visiting ' [open]

[Elena Michaels.]

It had been a while since she had decided to come back to Bear Valley - not a while, only about two weeks but in the eyes of the Pack even two days was too long. t wasn't that she hated this place, but it held memories that she wasn't to fond in reliving. This place, and the people in it made her shiver and they made her angry. To Elena, being human was everything, she wanted to be human, she wanted to have a family. Being a werewolf took that from her, she wasn't good with familiarity these days and couldn't stand the mundane life. However much she tried to fit in, she never could.

Elena hailed the waitress over and ordered a coffee, seating herself at one of the small booths that gave her an oppurtunity to see out. That way, if there was anybody she did not want to talk to coming, she could always make a run for it. The majority of them would chase her though. At this thought a wry smile played itself upon her lips and she glanced around, would they catch her in public? Oh she hoped so, it would be amusing to see the 'strangers from Stonehaven' acting like lunatics in the town. Elena could only imagine the stories that that would stir up. People in this town loved to gossip - nay, they thrived on gossip and they would turn anything and everything into some strange horror story.

The locals knew nothing of horror stories.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she winced slightly as it scalded her tongue and she pursed her lips and blew onto the hot liquid. This coffee was dry and almost tasteless, it was the usual cafe coffee that you got in small towns and even in large cities. She'd yet to tase any coffee like the one that Jeremy - and sometimes Clay made - it was ike a drink from heaven, to die for. And she was not exaggerating. A woman came over and stood awkwardly at her table, breaking Elena from her reverie. Looking towards her, Elena raised her eyebrows slightly, giving a look that said 'yes?'

"Uh, sorry to disturb you miss. But me and my friend you see-" At this stage the woman directed her attention to a man sitting at a table for two, looking as if he was not paying attention to the conversation. "-We were wondering if you're a local here, cause we ain't seen you around much but you look a little ... familiar." Inwardly she cringed, so the locals did remember her here? Placing a smile upon her lips she shook her head and gave a slight laugh. "No, no. I'm not a local." She said, although this woman would not be able to tell the fake tone behind her words. Then the woman smply mumbled an apology and retreated back to her table. Elena turned her head once again to the window and gave a slight chuckle to herself. She could have been an actress, but her temper would not go far for her.

[Clayton Danvers]

Standing on the side of the woods, at the back fo the Donut Hole, Clayton meerly had to sniff the air to tell him that Elena was back. Her scent was like a balm that cooled his being, though he'd already told her that. Of course, not with those words. Anything he told anyone, now-a-days, came out harsh and uncaring. Elena being gone had meant that Clay had way too much time on his hands and nothing to do but think and hunt. The forest around Stonehaven was starting to empty because the animals were getting smarter.

Looking at the Donut Hole and knowing Elena, Clay already had a guess that she was sitting infront of a window, watching anyone who passed, hence the reason he had entered from the small tree-line behind the place. Of course, that meant the only way in was through the kitchens.

Slipping through the back door, Clay made quick work of figuring his way through the maze of the kitchens. There was a reason Jeremy had a single kitchen, even if it was twice the size of this one. Someone could get lost back here, or worse. Reaching the first human, a burly man with a meat clever, Clayton watched, with unemotional orbs, as the human started to lift the clever, but slowly lowered it when Clayton smiply glared at him. Smart, he thought as he moved around the burly cook, moving to where a few waitress' were standing behind a closed door, but infront of a line of grills. No glance was spared for the ladies as he walked right through the door, a tray of pancakes and bacon, big enough for one human . . . but not two werewolves.

Moving toward Elena's table, he walked on the toes of his boots, not allowing any sound to be made as he neared the only female werewolf's table. Would he be able to make it, or would she scent him, turn, and run?

Pausing, waiting for the human female to leave, Clayton couldn't help but growl as the woman questioned Elena, over something so silly as if she was a local. Of course Elena wasn't a local. She was too pretty to be born of Bear Valley. Shaking his head, Clayton picked up two forks from the basket on the other side of the counter and carried the tray to food to Elena's table, as if he had worked there his entire life and surviving was most natural to him.

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[Elena Michaels.]

Sometimes she hated the fact that here was one place where she was gauranteed to be recognised, not by the strange and superstitious locals, but by those she counted as her family, and one who used to count for more than that. She didn't mind if anyone came to see her, for they had strange ways of knowing when she was coming back. She didn't mind if Jeremy, Peter, Logan, Nick or Antonio came to see her, just not him. Not Clay. Taking a sip of her coffee once more, she assured herself that he would not come to see her for although he may want to - although he may decide that annoying her would be the best way his day would be spent - he would not lower himself to socializing with lesser beings. No, not him.

