Hiding The Skeleton in My Trunk (Flynn)

[CHEYENNE MCLEESTER]

Cheyenne put her hands on her hips and looked between them as if she were waiting for some sort of explanation as to why they were taking their sweet time. "HI!" Cheyenne cocked a brow at her sister and looked at that idiot grin she plastered on. Oh great, what'd she do this time? She thought to herself and refrained from rolling her eyes at the redhead.

"We're here! Ha..haha.. we can get rid of the evidence now so we don't go to jail! Because Herbie doesn't want me to be Bubba's girlfriend, oh NO!" Cheyenne only sighed. What the hell sort of mess was Claire in now? When Griffin excused himself she waved her fingers at him before making her way next to Claire and grabbing one of the bottle roughly away from her after shifting all the wood into one arm.

"What the hell did you do?" She accused in a low hiss so Griffin wouldn't hear, pulling the cork out and taking a deep sip. "And don't you lie to me and say nothing. I know that look, Claire." She looked sternly at Claire before reaching out and pinching her arm. "And that's for hanging up on me before. You better have a good excuse. I've been waiting here forever!"

[CLAIRE MCLEESTER]

Claire watched Griffin walk away, not bothering to wave or say goodbye or anything. The girl looked like she was practically going to burst when she was alone with Cheyenne. Except that her sister had to get her two cents in and complain about Claire hanging up on her before she gave Claire a chance to say anything. And when Claire finally did speak it was like vomit, coming out all fast and at once.

"Ikissedhim! Ikissedhimandhepulledawayfromme! Idon'tknowwhatIwaseventhinking!" The words came out as three short, rapid sentences with quick little pauses between. Even Claire's hands seemed to go up and down away from her sides as if she were having a tantrum.

"Do you understand?!" She said and grabbed hold of her sister by her shoulder and began to shake her. "I panicked and KISSED Griffin! And he pulled away from me! I don't even know what to think! He was all 'oh let's not change anything between us' and I was all 'oh okay that's just dandy as candy!' and then we took the Avisaille and you know what?! I CALLED Herbie an Avisaille! Right then and there! Then I stole some champagne!" She held up the other bottle and pointed at it with the hand that was holding her shoes. "See?!"

As if Cheyenne actually needed to see the bottle. She had taken one of the bottles from Claire. "And guess what else? Apparently Griffin not only HEARD me, but I think he KNOWS what an Avisaille IS!" Now her arms were going everywhere, spinning in circles as she paced around her sister.

"Can you believe it?! I don't--I- I'm speechless!" Claire shut her mouth and just stared at her sister, giving her a sidelong glance and waiting, or somewhat waiting, for Cheyenne to say something. ANYTHING! "..well?!"

[FLYNN YOUNG]

When Cheyenne decided to go get some wood to help burn the Avisaille bones Flynn didn't try to protest. She could tell that the other girl didn't really feel comfortable just standing around waiting in silence. Flynn had no problem being patient and quiet. She liked the quiet personally. "I'll be right here." She told her as if Cheyenne didn't know that she'd be staying there.

When the girl left, Flynn sat down beside the wrapped up bundle and ran her fingers along the fabric. "You poor dear.. we'll give you peace." She said softly as if the skeleton could actually hear her. She felt great sorrow for it since this person didn't have anyone it would seem.

It wasn't long that she was sitting there until she started to look around to see if Cheyenne was heading back, but was met with the silhouette of someone else; a male. At first she tensed up at the thought of someone else being on the beach and coming up and asking what they were doing. But as the figure neared she recognized by the way he walked and held himself that it was only Griffin.

"Did everything go okay when I left?" She asked when he was close enough, hoping that they hadn't run into any real trouble. It wasn't as if Flynn could have waited to make sure they got out safe. Her and Cheyenne had to go as quick as possible.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

It hadn't taken too long for him to find Flynn, keeping a casual pace as he walked on. The night was cool and lovely. Really, they couldn't have asked for a better evening.

When he saw her he grinned to himself, seeing her fair face turn upwards to greet him. He smiled at her and walked closer, taking a seat beside her when, his legs moving out to the side as he leaned on an arm and looked at the sheet he knew held the skeleton. "Dideverything go okay when I left?"

