That One Promise (Lexi/Scott/Open)

[TROY MARLON CROSS]

Troy mumbled to himself as he drove his (borrowed) car to the coffee shop. After he left his parents' house he had gotten a phone call from Lexi. At first he was reluctant to pick up due to how upset she was at him, but then he finally did anyways. Okay, so maybe it rang two or three more times, but he still answered. She had asked him if they could maybe talk things over with some coffee at the Eagle Pointe Coffee House. He couldn't say no, since that would have probably upset her again. So, there he was, driving to the coffee shop. He didn't mind coffee -he preferred beer- so thankfully it wouldn't be too bad. If Lexi had suggested a place that only served wine, well... Troy sighed as he finally reached the coffee shop. He found a parking spot, stopped the car, and shut it off. He was a little more cautious with his driving, though for someone who's car went out of control he was still pretty calm being in a similar environment (without the whole crashing and breaks not working sort of deal). He grabbed his phone, pocketed it, and opened the door to the car. He got out, closed the door, and locked the car. Same old routine, though in a different area.

He made his way to the counter of the shop and got a small table. He sat down, and someone came by to ask him what he would like. He was going to order a coffee, but decided to get something else instead. So, he mumbled an order for a smoothie, and then had to repeat himself since he was so quiet. Hopefully the few people around didn't know him that well, since he was always an uppity and joking guy. Right now, he really wasn't in the mood. Though... he would have to say he was fine to Lexi once she asked, since then she would feel guilty that she caused him to feel like this. He kind of walked right into that, though. He shouldn't have prodded, but at the same time he was slightly upset that Lexi prodded him. So he couldn't ask her how she was feeling, but she could? And then get upset when he spoke the truth? He honestly didn't understand the mentality, and sat at his seat fuming over his thoughts as he waited for Lexi to possibly show up. She may have decided against it after all and went to be with Dean. Or, even worse, brought Dean with her and tried to make Troy explain his thoughts to the man. He definitely was not in the mood for that, and he definitely was not feeling comfortable with what was going on at the moment.

[ALEXANDRIA LEAH CROSS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zgu9hc.jpg); width: 440px; padding-top:10px;] the girl in the moon --- Lexi really wasn’t in the mood to talk but she wanted to work things out with Troy. She hated to be on bad terms with any of her siblings. Or family in general. She had spoken to her parents and Dean before leaving. She knew Dean’s reluctance to have her leave as he didn’t like to be alone but he was going to be staying at her parent’s house. They had a meal cooking and she wanted them all to spend some time together. Plus, Lexi wanted the drive alone to think. She had to think about if she really wanted to tell Troy about her and Jayce or not. It was very dangerous territory doing so considering he was Dean’s brother but the way Troy was acting, she had to wonder what was going through his head today. Who did he think was forcing themselves on her? And him saying she could date whoever she wants after saying she was going to make her marriage work? Lexi parked the car and made her way into the café. She caught sight of her brother but went to the counter to order herself a coffee. Her hands clenched and unclenched slightly. Over the past month her life had seriously become screwed up and she hated it. She just wished things could be simple again. Not that she hated having Dena back but she would even take their life in California back. That was definitely simple. His parents didn’t hate her, they had good jobs and lived in a modest home without staff all around. Then she was getting along with all her siblings and there were no issues. Now it seemed like a new issue was coming up every day. With her hazelnut coffee with an espresso shot was given to her, she moved to sit across form her brother. Lexi avoided his gaze as she took a sip of her drink. When it was placed on the table, she kept the cup between both her hands. After a moment of tense silence she turned her gaze upwards and tilted her head to the side slightly. ”I’m sorry I exploded. I was upset because you were being so vague about things and dodging my questions.” Lexi sighed as she slipped her shawl off her shoulders and placed it on the back of the chair. ”Just be honest with me? What is going through your head right now? Who do you think is forcing themselves on me? Dean? Because he’s not. We’ve been talking about everything and know our limits.” Lexi pulled her lips inwards and bit down on the to stop all the words that wanted to flow out. After a moment she sighed. ”Just talk to me, Troy. Please.” tag: troy outfit: click! lyric credit: everly notes: --

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[TROY MARLON CROSS]

Troy bit his lip as Lexi sat down and spoke to him. He could say the same about her, but... he knew he couldn't. Brothers didn't point the finger at their sisters. "It's... okay. Didn't mean to sound so distant." Lexi seemed to be to be the one that was actually distant, but, again, he didn't say anything about that.

Troy was feeling uncomfortable. This was something he was used to at times. The thing he was not used to was the fact that he was uncomfortable around his own sister. He just... hated being pushed aside for more important things. "I was... just worried. About you and Dean. I know you guys'll work it out and all that, but..." Troy would be out of the picture. Again. But Troy did not add this to the sentence. "I'm just worried that something like that will happen again and you'll be in the same situation as before. But, as you said before, if you guys have it figured out you have it figured out." Troy glanced up at Lexi. "I know he's not. He's not that type of guy to do something like that. It's just... weird things have been happening around the town, and I don't know at this point who is doing what and why they're doing it, you know? People seem to like getting others in the crossfire, and I'm afraid they've targeted you now." Troy breathed sharply through his nose as he remembered the look on Lexi's face at the wedding. She hadn't looked like that before, and some random guy just happened to show up out of nowhere? Yes, could it be possible the incidents are only coincidental? Sure. But Troy had a bad feeling that it had something to do with someone, and the only person he didn't recognize -that he focused on, anyways- was that man named... what was it? Scott? Troy couldn't even begin to think of who the Scott could be. If it had been a Scott, she would have referred to them by their name; they were pretty much family now, after all. No, Scott, in this case, sounded like a first name, and Troy was going to make damn sure the man wouldn't lay a finger on his sister. Distracted, Troy blurted out, "That look on your face-" He stopped himself, and waved a hand dismissively. "Sorry, uh...[/color]" He then paused, and decided to say, "Well... you had an odd look on your face at some point during the wedding. Been worried about that for a bit now."

