A/N: Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think that this is going to be an amazing story. I really like how it's coming along (I have up to chapter 5 written and I outlined it all). And I think you are all going to like it. I got an overwhelming number of reviews so I decided to give personal shoutouts for this story.
SonnyCarlyJasonCourtney- Glad you're liking it!
Journeylover062- I'm glad you thought it was great. And I'm glad you are a Max and Marco fan too!
TwoBrokenToCry- I'm glad you like the storyline. I thought it was new and different, and new and different is always good.
JulesMorgan- Thanks so much for all of your sweet compliments. I promise to give you the right dose of Journey. And BTW, you are one of the only people that got my name right. Everyone always calls me Leanne. Especially online. So congrats!
Vicki316- I am trying to get the right mix of fun and angst. It gets darker as it progresses.
Al- The story line actually came to me when I was showering, believe it or not. I was in a rush to go out with my friends, and I was shampooing and washing my body at the same time, and it just came to me at a completely inopportune moment! But I'm glad you like it!
Nadgirl- Interesting was my goal. Glad you like it!
middiegurl08- I'm glad you thought it was funny. Max and Marco aren't that old but for my story's purpose I had to age them. They needed to be old and tired so that I could bring Jesse in. 'Cause without him, the story just really doesn't work. Lol.
sexyt- Sonny's sisters do share striking resemblences to each other in all aspects of life! Glad you like it.
kaleymc- Glad you're liking it, but sweety, it's called a period. Use them! Lol, I was out of breath just reading your review. But I'm thrilled that you like my stories!
LANCELOTTRISTANBABY- Happy that you're liking it! Here's your update.
ImJustKidding89- I can promise you some Journey, and a little Carson even, but it will be mostly Jexie.
anon14- Yay! that you like it. And believe me, I have a whole lot in store for them.
tydavislover- Everyone seemed to like Max and Marco and I'm glad you did too!
Alyssa- Without further ado, here you go: Jesse and Maxie meet in this chapter!
emmalee05- I'm glad you like reading about Maxie. She is a very independent spirit, but she does have to deal with Sonny and Jason and their overprotectiveness!
britchic- 8 months behind! My goodness, I don't want to live in Britain anymore ( the accents sucked me in, but I don't like waiting for GH, sorry). Anyway, Maxie and Jesse are a great couple, and I am sure you will like them!
CCnJexie4ever- Glad you think it's cute!
Sam- I feel honored! The first story you ever reviewed! Wow, you must really want to read more. I'm glad you like it so much!
Elvira- I'm glad you like it! My dad just turned 50 and got his card, so I put it in because we were all mercilessly teasing him and I thought- 'hey! that'sa fun thing to tease people about!' lol.
BlackFireRaven - Only because you said please!
journey4eva14- I'm glad you like it so far. Keep reading!
brittany- Don't worry, they will be romantically involved! Keep reading and reviewing!
Chapter 2- Jesse Beaudry
"Maxie, come on!" Jason bellowed up the stairs, letting off a frustrated sigh as he waited for his sister-in-law to finally come downstairs.
"I'm beautifying!" she yelled back.
"Who are you trying to impress?" he asked her as she finally came down the stairs.
"Not everyone likes to go out looking like a slob all the time Mr. Jeans-and-an-old-t-shirt"
"She has a point" said Courtney as she followed her sister down the stairs.
"Hey" Jason protested.
"But you're my slob" said Courtney as she leaned over and began to kiss Jason.
"Must you do that in front of me?" asked Maxie with a disgusted look as she grabbed her purse and started out the door. "Jason, come on!" she yelled in a mocking voice, imitating what he said to her before.
Jason reluctantly pulled away from Courtney and grabbed his leather jacket.
"See you guys later. And remember Maxie, be nice to this guy!" Courtney warned.
"I'm always nice" said Maxie with a sarcastic smile.
"That's debatable" whispered Jason under his breath.
"I heard that!" said a cross Maxie as she followed Jason to the elevator.
The first thing Maxie saw when she walked into Kelly's was her father, Mike. He was at the counter, serving a customer some coffee. She couldn't get a good look at the customers face, but she was able to tell that she liked what she saw, even from behind. His muscles were apparent in his arms, and his t-shirt did nothing to hide it. He had a mess of black curly hair that Maxie could just imagine running her hands through. Glad that she had thought to wear a mini-skirt, Maxie prepared herself for some serious flirting before she met her new guard, Jesse. Suddenly, the guy turned around and Maxie was taken aback. She couldn't believe it; this was Jesse Beaudry, her new guard?