Griffin nodded slowly, still not looking at Flynn yet again. "It went well. No one stopped us and asked us to stay. We were off the clock after all. As far as I know everything went smoothly and according to plan." He told the girl and then let out a long, slow breath, reaching down and picking up a twig, snapping it in half.

"Claire kissed me tonight." He said slowly, his eyes finally moving to see his friends before looking away again, his head shaking from side to side. "It was surreal. I... The moment was so nice and then I pulled away." Griffin licked his lips and looked at the ground. "She's a baby, Flynn. I'm old enough to be her grandfather, even if I don't look to be so. What's worse is that I didn't want to pull away, and when I did she was so hurt. It was like watching her heart shatter before my eyes. I had no idea she had feelings for me, and what more I never realized I wished to return them." Griffin sighed and looked back up at Flynn. He hoped she would have a kind word to give him, one only a woman could offer.

"She knows, Flynn. About the Avisaille. She knows what we're called." He licked his lips and looked away once more. "I think I'd like to tell her the truth..."

[CHEYENNE MCLEESTER]

It was like a storm raging at sea the moment Griffin walked away. Cheyenne couldn't believe how quickly Claire exploded right there on the spot. "Ikissedhim! Ikissedhimandhepulledawayfromme! Idon'tknowwhatIwaseventhinking!" It took a second to process what her sister had just said. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...you kissed him!?" She asked, dropping the wood and the booze and grabbing her sisters shoulders. "Go Claire!"

Chey's hands were quickly knocked away as Claire began flailing her arms about like the mad woman she was, and it was Claire's hands now on her sisters shoulders. She could hardly keep track of what the girl was saying she was talking so quickly. She tried getting the story straight, though. She'd kissed him, he pulled away, and basically wanted to just be friends.

The story seemed to get better and better with each strung together sentence after the next. "Wait...you called it an Avisaille!? Claire!" She scolded rubbing her left temple. Could her sister be any more of an idiot? Cheyenne wasn't really sure..

"Can you believe it?! I don't--I- I'm speechless!" Cheyenne rolled her eyes. "Yeah...definitely speechless, that's exactly what I was going to say." She said sarcastically, turning and looking in the direction Griffin had walked.

"Okay, seriously? Calm the hell down. Take a deep breath.. C'mon, iiiin, oout...go ahead." She waited a second, doing her own breaths so she wouldn't freak out on her sister. "Okay, as for kissing him? Good job! Even if he pulled away that doesn't mean he doesn't like you. C'mon, you two are like buds. He was probably just caught off guard. Boys need to process things, Claire. It's not like a random hookup. Hes definitely not the random hookup type." That was an understatement..

"And what do you mean you called it an Avisaille and he heard you? Why the hell were you calling it an Avisaille? Who were you even talking TO?!" As if it weren't obvious. Claire had been babbling to herself from the womb. "And did he tell you he knew? Do you think he's a Guardian or something?" It had been a lot of information in a short amount of time and even Cheyenne was having a hard time processing it. Plus she wasn't getting any details! "Speak!"

[CLAIRE MCLEESTER]

Claire listened to her sister's guidance to take deep breaths. She breathed along with her before it seemed to settled her nerves a little bit. That's when she scooped down and snatched up the bottle of champagne, uncapped it and took a couple of quick gulps! If anything would calm her down that would be it. And Claire hated to drink!

"He said that even though they're really Avisaille that he wouldn't call them that if I didn't want him to. It was the way he said it, Chey. Like he knew exactly what I meant. I tried to play it off as if I had made it up like some kind of nickname but he knows. How could he know?" It never occurred to her that Griffin could be just like her, a Guardian. But if that were the case why didn't she pick up on it? Wasn't there signs?! Then again it wasn't like Claire had the word Therianthrope tattooed across her forehead. He probably didn't know just as much as she didn't. That was if he actually WAS a Guardian!

"Maybe he just heard it from somewhere before." Claire didn't know why but she was hoping that was the case. It just seemed like a much more logical explanation than any other.

Cheyenne's advice somehow didn't seem to calm her down about kissing Griffin. That advice might have worked if he were any other guy but he wasn't. He was like Claire! He loved the museum and actually found her amusing and fun to be around! Not everyone could handle Claire's outbursts the way that Griffin seemed to patiently tolerate them. "He said he likes when I talk. Because I talk from the heart. You know, since I have a hard time filtering myself."