[ALEXANDRIA LEAH CROSS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zgu9hc.jpg); width: 440px; padding-top:10px;] the girl in the moon --- Lexi rubbed her temple. ”It’s not that you were being distant it’s that you’re being vague. Big difference.” Lexi wasn’t in the mood to play games. She loved her brother-she really did-and she knew he cared but whatever this thing with him is was getting a little ridiculous. Lexi knew not everyone would be supportive of her decisions to be with Dean. Why that is was beyond her since he is her husband. There were moments she wished she could understand a person’s thought process but that often seemed impossible. At least her husband was being frank with her on most things. Her hands left her coffee and went to rub along her face slightly. A groan left her lips and was muffled by her palms. ”Yes because he’s going to go sailing, hit a freak storm and be trapped on some remote island again. Really, Troy? Really?” He was lucky they were someplace public or else she’d be exploding. Instead her tone was low and tense as she dropped her hands back to the table. ”So what do you suggest? I walk away from my husband just because there’s some psyhco in town messing with people? Do you even realize how ridiculous that is? I made a vow to him in front of our family, friends and God of my love for him-that’d I’d be there for Dean through better or for worse. You seem to have forgotten that because what you are suggesting you should know I would never do.” Jayce had already said pretty much the same thing. Lexi was feeling deeply hurt but she swallowed her emotions and blinked back her tears. Lexi looked away from Troy to lance out the window as he mentioned her being targeted. She couldn’t tell him anything. Her eyes went u and down as she looked at the sights through the pane of glass. Lexi turned back to Troy and looked at his face. ”I am not being targeted by anyone. Did you ever stop think thatI had a wide variety of emotions considering at the time I thought my husband dead and it killed me to be there? And I was trying to hold it together so that people wouldn’t ask me what’s wrong.” It seemed like people forgot she was prone to anxiety attacks and even had medications for it. Though she didn’t have large ones lately she did have them from time to time and had to take her medications for it. Lexi’s jaw set as she tried to come to her senses. ”I know I haven’t talked to all of you since Dean came back but I’ve been trying to help him ease into things. But now you have me. You can frankly ask me anything.” Lexi was serious. Though she sill refused to tell him about the photo, she could tell him everything else. Plus, she wasn’t technically he target. Leila and Daniel were. She was just the middle man if one thought about. tag: troy outfit: click! lyric credit: everly notes: --

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[TROY MARLON CROSS]

Troy pursed his lips. "Yeah... that. That's what I meant. Vague." He really had no clue where this could go. He didn't meant to be vague, or distant, but he just wasn't sure what else he could say without making Lexi angry. He had already seen what saying things had caused.

Troy scoffed a little. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just weird that he left you and went out to be on a boat without you. That's all. " He could feel his temper boiling up, but he managed to keep himself controlled for the moment. "Can't a guy worry about his sister? Sheesh, I'm not asking you to leave Dean! I'm worried about you and about everyone else. Don't you think that I know that you made those vows? I'm glad you never went back on them like some women do; you never gave up. And people like to worry as well, Lexi. Would it kill you to understand that you can't keep on saying you're fine when you're not?" Troy didn't exactly shout, but he certainly didn't keep his tone quiet. And he may have let his temper slip a little. Or a lot.

"You had an odd look on your face, and I thought it was because of some guy you were talking to. There. Was it the guy? You said his name was... something starting with a C, right? If the guy was bothering you, just let me know, okay? He may be new, but he certainly isn't allowed to waltz right in like he owns the place. And I don't mean, 'Oh, but he seemed so nice.' I seriously mean if you talk to the guy again and he gives you trouble, you can come talk to me." Troy seemed to be more rambling on now than actually sounding coherent, but he still wanted to get the point across. He didn't like the fact that she was uncomfortable at the wedding, and until she came forward and stated why she looked like that he was going to assume it was that new person she was talking to. There wasn't anyone else around that could have caused her to look like that, right?

[SCOTT MATTHEW CLAYTON]

What a wonderful day! The weather was fairly nice and Scott was yearning to walk around the town again. For about the tenth time. Okay, maybe it was more than ten. Scott had lost count after ten, to be honest.

His week was almost up, though he did have a plan to extend his vacation by another week -or maybe even two if he was lucky enough! He would try to convince his boss to let him be an 'intern' at the hospital at Hope Harbor for a little bit due to the hospital being a 'little understaffed'. He might even be here for about a month! Probably not, but he certainly made sure to have enough money calculated out for his stay at the inn, since he had only reserved it for a week. He knew the plan would work. Of course! He knew how to make plans work, though he wasn't too sure if Simon was as enthusiastic as he was about the notion of staying in Hope Harbor longer.

Scott went and grabbed his trench coat again, though this time he put on some jeans and a shirt instead of a fancy suit or sweater. It was nice weather, after all, and he didn't want to seem like that sort of guy who always wore suits. Though he did like suits. He made sure his hair was out of his face, and went to fetch Simon.

The cat wasn't too happy about walking around again -he was somewhat lazy for a cat who always followed Scott around- but he was certainly overjoyed by the fact that Scott didn't grab for his collar this time. "You probably don't need this today, lil' buddy. Hopefully no one will complain about you not being collared." Scott smiled and pat the cat on the head. Simon meowed loudly, as though to possibly say, 'OH SWEET MERCIFUL GOD THANK YOU FOR NOT PUTTING THAT TORTURE DEVICE ON ME AGAIN.' Simon really disliked that collar.