There was a sudden tension that ran up her spine and it seemed as if her whole body had stiffened over. Elena hesitantly inhaled - even though she already knew what it was she would smell. All her hoping, all her wishes seemed denied for she knew he stood behind her - with food by the smell of it, waiting for her to turn. Slowly she turned her head towards him, her eyes running from his neck, to his eyes and then settling a little over his shoulder. Making it appear she was looking at him, but at the same time she was desperatly trying to keep her eyes away from his face. It was a weakness to her, even his cold eyes, even that made her heart race.

"Going to eat that all yourself?" As she spoke there was an edge of bitterness in her words and her blue eyes travelled to the plate of food he held in his hands. Elena was used to eating a human amount of food, although it did not satate her as well as a werewolf amount did. It was enough to keep her going and that was all that mattered. A smirk played upon her lips as her eyes moved about - fixing on anything but his face, in the end she knew it would be inevitable but to look however the longer she avoided it, the easier it would eventually be. Or so she was hoping.

Fighting the urge to bite her bottom lip - as she often did when she was unsure - she lifted her eyes to his face, with all the slowness of a snail race. Her lips hardened although the rest of her expression remained impassive. "Stalking me?" Amusement was in the question, he probably already knew she was coming. Clay had that strange ability although she never asked how he knew, that would mean letting him know that it got to her. She wasn't going to do that.

[Clayton Danvers]

Setting the tray down infront of her, Clay took the seat across from her, setting a fork down infront of her. "You don't eat enough," he stated, looking her over as he slowly leaned back, laying his arms along the back of the booth he was sitting at. It wasn't a posture of relaxation, it was a posture of a predator who was watching prey all around him. His eyes, though they never seemed to leave Elena, were always moving from one thing to another. "How long?" he questioned, knoing she would know what he was asking. How long are you going to be in town, this time?

He hailed down a waitress, actually speaking to her, ordering another coffee for Elena and one for himself. Once he was done, he looked back to Elena, waiting for her to pick up the fork and eat. She knew he wouldn't posion her, he loved her too much tu ever hurt her . . . . Past the first bite.

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[Elena Michaels.]

She could not help but let a scowl play upon her lips as Clay took it upon himself to speak her thoughts. Her eyes narrowed at him, as he set the fork in front of her. It was almost as if she was five years old and this was what he decided to do to enourage her to eat, had Elena not been hungry she would have simply refused to eat. Stubborness often won her over. To avoid answering his question, Elena picked up the fork and stabbed at the pancake with a little more force than was neccesary, she averted her eyes from Clay. Although she knew that he was not watching her the entire time, it seemed as if his gaze never left her. She was not defenceless and he was not her bodygaurd. Why couldn't he relax a little? Mentally, she scoffed at this idea. Clay and relaxing were generally not found within the same sentence.

Chewing on the pancake, her eyes flickered around the room as if trying to find something to distract him. Clay would not like the answer to his question, even five years would be too short for him. Unless her answer was 'forever' he would not be happy, but she could not give him that. She would not give him that. The waitress quickly reappeared with their coffee's and Elena simply nodded to her, this time letting the coffee cool down before attempting to drink it. "I'm not sure, two weeks, three maybe." She said although she did not let anticipation she felt seep into her voice. She controlled all the emotion within her voice.

She ate another pancake and then sat up a little straighter, in all honesty she was not that hungry at the moment, and in public Clayton could hardly force her to eat. "How's Jeremy?" She asked casually, although she was interested to know how he was going these days. It had been a while since she had returned to Bear Valley.

[Clayton Danvers]

Clay watched as Elena stabbed at the pancakes, almost causing the werewolf to chuckle, but he held it back when the waitress reappeared, pouring more coffee for Elena, while Clay simply placed his hand over the rim of his cup to detir the waitress from pouring him anymore. He leaned back once more, stretching out his legs, careful not to touch Elena, and then stretching out his arms, giving the appearence that everything was calm, even as his eyes roamed the room.

Her answer didn't set well with him. Then again, he wouldn't be satisfied until Elena returned to Stonehaven with him forever . . . . . But that was something that he doubted would ever happen. "Stay," he asked, though to anyone passing by the table, it would have sounded like a command. One didn't command Elena, Elena commanded herself, though she answered to Jeremy only when the Alpha had a reasonable request. "Just a bit longer," he growled, turning his eyes on a couple. The female was the one that had spoken to Elena and now they were leaning very close together, staring in Elena's direction. He almost stood and threw his coffee cup at them, about to challenge the male, but he remembered he wasn't at Stonehaven. He wasn't able to act like his normal self in public. "Please?" he suddenly whimpered, eyes slightly downcast, before looking back at Elena. Something was different and he didn't want to lose her again.

