A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to my terrible day. Today was the first day of school for me, and it sucked in every way possible. I'm honestly on the verge of tears right now. I was up at a number that started with 6 o'clock and had some minutes after, the hair that I spent an hour straightening turned into a frizzball by second period, my books were too heavy, my locker is in Guam so I didn't get a chance to put away any of those heavy books,my teachers sucked... I'm done babbling. You guys don't read my stories to listen to me babble. And I know that I shouldn't be complaining with everything that's happening in LA and what not. I mean, that really sucks on 95 different levels. But I'm trapped in my little world of suckage too: (
Anyway, here's an update so you're not all as bitter as me.
CCnJexie4ever- I'm glad you thought it was cute!
TwoBrokenToCry- I'm a tease? I get that a lot. Lol, j/k.
MelindaM- Jesse is certainly one gorgeous knight in shining armor. And he is the sweetest guy! That's why I love him so much: sweetness is my weakness! I crumble when it comes to sweet guys!
middiegurl08- It is absoutely unnatural to start school in August. School is a September to June thing. At least we have fanfiction and GH to get us through it. Although Jexie is the only good thing that the show has left.
5432run- Glad you like it. I am so behind in reading fanfiction, especially yours. And considering I already have three tests coming up that I know of, don't count on being able to do more than post a chapter of my own stories now and then. Sorry, butI will try.
emmalee05- Ick, school shopping. I'm sorry, I really am trying to stop bitching about school. But it's hard. Anyway, glad you liked the chapter. I aged Michael specifically for that purpose. He can be the little brother figure.
brucasbrathangrl- I am glad you like it! I didn't realize this was such a popular idea. I found another story soon after I posted mine with a similar plot that someone had just posted, which made me a little suspicious, but if the idea wasn't just mine and you and this person had it too, what are you gonna do?
brittany- Thanks for the goodluck, but the tests are not for a while and they're not all clumped together (thank god). Glad you liked the chapter!
Sam- I'm not so much stressed about school as pissed that I have to go! Lol. But reviews like your makes it a little bit better. I'm glad you like it so much!
AnAngelofAStar- Thank you for your well wishing! And please don't hunt me down. I can't defend myself so I will just curl up into a fetal position and then I wont be able to update! Lol.
LANCELOTTRISTANBABY- Glad I hooked ya!
Lauren- I wouldn't keep you in suspense for over a week! I'm not that mean! Good luck in college, I am so jealous. I am just done with Highschool. It's so old. I'm ready for college and to just be done with this! Lol.
anon14- Glad my kiss was perfect. I'm able to write it so well because I am just waiting for a guy like Jesse to come along for me, so I know what I'm looking for: )
Journeylover062- You and me both. I like how they're getting on the show! I just wish they were actually roomies!
tydavislover- Part of being a knight in shining armor is being punctual. Glad you like it so much!
Elvira- Nah. I'm just an overachieving junior. But I live in a competitve areaand go to a competitive school, where college is everyone's biggest priority. Plus, I'm assuming you live in the west. Cause on the East Coast they make us take all that SAT crap. Anyway, glad you like the story! Please keep reading and reviewing.
britchic- I'm glad I've turned you into a Jexie fan. Final year of school. Sounds intense. If I knew anything about the British school systems, I'd give you some words of advice, but I know squat, so let's just stick with good luck!
blackcherrymeg16- I'm thrilled that you like the story. And thanks for the writing compliments.
tania- The good thing about me is that I write in advance. So even if I don't have time to write, I can still post!
Vicki316- I'm happy that you are loving my story. I love your Jexie fics too and people should go read them!
Jen- I would never abandon a story. Don't worry!
Chapter 4- The Aftermath
"She's in here! She's ok" yelled Courtney into the hallway as Sonny, Jason, Carly, and Mike all came barging into the penthouse.
"Are you alright Maxie?" asked Carly as she went and gave her sister a hug.
"I'm fine, really" Maxie maintained.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Sonny demanded; the anger apparent in his voice.
"I was thinking that I wanted a little freedom!" Maxie yelled as she broke away from Carly's hug. "God Sonny, don't you get it, you're stifling me. I am being treated like a 5 year-old and I hate it! You're not my father for god's sake!"