After gathering everything together, he left the hotel room with Simon. He walked out of the inn, and started to wander down the side walk. He entered the main part of the little town, and started to walk past the stores. Some of the places were open, and so he could see the people sitting or standing outside to get their items. He started to approach what he had found out was the coffee shop. He hadn't had coffee today. Maybe he should go buy some? The weather was nice enough to sit outside, so why shouldn't he enjoy some coffee on this lovely day? As he got closer he noticed that there were some people sitting at the tables. Was there a free one? He started to look for a vacant spot when he noticed something. One of the women sitting at the table looked familiar. Was that... Oh! It was! It was Lexi! He smiled as he recognized her, and saw that she was sitting with someone else. She did look a little... stressed? Maybe she had some sort of relationship with the man? Scott tilted his head slightly, and began to walk closer. Whatever it may be, Scott was sure they weren't too far into a conversation. He didn't like to be rude, but... he couldn't help but be conversational. He liked to talk to others.

As he continued to walk he waved a hand to try to catch Lexi's attention and called out, "Hey Lexi!" He then jogged up to table, and looked at the two people sitting at it. He smiled, and said, "Hi." in a casual manner. Simon followed, but it seemed as though the cat rolled its eyes to say, 'Seriously, this guy belongs in the looney bin; not out on the streets where he can terrorize innocent people with his stupidity.'

[ALEXANDRIA LEAH CROSS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zgu9hc.jpg); width: 440px; padding-top:10px;] the girl in the moon --- Lexi was trying so hard to keep her temper under control. Troy, well, he didn’t know everything. She had done her best to protect him. The information about the fight the night before Dean hit the storm had only been shared between her, the police, Dean’s parents and Daniel. No one else. Jayce probably knew because he was an officer back in California. Other then that, no one knew. She hadn’t wanted to tell him but she hated the way Troy was acting about this whole situation. Really, it was pissing her off beyond belief. Her fists fell in her lap and clenched together, bringing up just a bit of her dress with them as she breathed through her nose to try to steady herself. ”He left because I told him I didn’t want to try for another baby because I wasn’t over delivering our stillborn son. I wouldn’t give him the one thing he wanted despite everything he had done for me for the whole three years after Zachary’s death. He left to have some time to himself much like I leave to go on my walks to think. If I had gotten lost in the woods somewhere would you be pissed at me for walking off alone like that knowing that’s what I do to calm myself down?” Lexi kept her voice down but she still snapped at him as she reached up to wipe at a tear that had escaped. No, she wasn’t fine but she couldn’t tell her brother everything. Besides, half of the reason she was getting so upset in this moment was because of him. Lexi know she shouldn’t tell him certain things but then again, other things were just eating away at her. ”You think too highly of me Troy. I wasn’t as faithful to my vows while I thought he was dead as you may think.” She paused as she looked down into her lap in embarrassment. ”That’s why I’m not fine because I felt like I gave up on my husband by seeing this other guy. And despite the fact that everyone thought he was dead I still feel like I was a horrible wife and cheated on him. I am so afraid to tell him because I know he is going to be so hurt. He spent three years waiting to come back to me and I gave up Troy. I gave up on my husband.” Lexi had to breath in deep in order not to let all the tears come falling out. She didn’t have her pills handy and honestly couldn’t take them then drive right after. Lexi hated to fight with her brother but she didn’t know how to fix this. Yes, she should be telling him how she truly felt but he also didn’t have to act like such a jerk about her not wanting to talk. He knew she had a hard time processing a lot of things lately! Still he pushed and pushed and pushed until she was ready to explode. Both her hands went to cover her face as she laughed nervously. ”Oh my God, really! No one was acting like they owned the place! And Scott did nothing wrong. In fact he was perfectly sweet to me all night. Scott, Liam and Jude kept me from breaking down into a second fit of tears that night. Where were you that night? Oh that’s right, talking to friends instead of showing even the slightest bit of care that you are now. Maybe when not at work you should stop acting like a cop and act more like a brother. You know-bring things like this up in a normal way, not treating me like a suspect trying to et me to break.” Lexi was probably being cruel but she didn’t care. He had rattled her deep like a cop would rattle a suspect but still, she kept the information about the letter to herself. That was not for anyone to know about-ever. Lexi wasn’t normally this mean but her emotions were all out of whack. She had to do some major adjusting this week. More then anyone possibly could. With her face void of tears and her heart rate somewhere steady, she reached for her coffee. As she began to lower the drink from her lips, she heard a voice to the side of her. Lexi looked up and smiled brightly. Or as brightly as she could in this situation. This would not be good. ”Hey Scott. What have you been up to today? And is your little buddy-oh wait, I see that he is following you. So cute!” Lexi ignored her brother’s presence until Scott gave a casual hi. With a roll of her eyes and a tense tone, Lexi stared between the tow men. ”Scott, this is my brother, Troy. Troy, this is a newcomer to our town, Scott Clayton.” She shot her brother a warning glance but knowing how he had been acting lately, she highly doubted he would be kind. ”What have you been up to today, Scott? Anything exciting?” tag: troy outfit: click! lyric credit: everly notes: --

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[TROY MARLON CROSS]

Troy was a little speechless, to be honest. Dean wanted to have another kid? That was really the only thought he had before he felt his temper really boil over, "Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that? I mean, if you didn't want to have another baby you shouldn't be forced to, and I'm glad he didn't force you or you decided to have another kid just to please him. But STILL, Lexi, you can't yell at me for things I don't know. How the hell was I supposed to know if you had never told me that? You could have easily said, 'Oh, the reason why he was by himself and not with me is because of this.' I don't even care if you told me privately. It just hurts that you don't tell me things and then yell at me when I try to fill in the details myself."