She took another sip of the champagne and then let out a loud sigh before holding it out for her sister to take. "Here. I'm going to drink the entire bottle and then I'll really start talking!" She said as if it were a threat.

Then she decided to back track to the kissing part. "We were hanging out in the animal habitat just wasting time and someone was coming. I don't know why I did it, but I used it as an excuse to kiss him. I just grabbed him and.." She smacked her hands together for effect. "Bam! I was seeing fireworks like the fourth of July." She muttered and then sighed.

"It's okay. I told him it wouldn't be weird that we could just be friends. He said there were things about him that I didn't know. Whatever that means."

[FLYNN YOUNG]

When Griffin took a seat beside her and said that they got away without a hitch she was glad to hear that and even gently tapped him on the knee. "That's fantastic news! It's best if no one suspects anything from any of us." She said matter of factly and nodded her head to confirm it. She felt herself relax a little more, glad that everyone was safe and sound.

Then when Griffin explained that Claire had kissed him Flynn's face brightened up! She knew that Cheyenne had wanted her to talk to him about Claire, but it seemed as if she hardly had to do any talking at all about the girl. She sat there patiently, listening to everything that Griffin had to say. About him pulling away from her, the age difference, how clueless he had been to her feelings and how he seemed to have feelings as well. She could see that he wanted her to say something, to give him some advice. She waited a moment, letting it all seep in before she nodded her head, ready to give the best advice that she could.

"What does your heart want? If it's telling you that this is wrong then listen to it. If it wants you to go for it then shouldn't you listen to it?" It might not have been the best advice that she could have given but Flynn truly believed this.

"We may be different in age but we're always young at heart. If this world can get over their differences of race, religion and gender then I think species may just be the next obstacle." Flynn told him and winked at him playfully. Of course, the whole world didn't agree on those fronts, but they were becoming more accepting.

She took a look at her friend and placed her hand on his arm, giving it a friendly little rub as if she needed to warm it up for him but it was more for reassuring purposes than anything else. "If I were in your shoes I would go for it. If I felt strong enough and wanted it enough then what is there to stop you? Be happy and live in the moment. Don't concern yourself with the future. It will come when it does." She didn't even have to try and talk to him about Claire the way that Cheyenne wanted her to. She was able to be genuine and tell Griffin what she felt, which she would have done anyway.

"She knows, Flynn. About the Avisaille. She knows what we're called."

Flynn thought she had heard Claire utter the word Avisaille back at the museum but she couldn't be certain.

"I think I'd like to tell her the truth..."

Her eyes landed on his face to see how expression, see the way his eyes moved and his brows shifted. To see if his lips creased or if there were no lines and relaxed. There were so many ways to judge a person's feelings, their true feelings. And Griffin's face was like a story that she could read like an open book. It was easy to tell with him whether he was upset, hurt, happy or teasing. All by the change of his expression. Some people, like Cheyenne she noticed, didn't wear their feelings on their face the way that Griffin had.

"That's a big decision." She said simply and watched him carefully. She couldn't decide this for him and she wouldn't try to press her own feelings about it on him. She trusted his decision and if he chose to confess it to Claire then she would stand behind him no matter what. She tried to think of what she would do if she were in his position. Only once in her life had she felt that way about someone. But she had chose not to confess that she was different and it had been the best choice in her case because she learned that the feelings weren't mutual.

"I think you'll make the right decision. Trust your instincts. Claire is a charming young woman and if your feelings are strong for her then I don't see the problem. If she cares for you the way you explained and the way Cheyenne has told me tonight, then it shouldn't change the way she feels. You are still you."

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

"What does your heart want? If it's telling you that this is wrong then listen to it. If it wants you to go for it then shouldn't you listen to it?" Griffin looked up at her, a sad gleam in his eyes as he considered the question. What did his heart want? He continued to watch her silently as she continued, explaining they were truly still young at heart. Even though he knew she was right, he still couldn't help but feel nervous about her reaction if he told her he was older than her parents. It wasn't so much a big deal to him, but he knew he had so much more life experience than she did. Still, she was mature enough to handle a relationship with someone older, and he thought maybe that was why a girl like Claire was still single. She had an old soul, despite her childish rants, and that could be very discouraging for a boy her age. Maybe she needed someone older to counteract her crazy, someone who could truly appreciate who and what she was. But he feared she would find him creepy, he was almost sure of it.