"Maybe not, but I am" snapped Mike.
"You weren't a father for me when I was a kid!" she yelled at him.
"You still are a kid! And the things your brother does are for your protection. It's a dangerous world out there Maxie and…" said Mike as Maxie cut him off.
"And no one wants to let me experience any of it. You all want me to grow up in a bubble!"
"No one is asking you to" said Jason softly as he attempted to diffuse the situation a little.
"Really Jason? Because it seems to be the complete opposite to me. I get it, you all love me and want to protect me, but why can't I just hang out with my friends and be a normal teenager?"
"Maxie, it's not that simple. And you know it. Sonny and Jason's lives are dangerous, and we are all at danger simply by loving them and being part of their family" explained Courtney.
"It's their lives, not mine. I choose to be a normal 19 year-old" said Maxie as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Unfortunately, you don't always get a choice" said Carly softly as she looked sympathetically at her sister-in-law.
"It's not fair!" shouted Maxie. "This is all your fault!" she said as she threw an accusing finger at Sonny.
"No, what's not fair is finding that your little sister snuck out of the house. Do you know how much trouble you caused? We all went all over town looking for you. You stressed out Courtney, who really doesn't need stress right now! She was a wreck"
"I'm so sorry Courtney" said Maxie as she began to feel the guilt of putting her sister and baby niece or nephew in danger.
"Its ok sweetie, the baby's fine, but Sonny's right. You can't just sneak out like that" said Courtney.
"We would have let you go the party if you wanted to" said Jason.
"Yeah, but with a brigade of guards. Everyone would have stared at me and I would have been the freak with the Men in Black" said Maxie as she rolled her eyes.
"No, I would have been there with you. And I look like a teenager, I would have blended right in" said a forgotten Jesse as everyone stared at him, finally remembering that he was there.
"Look, it was stupid, I get it. Can I go now?" asked Maxie impatiently.
"Maxie, I need you to promise me that you are not going to do something like this ever again" said Sonny.
"Sonny, I am not going to promise you anything. I go with the flow, and as life throws the punches at me, I react accordingly. I'm not going to tell you something now that will only cause trouble for me later" said Maxie defiantly.
"Maxie! As your father, I am telling you that you are not to do something like this ever again!" said Mike, his voice slightly raised.
"I will say this one more time Mike! Before you can start ordering me around as my father, you need to act like a dad! You need to put in a little more father-time and maybe earn my trust!" she shouted back.
"Enough!" yelled Courtney as she grabbed at her stomach with her baby in it.
"Courtney, are you ok?" asked Jason as he flew to her side, supporting her.
"Yeah, it's just a little cramp. It's all the stress" she said as Jason helped her to sit down. "I'm fine now. But I'm tired of the arguing! Sonny, I think you need to go back to your own penthouse"
"Fine. But Beaudry, Jason; I need to talk to you both across the hall" he said as he led the way out, leaving Carly and Courtney with Maxie.
"I'm going to go now" said Mike as he walked out.
"Dad, wait!" called Maxie as Mike stopped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that. I just said it in the moment"
"I know sweetie. Goodnight, and don't let your brother be too hard on you" said Mike as he gave her a kiss on the forehead goodbye before giving Courtney and the baby a goodbye kiss and saying goodnight to Carly.
"You need to do a better job Beaudry. If you want to keep your job, you need to protect my sister!" bellowed Sonny.
"I did protect her! Look, she slipped away under both of your noses too!" Jesse said in his defense.
"Don't be disrespectful" Sonny snapped. "You better get your act together Beaudry. Because this is completely unacceptable. We lead dangerous lives, in a dangerous organization. Even the slightest negligence can be fatal!" Sonny yelled. "And I don't think you are up for this!"
"Look, I'm up for this, I am! We all goofed up tonight, and now we know that it can never happen again! We all made the mistake Mr. Corinthos!"
"Sonny, Jesse's right. Maxie was home with me and you were right across the hall and she still managed to get out"
"Yeah, thanks to Michael" said Sonny.