Yet, even as he whispered the last statement, he heard her question about Jeremy and he simply shrugged. "Still in Stovehaven's walls," he said, "I'm sure he would love to you see you." He was back to his old, wolfish seld, no longer the strange pitiful creature that longed for a mate that would never accept him.

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[Elena Michaels.]

She took a sip of her coffee after being satisfied that it had cooled down enough not to scald her mouth once more. She took another bite of the pancake, although it was only a small bite this time. She was aware that the woman who approached her before was staring at her - perhaps she was enthralled that Elena had captured the attention of one of the mytserious inhabitants of Stonehaven. Either way, she finally pushed the food away from her slightly, setting her fork down on the table. One of the best things about Stonehaven was that Elena could eat all she wanted and nobody would say anything about it. If they did, they would most likely get stabbed with a fork. Everyone realised the risks of stealing off somebody elses plate.

It was obvious, simply by the way his face set that he was not impressed with her answer. Elena had known that would be coming from the moment he asked the question, they would dissagree on the outcome, they always did. His low growl made her raise her eyebrows slightly and she smiled a little. "Oh? And how long do you think i should stay for then?" Her words were low, only too aware that they were in a small town where eavesdropping and gossip were only too common. Her eyes stared at him as he glanced to the couple she already knew were staring. Clay would want to fight them, he always wanted to fight somebody. She visibly flinched as he said 'please' his voice had sounded so ... hurt and for a moment, if only a fleeting moment he had looked like someone who needed protecting, not to be protected against. However much she wanted to deny it, Clay's pain always hit her hard, she could never quite deny him when he was hurt.

"I was planning to go back to Stonehaven, ... later today." To other it wouldn't have been obvious she was improvising. But to Clay? He knew her almost as well as she knew herself. She had not planned to go to Stonehaven until tomorrow, she would book into the hotel here and then give an excuse to why she couldn't sleep at Stonehaven. They wouldn't like it, but who would argue? Well, the answer was sitting right in front of her.

[Clayton Danvers]

Growling once more, Clayton started to rise but knew that Elena would play peacemaker . . . . She had always been the one to either ruin his fun, or keep him in line. Why couldn't she see that he was lost without her? Yet, instead of saying that, he simply leaned over the table, elbows on the table, bent and his chin resting on his laced fingers. "Your asking questions you already know the answer to . . . . darlin'," he pointed out. It just wasn't his style to go along with Elena's games. He couldn't understand them . . . then again, he didn't understand a lot of human things.

The walls were back up. Clay had seen the way she had looked at him when he had voiced his pitiful please, and he didn't like that look coming from her. No matter how much it meant that she was close to possibly breaking down and agreeing with him. To take his mind off her, he looked back to the couple that had been watching them. Annoying locals. They always seemed to be grasping for any news on Stonehaven and its residents.

"You know you are more than welcomed to stay there for however long you want," he stated, actually stating something that was common knowledge. He was getting soft in his old age.

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[Elena Michaels.]

She did not make a move to stop Clay as he had begun to rise form his seat, she merely sat there with her arms slightly folded in front of her and her eyebrows raised in a gesture of speculation and amusement. If it went to far, or if she got the hint that Clay would begin to loose his temper, that was where she stepped in. It always had been a last minute job for her, subtle. It was what they needed her for, because apart from Jeremy she was the only one who had enough control of her emotions in these situations. Everybody knew that you should not risk the life of your Alpha, it would cause all kinds of issues for both Pack and Mutts.

"I'm hoping you'll change your mind." She dismissed the comment lightly, however this was only a half truth. Half of her was terrified that one day she would return to Stonehaven to find he had decided to bring company home or that he no longer wanted or needed her there. It was something she didn't know how to react to, anger most likely ... and hurt. Clay and Jeremy were the closest thing she had to family in this world. And although she would never admit it, being rejected by them would bing her whole world crashing down around her. In magnificently large pieces.

"You know i can't Clay, i have a job, a life." Elena was sick of making excuses for why her stays were never permenate. It was always can't, always little half truths and subtle lies. It was never a matter of can't, it was a matter of won't. "So how is everything these days?" One reason she hated speaking in public was because you had to lie and covet the secret and you could never say the word Pack out loud. People would think you were insane, or breeding dangerous animals.