At least she would know the truth though, which was what his heart did tell him she needed to know. He couldn't lie to her, and if they were meant to be, they would be but not under false pretenses. Griffin believed that. But did he truly care about her enough to want to be with her? He wasn't sure, but he wanted to try. He'd been alone all his life and a mate would be a nice thing, but how could he be with her without explaining what he was? Telling her the truth about who he was would be the next logical step in that path, but it wasn't like telling someone a secret like they had been to prison. This had far more consequences if things went awry, but Griffin was confident that Claire would respect his secret regardless of the outcome of him telling her.

When Flynn told him she would tell her if she'd been him then he made up his mind that it was what he had to do. He needed validation from another who understood the situation, and Flynn was good for that. "Don't concern yourself with the future. It will come when it does." True words of wisdom. Griffin nodded and reached over, patting and squeezing Flynn's knee. "Thank you." He said softly, his tone genuinely grateful for what she said. She eased his mind about Claire, even if the task ahead was a daunting one. He wasn't looking forward to telling her, but at he same time he was. He had to tell her in order for her to be able to accept him as a potential partner.

He was glad that Flynn trusted his judgement and didn't try to dissuade him from not moving forward with what he wanted to.

"If she cares for you the way you explained and the way Cheyenne has told me tonight, then it shouldn't change the way she feels. You are still you." His looked became quizzical. "What has Cheyenne told you?" He asked curiously, wondering what Claire's sister had to say about anything. Had she put Claire up to the kiss? Had she pushed her to do that? Was it possible Claire didn't feel for him but actually had only done her sisters bidding thinking it was best for Claire?

[CHEYENNE MCLEESTER]

"I tried to play it off as if I had made it up like some kind of nickname but he knows. How could he know?" Cheyenne tried to push aside the fact that her sister had let the word slip. It had been a stupid mistake, but as she continued to speak Chey had to admit that she made a sort of decent point. Maybe he had heard it from somewhere, but where on earth could he had heard it from? It was like the cardinal rule of being a Guardian; it was a secret! You were never to tell anyone! Cheyenne had told one other person, and that was after she was certain they, too, were a Therian like she, and that was the hottie who ran the Jack Kit.

As Claire continued she felt the anger mix with a little excitement for her sister, too. It took a good man to see the good in those crazy ramblings her sister did. She did speak from the heart, but that was part of her problem. At least when Cheyenne said what was on her mind she intended for the words she said to come out. There was no filter but that was her choice. Claire had no choice. Her filter was just broken and there had been no warranty.

"Claire, you are, like, the worst person in the world at trying to cover something up. Nickname? Really? Did you really think he'd buy that after you told him not to use the word Avisaille in front of me or Flynn? Come on." She rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. "Maybe he picked up from you that it was the real word. Maybe he has no damn clue at all." She offered. "Maybe you're the idiot he heard it from." She suggested

She took the bottle that had been extended to her and took a very long drink from it. It wasn't the good stuff, but it wasn't the cheap crap either.

She listened to Claire tell her about the kiss, which was really the best part of everything that had happened, but want to slap her forehead when the girl had finished. "It's okay. I told him it wouldn't be weird that we could just be friends. He said there were things about him that I didn't know. Whatever that means."

Instead of slapping her own forehead she smacked Claire's. "You told him you could just be friends? What's wrong with you! I thought you were all gaga over Griffin!" Her sister could be such a dummy sometimes. "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free! Though...I guess hes not getting any milk here... but he wants to be your friend, clearly, and yo want to be more. Play hard to get, Claire! Don't let him think he can reject you and that everything will be hunky dory. That line about you not knowing things? It's a load of crap. Either he's full of it or he wants you to ask, so ask! What could possibly be wrong with him that it could prevent him from getting with you? Unless he's still married or something...to a convict. Oooh, that's juicy. Maybe he sells drugs! Maybe...he smuggles things into the country! Illegal things! Didn't you say he's been, like, everywhere?"

[CLAIRE MCLEESTER]

"...maybe he sells drugs!"