"Michael helped her sneak out?" asked Jason.
"He covered for her; I managed to get it out of him"
"That's Michael, he helps the people he loves" said Jason, defending the boy he cared about like he was his son.
"Yeah, but helping Maxie to escape wasn't helping her at all"
"Listen to the two of you!" Jesse snapped. "You're talking about Maxie like she's a prisoner. Accusing her of 'escaping'. She needs a little freedom, I agree with her on that one. I get that we are living dangerous lives, believe me, I do, but that doesn't mean we need to shelter Maxie from the world!"
"I'm sorry, but who made you the boss and me the employee? Hmm, who decided that you can talk to me like that" Sonny growled.
"You're right. My apologies sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and clear my head" said Jesse as he pushed his way out of the penthouse.
"That boy" Sonny growled to Jason once Jesse was gone.
"Yeah, that boy is sick of being yelled at by you. No one is ever good enough to protect your sisters, are they?" Jason asked him as he folded his arms over his chest.
"I got over it. I decided that you could protect Courtney. Isn't that enough?"
"We make mistakes to learn from them Sonny" said Jason as he too left the penthouse with the intentions of going back to his wife and unborn baby.
As he did, he ran into Maxie into the hallway.
"Where are you going?" he asked her.
"I was looking for Jesse. I needed some fresh air"
"Jesse stormed out. But why don't you take Max" he told her.
"Ok, thanks" she said quietly. "Look, Jase, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, or Courtney. And I really didn't mean to hurt the baby" she said sadly as she looked up at him through doe eyes.
"Hey, I don't blame you for wanting to get out of here. And the baby is fine" Jason assured her as Maxie started to let her tears spill.
Jason pulled her in for a tight hug. Maxie was like his baby sister. He wanted her to be happy, and he wanted to protect her at the same time. She reminded him a lot of Emily when it came to his relationship with her. Jason planted a little kiss on the top of her head and helped her to wipe away her tears.
"Go get your fresh air" he instructed her softly and she nodded before walking off to find Max.
Jason walked into the penthouse to find Carly just leaving and Courtney snuggled onto the couch.
"How do you feel?" he asked her, the concern evident in his voice.
"See you later" said Carly as she walked out.
"I'm alright. I'm just worried about Maxie. I think something happened tonight that she's just not telling us about" said Courtney to Jason as he sat down next to her.
"I'm sure she's fine. Sonny may not want to admit it, but Jesse really does a good job of protecting her"
"I guess you're right" said Courtney.
"Don't think about Maxie right now" Jason told her as he kissed her. "Think about us"
"Sonny, you're allowed to be afraid for your little sister, but you may be going over the edge" said Carly softly.
"Carly, don't tell me I'm going over the edge. So many things could have happened to her tonight" said Sonny.
"But they didn't" said Carly. "Sonny, you become so clouded when Maxie and Courtney are involved. You feel this intense need to protect your sisters, and I understand that, but it prevents you from thinking straight. You did it when you ordered Jason away from Courtney, and you're doing it now when it comes to letting Maxie grow up"
"I am trying to keep her safe. And I was trying to keep Courtney safe too" he grumbled as he stalked upstairs.
Maxie and Max walked to the docks so that Maxie could just stare at the water in peace. She didn't say anything to Max throughout the whole walk. They had just made it on to the pier when Maxie spotted Jesse sitting on the edge of the dock, his feet dangling over the side.
"Hey" she called out to him and he turned to look at her.
"Hey" he said, motioning for her to sit with him.
"Can I leave her under your care Beaudry? You think you can handle it?" joked Max.
"We'll be fine" said Jesse with a sarcastic smile at Max as the older guard walked away and headed back to the penthouses.
Jesse and Maxie sat in silence for a few moments, neither saying anything to the other.
"Thank you" she said.
"For what?" he asked her.
"For not telling everyone about what almost happened to me tonight"
"I didn't want to embarrass you" he said softly
"I really do appreciate it" she said. "And I know that you stood up for me as well. When you were talking with Sonny and Jason. I heard about your little fight"
"How?" he asked her.