Troy bit his lip. "To be honest, I don't really care if you were 'faithful' to your supposedly dead husband or not; it was just something I said because I had thought you would feel better or something. Again, I don't know anything. And it's not your fault. I mean, if I was married and my wife died I may move on. I dunno. You can't really ask the dead person if it's okay to move on or not. That's something you have to do. And if he's mad about that, well... then he isn't thinking about what you want and need." He breathed sharply out of his nose. "You didn't give up, though. Giving up would have been knowing he was still alive and well and just jumping to the next guy anyways. You didn't know; you shouldn' have been expected to know he was still alive, therefore you did not give up. Those who tell you that you should have known he was alive need to be kicked in the balls, or, err, any other uncomfortable spot if they kinda like to be kicked there or something." Troy shrugged, some of his joking nature leaking back through. He was still angry, but... he understood, at least.

And then he went right back to his angry attitude. "Well, how the hell was I supposed to know?! I was cooped up all week and the guys apparently decided that it was 'We're talking to you or else' time rather than me spending time with you. I could say the same thing about you though; I mean, would it have killed you to have walked over and said hi to your brother? I had no clue what was going on, and you're still expecting me to be some sort of physic or something! And I'm NOT acting like a cop! I'm just worried about you, and you don't tend to tell me the details until I accidentally assume something and get yelled at for it! I could try to, but then I never get the full story or at least the parts that matter! It's always dodging this question and dodging that question! There doesn't seem to be a clear answer anywhere, and yet you really expect people to know what's going on inside your head when you don't tell them anything. Lexi, people worry; that's the nature of us. And to say that people shouldn't is going against that nature. Okay, sure... I may worry a bit more than others, but I know what you've been through, and how you deal with things. And, well, you tend to push everyone away and rot in your own mind. That's not healthy, Lexi." He wanted to say more, but he couldn't. He didn't even know what damage his words already caused.

Troy decided that he should speak again, and was going to when he heard a voice. His head quickly turned to look towards the direction of the person, and... the man in the trench coat. Scott, as Lexi called him. This was the man from the wedding, and he had the NERVE to just up and interrupt their conversation? Troy knew Lexi took this distraction as a blessing; deep down inside he took it as a blessing as well. He was still pissed off. He kept a wary eye of Scott as he approached the two, and then blinked as the man casually said hi. He sounded... a bit like an idiot. And as though he already belonged in this town. Troy's heart rate began to creep up as Lexi spoke to Scott, and she introduced the man to him. He gritted his teeth behind closed lips, and then slowly parted them to smile, though it looked a bit more like a snarl than anything else. "Hello Scott." He put an emphasis on the man's name, and grinned at him. A bit disturbingly, actually. He started to tap his fingers on the surface of the table as he leaned back in his chair casually.

This was the man from the wedding, after all. Yeah, the wedding probably made Lexi a bit emotional, but not like that. She never had that sort of expression on her face, and there was only one random variable in the equation. Scott. The man had done something to Lexi, and she wouldn't tell Troy. Why would she? That's how she was. She never told Troy the important details. And if the man was hounding his sister she certainly wouldn't let Troy get involved. She would rather work things out herself, but with the crazy lunatics going around town doing things, and the sudden appearance of this man, he didn't know if she could handle the situation by herself. He would have to speak to Scott privately... and he definitely knew what questions he would ask the man.

[SCOTT MATTHEW CLAYTON]

Scott smiled, "Nothing much yet, actually. I saw that this was a coffee shop and I really like coffee. So, uh, I decided to start walking towards here and then I saw you." Boy, did he sure sound goofy. He normally was a little more intelligent with his words, but for whatever reason he'd been nervous around Hope Harbor. It was where he wanted to move to eventually, after all, and so first impressions mattered. Scott leaned back a little to peer at Simon, and nodded. "Yup! He follows me everywhere pretty much! Sometimes he likes to stay inside since he isn't the biggest fan of water. He still follows me to the ocean, though." Scott smiled widely.

Scott blinked at the man. "Oh, hi there! I didn't even know Lexi had a brother -I think." He paused for a moment to ponder this, and then resumed speaking, "I have a brother as well. His name's Matthew, but I call him Big Bro." Scott beamed. "But don't tell him I said that; he doesn't exactly like being called that. I dunno why." He shrugged. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you Mr. Cross" Scott extended a hand out to Troy while smiling. The man... was a little strange? He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had the feeling something was up with the guy. But he was Lexi's brother, and Scott trusted Lexi. He would trust this guy; he seemed nice, anyways.

"Well, not yet. But I was hoping to go to the Harbor again! I met a man named Kieran a little while ago, and I wanted to go talk to him again -well, if he's there, anyways. He owns his own boat!" Scott smiled again. He felt comfortable now, and didn't seem as awkward as when he first spoke. He really liked the guy, and couldn't wait to speak to him again. He was making friends! Soon he would be just like everyone else in the town; he would know others by their names or faces and talk about mundane things or something like that. Friendly neighbors and coworkers. Those sort of folks. He couldn't wait!

Simon, on the other hand, did not seem to like Troy at all. He did not show this displeasure for the man much, but he did start to 'growl' (more like a low hiss) as the man spoke. The cat made sure to be by his master's side, since out of the two Scott was not really able to defend himself (he tripped over his own two feet, even). Scott did not seem to notice Simon's change of behavior as he spoke to the two sitting at the table.

