#lockpup

    It is almost closing time, and with a hazy and tired stare, Liv begins to tidy up the bar and surrounding area. The previous evening had been a rough one, and she had the scars to prove it, the evidence of blood that once spilled , stained against her porcelain skin. She is not phased, nor was she ever, and continues life as normal -- as normal as one could do. Stopping harshly, she hears the subtle creak of the door , the scrape of the wooden frame against the old dusty floor. Her hands tighten over the neck of the glass bourbon bottle, tightening as the person protruded closer. Her guard was up, sharpened hands become frightful, a shake looming on her finger tips as she turns her gaze to the sound of the intruder. frightful gazes exchanged, before she softens at who it was.

being a woman in an nearly all boys club of the federal bureau of investigation wasn’t easy. she didn’t bother putting on make-up every morning, not that she owned any, her hair was usually always up, and she wore a suit like all the guys. all she wanted was to be seen as one of the boys. to have her smarts recognized. so when the newest letter came in from ‘ the citizen ’ she saw it as her chance to prove herself. lockwood being assigned as the lead investigator by the director and given the opportunity to have his own team came as no surprise. he had been a rising star lately. and of course the team he had chosen consisted of all males, mostly buddies of his but that didn’t stop her from looking into it on her own.

had she been an hour sooner she might have cracked the letter before the analysts. yet it had taken several of them to figure it out while she had figured it out on her own. that hadn’t stopped her from hanging out on the outskirts of the team, interjecting with ideas when everybody else came up blank. who knew her own idea of sending somebody in undercover would come back to bite her in the ass.

yet like she had said. it wasn’t easy being a woman in an all boy’s club. what women they did have were either on assignment, on maternity leave, or wouldn’t fit the bill. it had all been laughs watching the software dress men and women alike in appropriate attire until it finally got to her - the last woman standing.

Hayley stood in the guest room, staring at the large bed and shaking her head gently. Who would have thought Tyler lived in a mansion. She was pretty sure this was one of the nicest places she’d ever stayed in. She tossed her duffle bag on the bed and went about unpacking her stuff into the dresser. 

She’d changed into a simple white cotton tank top and a pair of cotton shorts - Mystic Falls was hot, then again being a wolf she always ran a bit hot. She knew she was here for a reason - that there were things Shane needed her to do. But, it was genuinely nice seeing Tyler again and right now Hayley didn’t want to worry about Hybrids or ancient rituals. She just wanted to spend some time with her friend. 

The wolf got the last of her things into the drawers and then made her way out of the bedroom, bare feet padding against cool wood. she lifted a hand and tucked some hair behind her ear while making her way down the empty hall. “Ty?”

“TOO BAD!  You’re part of it.”

It had been an adventure and a half being the sober buddy to a man with a personality like Tyler’s, genuinely trying to make it work despite the man’s brash attitude. Though with the fact that she had a family full of aggressive, dominant men? She had a pretty fair understanding of how to deal with him. All this time, Emma had been patient with him, had been understanding to a point without letting him push her around ... she stood firm all this time ... and yet the very same woman that had remained so strong, had her foundations crumbling beneath her that night.