"Michael. He was eavesdropping. Hoping to find out just how much trouble he was in"
"He's a funny kid. I like him" said Jesse.
"Yeah, he's cool" said Maxie quietly.
"You seem so sad" Jesse told her as he reached up to brush some of her hair back without even thinking.
"I am. I feel guilty"
"About what?" he asked her.
"Yelling at my dad, causing Courtney all of that unnecessary stress, getting Mikey into trouble, getting you yelled at…"
"You didn't get me yelled at. I got myself yelled at. And I can deal with your brother's yelling"
"You don't deserve it" said Maxie.
"Neither do you. You're brother is too protective of you. But I can't blame him Maxie. The organization is dangerous. And I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to you" he admitted to her.
"Nothing's going to happen to me. Everyone is so convinced that I am going to get hurt. Everyone thinks that I am a china doll that's just going to shatter. But I'm not. I can handle myself"
"Maxie, a lot of people care about you. You're easy to care about. You hook people in. And you can't blame them for wanting to make sure you're ok"
"Fine, but is a little freedom too much to ask for?"
"No, but when your life's at stake, people do things they normally wouldn't"
"Like hold me tightly and tell me everything's going to be ok" she supplied.
"Yeah, like that" he answered softly as his chest tightened painfully.
"Thanks for that one too. Not only did you save me, but you comforted me. I don't know what I'd do without you" she confessed.
"I don't know what I'd do without you" he told her.
Desire became too much. Jesse leaned in, letting their lips nearly touch. He wanted her so badly, and he knew that she wanted him. They were about to kiss when once again they were interrupted, this time by the shrill ringing of Maxie's cell phone. Wishing she could not answer it, Maxie reluctantly pulled away from Jesse and flipped the phone open.
"Hello? Sonny, Jesse's with me. I know that it's late. I needed to clear my head and we just met down here. Max said it was ok. I know that Max isn't the boss Sonny, but he's thinking with a clear head at least. Sonny, I don't want to fight with you anymore. Jesse and I are on our way home, we'll see you there" she said as she hung up the phone.
A moment passed before either spoke.
"That was my brother" said Maxie nervously as she motioned with the phone.
"Yeah, I figured as much. We better get home" he said, looking down at his feet.
"Ah, yeah. You're right" she said.
"Come on, I'll walk you" he said.
"It's ok; Kelly's is in the other direction"
"Like I'm going to leave you to walk home alone? Sonny would be at Kelly's and tearing apart my room before putting my head on a stick in a second if you showed up at home without a guard" laughed Jesse.
"Yeah, he would be" agreed Maxie with a laugh of her own.
Jesse offered her his hand and helped her stand up, but once she was on her own two feet, he reluctantly let go of her. The two started the walk back to the Towers, their hands accidentally brushing as they did so. Every time they brushed hands, they both felt the spark. But Jesse knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't fall for Maxie. There was just too much at stake.
A/N: So, I'm all bummed out and I have a lot of school work, so I'm not going to be writing for a while. I honestly have been just listening to sad music as I do this because my mood is so cloudly today. Right now, it's REM's Everybody Hurts. It's kindaa pathetic song. It is just so depressing. BTW, new favorite song is so Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own by U2. It's brilliant. Little tidbit- it's not about a relationship, it's about his father. Just like Kite. Sorry, I'm a U2 fan if you couldn't tell.
Back to the fanfiction which is why you guys really put up with my mindless babbling and annoying bitching. I know, everyone has to go to school. And no one whines as much as me. But it sucks!
Focusing! I have up to chapter 7 written. And I may be able to write some more this weekend. We have a four day weekend. I'm taking some friends to see Rent in the city for my sweet sixteen on Friday, even though my birthday is a month away, so I will be in a much better mood. I can probably knock out a few chapters!
Alright, the Freshman by the Verve just came on so I'm gonna go listen to that and shut up. Remember to review!
Note: The following PS contains some spoilers for the show. So don't yell at me if you read it and didn't want to know what's happening. I warned you!
P.S- What's everyone's take on the latest Robin news? I personally am thrilled. I never watched her, but I've seen clips and what not and the characters were all so much more intense back then. It just may reinvigorate GH!