[ALEXANDRIA LEAH CROSS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zgu9hc.jpg); width: 440px; padding-top:10px;] the girl in the moon --- ”See this is why I often keep things from you! You freak out over something that there is no reason to freak out over! Besides does it even matter that he had an actual reason to go out sailing that morning? No it doesn’t because you don’t care. You never care. Jesus half the time I wonder if you ever liked Dean in the first place!” The two really should not be doing things here. Though their voices remained hushed, Lexi and Troy’s tempers were both boiling over. After all that’s what siblings do-they fight. And then they make up and everything is fine once more. She exhaled through her nose as she stared at him coldly. ”Hardly anyone knows. Mom and Daniel are it because they were at the police station and observed me getting interrogated by the cops. And Dean’s parents. That’s part of why they hate me. I was protecting you from all the bad things people thought about me because I knew you‘d flip out!” Lexi knew her brother probably better then he knew himself so she knew exactly how he would’ve reacted hearing everything and this is how he would’ve reacted. Tears sprang to Lexi’s eyes. She desperately wanted to tell someone about her and Jayce but knew now wasn’t the right time. Troy wasn’t the right person. Neither was Daniel which she knew Troy would assumed already knew or would know soon. Maybe Leila. Otherwise, Lexi had no one she trusted enough with this information. She was afraid they may accidentally tell Dean, thinking she already had, before she had a chance to tell him. Her voice was soft when she spoke up again. ”Dean doesn’t know. Not yet anyways. He’s always been very jealous so even if he’s not upset with me I know he’ll want to know who it was and when I tell him nothing will be the same. A lot of people would be hurt if it got out who I was with.” Lexi clamped her mouth shut, putting an end to things. Or she hoped. Knowing Troy she probably peeked his curiosity too much about who she could possibly be sleeping with. Or had been sleeping with since things with him were now done with. Lexi’s lips pursed as she shook her head. ”Fine, I could’ve gone over to you but you were never in one place long enough for me to get to you. I wasn’t going to chase your happy ass all over the place!” Lexi took another swig of her drink more the gather her thoughts then anything. Not that it helped at all. In fact, it did absolutely nothing for her and the drink was tasting bitter as she felt the tension throughout her. Lexi shot daggers at her brother as a few tears finally escaped. ”Don’t. Don’t you dare say you know what I’ve been through. None of you have any idea the hell I’ve endured these past three years. None of you will understand even if I tell you. None of you understand the shock of hearing my husband wasn’t dead or that his parents didn’t want you to know-that they planned to kepe us apart. None of you will understand what it’s like trying to readjust when you two are almost strangers. So don’t you dare go there, Troy Malone Cross. Don’t you ever dare say you kno0w what I’m going through or that you understand me. In this case no one but Dean understands me and my emotions.” Lexi brought a hand up to her mouth to hold back a sob before she shook her head. Once she felt clam enough, and the tears had stopped, she reached up and wiped them away with her hand. Lexi hated it when people said they understood what she was going through. They really didn’t and never would unless they had experienced everything she had. Lexi was glad Scott came around before she broke down but she was also worried. Her brother had a murderous look in his eyes and the way he said Scott’s name had her worried. Still, she waited and then she’d attempt to cut him off before he did or say anything that might upset the newcomer to the town. Sure, the man may be a bit odd but Lexi didn’t care. Being a nurse things had a tendency to roll off her back, perhaps a little too easily. Sometimes it led her to getting hurt but more often then not it led to her meeting some wonderful people who became lifelong friends. ”Oh yeah you didn’t get to meet him at the wedding. He was with his own friends plus I was too busy occupying you and Liam in dances.” She smiled a little brighter, glad to have such wonderful memories from that night. Lexi moved so both her hands clasped around her cup, her wedding rings visible now. She hadn’t worn them to the wedding but didn’t think much of telling Scott anything right off. Besides, it might start Troy to go off again. ”well tell your brother it’s better to be claled big bro then little bro, isn’t that right Troy?” She was hoping Troy would get involved in the conversation and see that Scott really wasn’t a bad guy at all. Inf act he was very much the opposite. ”Oh! Everyone loves Kieran. His sister is the music teacher at the elementary school. She is the sweetest thing! And so great with children. Though I do like her better hten Kieran.” Lexi glanced at her brother again an sighed inwards to herself before she tilted her head and looked back at Scot with a quizzical look on her face. ”Have you gone to the hospital to talk about a job yet? I mentioned you to the chief of staff so whenever you want to go in you are more then welcome to. They tend to love me so with you knowing me you’re already off to a fantastic start. We may even get to work together! I‘ll probably be switching back to days when I get back from my leave.” tag: troy outfit: click! lyric credit: everly notes: --

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[TROY MARLON CROSS]

"You know, I don't really care if you wanna keep stuff from me. I get it; I'm just like everyone else when it concerns your feelings. But for the love of God don't get angry when I don't say things either! Sometimes I have my own thoughts and opinions I like to keep to myself too, but then you start freaking out as well! Does it matter that I was upset about him leaving? Now I know, and that changes things." Troy wasn't actually too sure if it changed things. He liked Dean, sure, but that incident still kept nagging him at the back of his head. And then he suddenly came back and expected everything to be fine and dandy? He didn't know if Dean had thought through just jumping back into Lexi's life like that. He should have probably been more subtle or casual about it. Or maybe he did. Lexi never told Troy anything.

"Wait, seriously? It's not that big of a deal. As I said before, if you knew he had been alive and went to see another guy anyways that's one thing. But you were just moving on. If the guy had half a brain he would understand that you couldn't wait for him to Harry Houdini himself into appearance again forever; especially since you hadn't known he had survived. And it's not his business to know; if you wanna tell him okay. But he shouldn't be jealous of someone that you were with when technically you were 'single'. And really? They're idiots if they're gunna hang over such a little thing like that." He breathed through his nose. "If ya don't wanna tell me, okay. I at least have the common sense to not get into a hissy fit that you went out with someone since you thought your husband was dead." Troy still wanted to know, but he knew that if he asked that may have caused her to leave. She may still it later, or he could ask in another context. To be honest, the more he thought about it the more he got nervous. What if the guy was bad business? What if he was forcing Lexi to be with him? That wouldn't be good. Troy would find out.

