in his stuff…” jas wrinkles his nose. to be honest, he was growing out of most of his stuff anyway and was used to getting hand-me-downs from the pack. it wasn’t really a big deal. “looks like you’re gonna be wearing crop tops all summer.” he snorts, fishing out a shrunken vest top from the basket and chucking it at her.

        jj grinned as she ducked out of the way, sticking her tongue out at her twin much in the same way she had since they were little. “you could always rock the crop-top look too, ya know. it’s very fashionable these days - much better than oil-stained tees,” she teased, picking up the vest and holding it up to herself. “besides, i don’t think this is my color.” she folded it and the sweater, setting them aside and making a note to go through their clothes and fish out the things that didn’t fit. “i’ve got some extra cash, i can get us a couple of new outfits after i drop the internet bill at the post office.”

@jaymessawyer

       “have you seen my sweater ??” he’s got one arm hooked through his tshirt, fluff of hair sticking through the head hole though his face remains stuck under the material. “i think ben shrunk my stuff in the wash again.”

        “uh...you mean this one?” she plucks the very clearly shrunken sweater out of the laundry basket, trying her best to not laugh at her brother’s current predicament. “i’m pretty sure this wouldn’t even fit a ten-year-old, jazzy. you might have to borrow something, because everything in this basket is tiny. remind me why we still let him near our clothes?”