"Mr. Corinthos, Mr. Morgan" said Jesse as he got up upon seeing them. "And this must be Ms. Matthews" he said as he motioned to Maxie.
"Yes, this is my baby sister, Maxie Matthews. And you're newest charge. I expect you to guard her with your life" Sonny explained.
"That goes without saying Mr. Corinthos" Jesse assured Sonny.
"Ah, Maxie, we need to talk business with Beaudry here. Why don't you go talk to Mike or something" Jason said.
"You're kicking me away from the table already?" she asked as she rolled her eyes, but got up and walked over to the counter.
"Who's that?" Mike asked. "Please don't tell me your brother and Jason are trying to set you up with somebody"
"No, they're not trying to set me up with anyone. They prefer that I don't date, remember? No, that's just my new guard"
"He looks a little young to be working for Sonny and Corinthos"
"They like to recruit people at early ages" Maxie said bitterly.
Luckily, the door to Kelly's opened and Maxie's best friend, Georgie walked in with her boyfriend Dillon. Brook Lynn was with them, as was her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Diego. Diego was the son of Sonny and Jason's biggest enemy, and she didn't like him very much. But Diego liked Maxie, and she sometimes suspected he liked her as more than a friend. Maxie left her father and went and joined her friends, hugging Georgie as she sat down.
"And what brings you to Kelly's?" asked Dillon. "Shouldn't you be off trying to ditch your family" he said with a nod towards the table when Sonny and Jason were in deep conversation with Jesse.
"I should be, right?" asked Maxie. "But the point is I'm not. Instead, I'm here, meeting my new guard and resident babysitter, Jesse" she said as she pointed at him discreetly.
"That's your new guard?" asked Georgie with a huge smile. "He's absolutely gorgeous! I mean look at the guy, he's absolutely perf… ugly" said Georgie as she attempted to cover for Dillon's sake.
"It's ok, I'm not even here. Continue to talk about the 'perfugly' guard" said Dillon sarcastically.
"I don't care how cute he is. I don't need a guard and I am sick and tired of having one" said Maxie.
"Maybe you should change your lifestyle" said Brook snottily.
"And maybe you should…" started Maxie as Georgie put her hand over Maxie's mouth to prevent her from finishing the sentence.
"Look Maxie, as your friend, I worry about you. One day, your brother and his goon Jason are going to get you killed" said Brook.
"'His goon Jason' is your cousin" Maxie snapped back.
"Hardly" Brook Lynn scoffed.
"Let's change the conversation, shall we?" asked Diego as he tried to jump in and break up the fight before it really got ugly.
"Yeah, let's talk about something else" agreed Georgie.
"You know what, don't bother. I'm out of here" said Maxie as she gathered up her purse and left the diner.
Maxie had been walking for a few minutes when she heard the footsteps from behind her. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her bottle of pepper spray and turned around quickly.
"Look you sicko…!" she yelled, stopping when she saw who it was. "You!" she said, pointing an accusing finger.
"Yeah me. I'm your guard, remember?" Jesse explained.
"Don't talk to me like I'm six years old, got it? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I don't need you"
"I've been following you for 5 minutes now. If I wanted to attack you, I wouldn't have had a problem. Trust me, you need a guard" said Jesse.
"Don't you have anything better to do with your life?" she asked.
"You mean something better then following around a snotty 16-year-old brat?" Jesse asked sarcastically.
"First of all, I'm not 16. I'm 19 and starting college. And I am not a snotty brat. I'm just sick and tired of being treated like a child. So here's how this is going to work" Maxie explained. "You stay in the shadows, you don't say anything, ever. And you mind your own business" she instructed.
"No, here's how it's going to work. I will guard you, and if I tell you that a situation is too dangerous, we get out of there. You listen to me, not the other way around"
"Hey, I'm the boss here" Maxie snapped.
"No, your brother and brother-in-law are" he snapped right back.
"Just leave me alone!" she bellowed before storming off, Jesse still trailing her.
The next few weeks were the same. Jesse followed Maxie, Maxie yelled at Jesse, Jesse yelled back, Maxie stormed off, and Jesse was right on her tail. Maxie couldn't stand it. The guy was irritating her to no end, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. It was summer, and it was supposed to be her time to enjoy herself. Instead, she spent her summer being babysat by one of her brother's guards.
Maxie was sitting in Kelly's, talking with her friends. Jesse had agreed to wait outside for her, but he kept an eye on her though the window. Maxie sighed as she pushed her hair back.