Troy opened his mouth to say something, but then he stopped. Lexi spoke again, and he pursed his lips. "I'm trying to help. Understanding something doesn't always mean I experienced it. Yeah, could it help? Sure, but I've been by your side since day one. At least give me some credit, eh? You say no one understands, but then you never let people understand what you've been through. How can people understand if you're just gunna keep yourself locked up tight all the time? People want to help; people want to understand. Would it hurt to think about that for a moment?" Troy simmered down again. He didn't know what she was going through, but he sure as hell could at least try to help The fact that she wouldn't even allow that apparently was what had always frustrated Troy. "Dean's been physically by your side this whole entire time; he knows what is going on. But getting angry at others who want to also know what is going on isn't right."

Troy took a sip from his smoothie as both Scott and Lexi talked. He was back to his bad mood again; but this time it wasn't aimed at Lexi. "I see. Where does this 'Big Bro' of yours live, exactly? And, Troy. Call me Troy, Scott." Troy added emphasis to the man's name again. He definitely sounded like an idiot, and a little kid. What in the world was he doing out here by himself? Troy looked at the hand, but did not move to shake it. Instead, he glanced back up at Scott with a serious expression on his face. He broke out into a smile, of sorts, when Lexi mentioned the little brother part. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure your brother's thrilled that you're letting strangers know what he doesn't like to be called." He grinned.

Kieran. Not a bad guy. The man was somewhat like Troy: dedicated, loved the ocean, and protective of his sister. At least Kieran's sister wasn't stubborn. Ruby was a sweetheart; that was for sure. Troy had talked to her a few times, but he always started to feel uncomfortable after a while. He really needed to get out more often. Troy was still smirking right up until Lexi spoke to Scott about the hospital and possibly getting a job. The smirk fell off his face, and he glanced at Lexi. He looked back at Scott and grinned once again. "So you have a job in the medical field, hm? What're you, a nurse? I hear guys become nurses so that they can get all the chicks." Troy chuckled and reached out to playfully hit Scott on the arm, though it was a lot rougher than it probably should have been.

Strange. Lexi mentioned a mystery man that she dated, and suddenly this guy shows up? Right now, either this man could have been the one terrorizing Lexi, or he could possibly be the one dating her; how convenient of an excuse would it be to say, 'Hey I just got here since I'm on vacation and I'm thinking of moving here.' That still left the question of if Lexi told this 'mystery man' about Dean. Then again, what if the man didn't care? What if Lexi was just trying to be polite so that Troy wouldn't worry about her? What if this man was making her see him? That wouldn't be good.

Troy was so lost in his conspiracy theory mindset that he barely realized that the cat was hissing at him. He glanced down. A cat? Lexi mentioned something just a minute ago about a cat. Did it follow this man around? That was weird. Troy gestured to the creature with a few of his fingers, "Don't think your cat's too happy about being outside? Shouldn't those things be indoors?" He was neutral towards pets, but due to the police force using primarily dogs he more leaned towards them than cats. Still, it was weird seeing a cat outside that was so... obedient? Outdoor cats were almost akin to wild animals, but they had enough common sense to come back inside for food and shelter when need be. This cat... was just weird. All around. Just like its owner. The man was just sketchy and strange, especially with that trench coat.

Troy gestured to the coat. "What do ya have that on for? Gunna go out stalking innocent women or be a private investigator? Don't ya need a fedora or something to look the part?" He smirked.

[SCOTT MATTHEW CLAYTON]

Scott smiled. "Yeah! Simon and I had a great time!" He was happy everyone had a good time despite what had happened afterwards. He didn't mention that, though, since it probably would have ruined the friendly conversation the three were having. He also didn't seem to notice the wedding ring on Lexi's finger. "Do they have weddings like that often?" He asked. He was curious if there were any others that were coming up since the event was so much fun. Such pretty decorations, music, dancing, people...

Who was Avery?

This question had been gnawing at the back of Scott's mind for a while now. He hadn't asked yet, but he wanted to. There was just something...

Scott tilted his head, and smiled. "Yeah. He's always trying to talk to me via some means. I forget to call him sometimes, and sometimes I forget to turn my laptop camera off and his girlfriend pokes fun at me." Scott paused for a moment to think. "She also kinda treats me like a younger brother, but she's nice." Scott blinked at Troy. "Oh! California. He's a scientist. He's smart. And, err, sorry. Upbringing, you know?" He shrugged sheepishly at the man. He then held his hand out awkwardly since the other man did not go forward to shake it. He held it out for another good minute before putting the arm back at his side.

"He's really, really nice! I hope I can meet his sister at some point. She sounds wonderful!" Scott beamed happily. Kieran was a really good man. Scott hoped he could become his friend.

Scott's eyes widened when Lexi spoke. "Really?!" He could barely contain his excitement. "I haven't yet, buuuuttt I have an idea. See, maybe I could intern or something at the hospital for a bit while I get everything else all set! Like, items, money, all that stuff." Scott looked proud, and tapped his temple. "I thought about that all by myself! Well, I haven't done any research on it or asked my boss, but I'm sure I'll be fine." Scott then tilted his head at Troy. "I'm a doctor, but what does that have to do with getting baby chickens?" Clearly, the slang term for 'women' went over Scott's head completely.

Scott looked down at Simon, and frowned. "What's wrong lil' buddy?" Scott leaned down to scratch the angered cat behind the ear. Simon stopped his hissing, but he still had a glare on his face that was directed at Troy. "He's okay. He follows me everywhere. He must be hungry or something." Scott looked around. "Maybe I can get him something here real quick." He didn't catch the fact that Troy had called Simon a 'thing'.

Scott blinked, and looked down at his coat. "Oh! This? It's my favorite thing to wear. It was a present -I think... I dunno why I wear it. I just do." He shrugged, not seeming to get the fact that Troy had practically made fun of him. "My brother teases me all the time about it. He knows that I really like it, though." Scott smiled.

[ALEXANDRIA LEAH CROSS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zgu9hc.jpg); width: 440px; padding-top:10px;] the girl in the moon --- Lexi scoffed at her brother. She could not believed he was making all of this about him. He really was unbelievable. Lexi used both hands to rub at her face as she grunted into her palms. Her voice was steely and cold as she avoided making eye contact with her brother for a moment. She let out a slow sigh before she let the words fall from her lips. ”I’m only getting angry because you don’t exactly hide your displeasure that Dean is back very well. Of course I’m going to freak out! I thought all of you would be happy to see me happy again. Now that I am happy, people are accusing him of abandoning me. That’s not it at all.” Lexi was only angry because everyone seemed ot be having the same thought process and reaction-that Dean had abandoned her. Why did he expect to fix things when he had left? That he just shouldn’t have returned or if he felt like he had to come back that Dean shouldn’t expect her to be with him. tag: troy outfit: click! lyric credit: everly notes: UNFINISHED

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[ALEXANDRIA LEAH CROSS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zgu9hc.jpg); width: 440px; padding-top:10px;] the girl in the moon --- Lexi scoffed at her brother. She could not believed he was making all of this about him. He really was unbelievable. Lexi used both hands to rub at her face as she grunted into her palms. Her voice was steely and cold as she avoided making eye contact with her brother for a moment. She let out a slow sigh before she let the words fall from her lips. ”I’m only getting angry because you don’t exactly hide your displeasure that Dean is back very well. Of course I’m going to freak out! I thought all of you would be happy to see me happy again. Now that I am happy, people are accusing him of abandoning me. That’s not it at all.” Lexi was only angry because everyone seemed to be having the same thought process and reaction-that Dean had abandoned her. Why did he expect to fix things when he had left? That he just shouldn’t have returned or if he felt like he had to come back that Dean shouldn’t expect her to be with him. Jayce had pretty much said the same thing but Jayce’s reasons were completely different. That thought was pushed aside. Lexi’s mouth opened then closed like a fish as she shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure what to tell Troy. After all she hadn’t technically been exclusive with Jayce but it was close enough. ”You’d get mad too,” she mumled out as she shrugged her shoulders. Sometimes her brother-despite being younger-could make her feel so small. ”I’m going to tell Dean just...not yet. He’s got plenty going on in his mind which I feel bad about. He’s really suffering.” She brushed her tears aside as more fell. She hated to cry in public but the last week her emotions had been everywhere. Basically she could no longer control them. At this point she was so emotionally exhausted she’d do anything to end this heated discussion with her brother. ”You know you’re making this sound like it’s all about you. Sure, I’m keeping it to myself but that’s my choice. Not like you tell me everything that is bothering you.” Lexi gripped a napkin tightly in her fist to channel her anger elsewhere least she punch her brother in the face. Yeah, Lexi was getting to that point of things. ”I’m only getting angry because you seem pissed that Dean is back. Are you going to tell me what that’s about or are you going to hold that back and get angry that I don’t understand?” Yeah, Lexi was not above using his own words against him at all. Lexi shifted so Scott could grab a chair if he wanted to pull it up to the table. She tilted her head side to side playfully. ”Yeah it’s kind of an old law that if you have a wedding in the city limits you’re supposed to allow everyone to attend. Why they haven’t changed it I don’t know. It’s why I had my own wedding a couple towns over.” Lexi hadn’t told Scott about Dean but at the time he wasn’t around so there was no reason to. She never told someone when they first met that she was a widow. He did perk up when Scott mentioned his brother was in California. ”Oh where in California? My husband and I used to live out there.” She made sure to emphasize husband and glanced at Troy to let him know she wasn’t backing away from that subject yet. Lexi also sent him an icy stare when he didn’t make an effort to shake Scott’s hand and made a quip about Scott’s expense. Scott didn’t seem to notice-thank God-but she wouldn’t let Troy off that easily. Lexi tapped at her chin thoughtfully. ”Hmmm there may be an internship position available. I know right now they are so short staffed they’d work with nearly any schedule given. When you go ask for Lucas Wesley. He’ll explain everything and you two can talk.” A confused look came over her features. ”You still haven’t technically left your other job? Did you take a leave or something?” Lexi had to refrain from strangling her brother. He seemed intent on continuing to piss her off. Even if Scott was unaware of things, she was. She actually kicked him under the table she was getting so pissed at him. She glowered at him as she addressed Scott. ”Scott, he means women. My brother tends to use slang terms that civil people do not use.” She held her stare a moment longer before she turned back to Scott. His company was much better then her younger brother’s at this present moment in time. ”I doubt they have much here a cat can eat. Maybe some ham off a breakfast sandwich but that’s about it.” Lexi leaned forward again to put her hand out for Simon to sniff, not really expecting much. She loved animals. And children. She was like any cliché woman out there but didn’t care. Dean loved her for that. And, it would appear Jayce loved that about her too but that wasn’t something she thought about often. Just in passing moments as she thought over how she handled the situation with ending things with him. With Lexi being bent down slightly to focus on the cat, no one saw her eye roll meant for her brother. That was it-she was done with his cocky attitude. ”Troy Malone Cross-Scott is my friend. I’d like you to be a little less asinine and a little more respectful of him. I treat your friends and your little girlfriends with the same respect, even if I don’t like that.” She paused as she narrowed her eyes in thought as something clicked. The last time her brother acted like this was when she first started to date Dean. Brotherly protective mode kicked in. ”Oh God now I know why you’re acting like this. No-Scott is not the guy I was telling you about.” She paused as she took a breath. ”In fact it’s someone you know which is why I refuse to tell you who it is.” Now hopefully her brother stopped acting like a child before she slapped him silly. Good thing the café was mostly empty. tag: troy outfit: click! lyric credit: everly notes: UNFINISHED