"Guard getting to you?" asked Dillon, following her line of sight and seeing Jesse.
"You have no idea. He is always around. He is just so damn difficult to ditch"
"He's always around?" asked Diego. "Don't you think that's a little creepy?"
"Diego, what are you talking about?" asked a frustrated Maxie.
"I just mean that this guy is always staring at you, and looking you over, and I dunno, I just think it's a little creepy"
"Diego, he's my guard. That's his job. He needs to stare at me"
"Yeah, what are you, jealous?" Brook Lynn scoffed, the anger apparent in her voice.
"I'm not jealous. But Maxie is my friend, and I want to protect her" Diego justified.
"Thanks Diego, but I have enough protectors and I really don't need anymore" Maxie said as she attempted to brush him off.
"Did you try talking to Courtney? Maybe she could get Sonny and Jason to lighten up a little with the guarding" suggested Georgie.
"I tried, but she says its all for the best. She said she used to like having a guard. Although, if we're being perfectly honest, that's because Jason was her guard" said Maxie as she rolled her eyes at the thought of the conversation she had with her sister that had turned into a twenty minute 'Jason's perfect' gush fest.
"I'm sorry Maxie" said Georgie as she gave her friend an understanding arm pat.
Later that day, Maxie and Jesse were out walking on the docks. Maxie gave a frustrated sigh and then sat down, and to her dismay, Jesse followed suit.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.
"Maxie, why do we have to keep having the same conversation?" he asked her.
"I just want to be alone right now Jesse, please?" she begged.
"Look, why don't you talk to me. Sometimes talking to someone helps" he offered.
"It's just my friends…" she started hesitantly as she gave in to him.
"Tell me about them" he pressed. "Tell me about…what's her name? The one with the boyfriend with the spiky hair"
"Georgie?" she tried.
"Yeah, that's the one. Tell me about her. You two seem close"
"We are. We're practically sisters. We had problems in the beginning because her father's the police commissioner and he didn't exactly approve of Sonny and Jason's business"
"Wait a second? That's Georgie Jones? Mac Scorpio's stepdaughter?" he asked in shock.
"One and the same" said Maxie. "Now her boyfriend, Dillon, he's Jason's cousin actually. And the three of us all get along really well. Me, Georgie, and Dillon. But then there's Diego and Brook Lynn. Brook Lynn's Dillon's niece"
"His niece?" Jesse asked in shock.
"They have a strange family. But Brook hates me I think. She's convinced that Sonny and Jason belong in prison and that Jason broke the Quartermaine's hearts by leaving. Plus, she used to have a thing with Diego. But then I came to town, and he just broke up with her"
"He likes you" Jesse said softly.
"Yeah, that's what I think too. But I don't like him. The guy creeps me out a little bit. Plus, he's Alcazar's son. Alcazar is only Sonny and Jason's biggest enemy. And if all that's not enough, Lorenzo's constantly trying to persuade my sister-in-law Carly to leave my brother and be with him. Kinda like how Diego wants me. Anyway, Brook hates me because Diego likes me, and sometimes I feel like I can't go a day without her and Diego harassing me"
"Need me to kick someone's ass?" he offered her with a big smile.
Maxie laughed and smiled back at him.
"Not right now, but thanks for the offer. I may take you up on it later" she said with another smile.
"Whenever you want" he said softly.
Maxie's hand was resting on the bench inbetween her and Jesse. Jesse's hand found its way to the bench and was creeping over to Maxie's. Their hands touched, the skin making contact, and they both jumped back as though something had sparked.
"Don't think that this makes us friends or anything" said Maxie as she jumped up from the bench.
"Of course not. You're still the bratty little girl that I have to guard" Jesse snapped at her, getting up himself.
"And you're still the irritating and overbearing guard dog that my brothers hired. Sonny and Jason have no idea what they're doing when it comes to their 'baby sister'."
"As long as we're clear. You're still the brat, and I'm still the guard" he said.
"Oh, we are clear. One conversation doesn't make us friends. In fact, it doesn't even make me able to stand you"
"Same here" said Jesse.
"I'm going home" Maxie said as she started walking.
"And I'm following you home" Jesse said as he too began the walk back to the Harborview Towers.
A/N: Now go review! And when you're done with that, go read my other story, Sometimes Wishes Come True. It's Journey. I also have Trust which is a completed Journey story that you should all read if you didn't already. And if Journey isn't your forte, I have Girl in Your Dreams which is JaSam or Unexplainable Love which is JasonOC. Not like I'm pimping my stories or anything, wink wink nudge nudge.