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[TROY MARLON CROSS]

Troy pursed his lips, and breathed sharply through his nose. "I am glad you're happy, Lexi! But that's the thing; you don't seem happy. If I saw you all flowers and sunshine all the time I wouldn't say anything about it. But there's a problem; I know it. I dunno what the problem is -since it's apparently not what I thought it was before- but dammit I can't keep guessing! And that's the other thing; you never really told anyone the full story. Yeah, I can understand now why ya didn't, but don't expect people to understand what you've given them! From the abridged version it sounds as though he left you when you really needed him, or something like that. The full story explains so much, but no one knows it! Have you told mom? Dad? Lil' sis? Your friends? Anyone?" He was speaking honestly, or as honestly as he could. He wasn't too sure if his words proved his point, or looped back in a circle. As of right now, he wasn't too sure if he was going to win this argument. There was something wrong, but it wasn't Dean. No... what was it?

"I've already told you I wouldn't! Yeah, I kinda wanna know who the guy is, but not 'cause I'll get pissed at him for ruining some imaginary clause. I worry about your safety constantly, Lexi, so that's the only reason why I would like to know. But, hey, if ya don't wanna tell ya don't have to." Was the mystery guy the cause of Lexi's problems? Troy wasn't too sure, but he would try to get to the bottom of it nonetheless. He sighed. "I mean, it's your choice, but I think it's stupid that he would possibly get angry over that. It wasn't like this was all planned out, right? You said that yourself, yeah? I just think you should just say it to him; what's the worst that could happen? If he decides to leave you because of that then you didn't need him anyways." Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say, but to Troy it made sense. If Dean was going to flip out over a guy Lexi saw while she thought Dean was dead then the guy was an ass. Lexi shouldn't be around men who were like that. He let out a deep sigh when Lexi spoke again, and he rubbed his eyes. "It's 'cause I know you would flip out at me, but then you try to interrogate me about what I'm thinking. And no, I'm trying not to make this about myself. It may seem like it, but this whole thing came about 'cause I was never told the details. They're helpful, you know? You can't expect me to know everything, Lexi. Look where it got us; we're sitting here arguing about something I had no clue about. Does that mean I can't have an opinion about the situation? 'Cause I don't know everything? I thought I did; I made a mistake. Big whoop." He leaned back in his chair and sighed again. This was exhausting; he really did feel like he was going in loops. Had he made it about himself? He wasn't too sure, but this was brought up because he misunderstood the situation. Did it mean he liked the guy still? He didn't know; it would take time. But... she was just flipping out on everything Troy said. Was there something more to this than he had thought? He couldn't exactly ask. Look where asking had got him in the first place... He shrugged slightly. "I've already told ya, Lexi girl. I had thought he just up and left you to go out on a boat ride. Now I know it was something else. It's gunna take a while still, just like it's gunna take a while for you guys to adjust again. Cut me some slack, 'kay?" He felt the sting of defeat when he realized she had used his own strategy against him. The thing was that he had already explained his thoughts, and then he got the details he needed in order to see the situation in full light. It was as though she was making it about him and avoiding something much darker. Was she? He obviously couldn't ask.

Troy laughed a little, though it sounded a bit more like a scoff than anything else. "No worries, man. Takes some gettin' used to, ya know?" The man still sounded like an idiot, but apparently like a 'sophisticated' idiot. Where the hell had he been raised? In a shack in the middle of nowhere? He realized the man didn't comment on what he had said. Either he wanted to avoid it, or he was an airhead. To be honest, he was leaning more towards the airhead option than anything else. He glanced at Lexi, and noticed the glances. Uh oh. He wasn't out of the red zone yet. C'mon, he was just having some fun? Troy shrugged a little, as though to say, 'What? I'm not doing anything wrong.' Of course that was a lie; he knew he was pushing the situation, but... if there were no problems, why was she getting angry? Something wasn't right, and he felt he was getting closer and closer to a clue that might help him get back on the right track. The kick from Lexi indicated he had done something, and that something may have triggered an uncomfortable moment. Come on, Lexi, why didn't you just tell the truth about this guy?

Troy's mouth was slightly agape when the man did not realize what the term 'chick' meant. How dense was this guy?! He couldn't possibly be this stupid?! His shock turned back into a sly grin and he said, "Yeah, slang. It's what we big boys like to use 'cause taking things literally is stupid. Not that this means anything, ya know?" Ooohh boy he knew he would either get another glare or kick from Lexi. But this was so. Much. Fun. He had never met a person this oblivious and dense before. He wanted to see how long it would take before the guy either slipped up, or started to cry. Probably cry.

And theerree it was. He blinked at Lexi, and feigned shock. "Me? Asanine? C'mon Lexi girl, I was just givin' him a hard time. Right Scotty?" He 'playfully' punched the man's shoulder. And then he blinked again at Lexi. "Where'd that come from? Geez, I could tell you weren't dating Scotty here, right Scotty? You don't mind if I call ya that, right?" He leaned over and slung an arm around Scott's shoulder. He didn't want the guy suspecting he was on to anything; who knew if Lexi was telling the truth? This guy could easily be the best actor in the world. No one was this idiotic. "Asss I said before, ya don't have to tell me, Lexi. I would like to know, but... you know, I guess I can be in the dark. It's not like brothers need to know anything, right Scotty?" His head turned to look at Scott. To be honest, his anger was mostly gone. He was having fun with this idiot; Lexi was never that type of person, so she didn't understand. He was a cop, after all. Getting answers from people was his job. And, well, hobby, but that was for another reason entirely.