Cheyenne had said plenty of dumb things in the past but this was by far the stupidest thing she had ever come up with! "Really?" Claire asked her sister, tilting her head to the side and towards Cheyenne so that she had to look at her from a different angle. "You sure you aren't drunk? Or smoking crack?!" He asked and shook her head at her in disbelief.

"I hardly think he'd go from the life of a drug mule to working in a museum. We don't exactly get that sort of clientele." She rolled her eyes and made sure she had everything in her hands before she started to walk further down the beach.

"And as far as Griffin and I go, I don't know what you're even saying. You're just spouting a bunch of metaphors that make no sense in the context of our conversation! There's no milk or cows to be purchased!" Of course she knew what Cheyenne was saying and she got the metaphor, but she didn't think it pertained to the situation. It wasn't as if they had been sleeping together and he said he didn't want to be in a relationship. She'd kissed him and apparently scared him off.

"Maybe that sort of thing works for you. But I can't play hard to get. It's not me. Do I need to remind you what happened with Frank? Oh and by the way, I am never taking fashion advice from you again. That dress.. let's just say it was very breezy!"

She stuck a finger out as if she were warning Cheyenne not to say anything about that hideous dress that Claire had worn that night and then turned away from her sister again, continuing down the path. "So where's Herbie anyway?" She asked but then she could see the two figures sitting in the sand and made for them.

[FLYNN YOUNG]

"What has Cheyenne told you?"

"Oopsy daisy!" Flynn let out as if her saying Cheyenne's name was really an accident, although she had done it intentionally. She couldn't help but laugh a little, thinking about what Cheyenne had said if she told Griffin that she had to talk to him because Cheyenne told her to.

"She said that she thought it would be a good idea if you took Claire out on a date. I got the feeling that Claire was a little too shy to ask you herself, so Cheyenne was taking initiative of the situation. She may be a little forward but she does it for Claire. She certainly cares for her."

It was true. Cheyenne had decided to discuss Claire and Griffin instead of anything else. "I can see you care for her. Your eyes reveal they way you feel." She said and smiled at him again.

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

Griffin was a little surprised that Cheyenne had told Flynn that he should take her sister on a date. Why would Cheyenne concern herself in her sisters affairs like that? "She may be a little forward but she does it for Claire. She certainly cares for her." Griffin snorted. "A little forward?" He asking in a teasing tone. But he knew what Flynn meant. Cheyenne did care, and she knew everything she did, despite how cruel or odd Griffin thought it was, he knew the girl probably had her younger sisters very best interests at heart. She just had an odd way of showing it.

"I can see you care for her. Your eyes reveal they way you feel." Griffin looked up into Flynn's tender, grinning face. He did care for Claire. He had for some time now, but he was still unsure in the way he felt. Had her lips never pressed against his, he may not have ever come to the conclusion that the way he felt was that he yearned for her. He looked forward to seeing her at work and enjoyed their breaks together. His conversations always left him smiling. At night he thought of her. In fact he thought of her often. Love wasn't something familiar to Griffin, though. Not that he loved Claire, not really, but he wouldn't know if he did or not. He was dense when it came to those sorts of things.

"I do." He agreed and smiled back, squeezing Flynn's knee once more before looking out and seeing the two girls approaching. He sighed. "I appreciate you listening to me and offering your words of advice. I know I can always count on you for that, and I'm very grateful." He said, sitting up more and leaning over, pecking his friends cheek in a friendly manner before getting up and dusting sand off his rear. "I should get everything set up." He said, moving away to get the thing necessary for the fire.

[CHEYENNE MCLEESTER]

"You sure you aren't drunk? Or smoking crack?!" Cheyenne pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She didn't like her sister teasing her and she mock laughed like it was amusing but she was not amused. "Bitch." She retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"Fine. Maybe he wasn't a drug mule, but you have to agree it was a creative thought. One point for me." She grinned, sipping the champagne again as they walked, kicking the sand with her Ugg covered feet. She could feel a few stray grains of sand in there already, scratching at her feet. How the hell had it gotten in there? She didn't mind sand, though. Her boots would probably be full of it later, and that would be fine with her. Cheyenne could live at the beach.

The girl rolled her eyes at her sister for not getting her metaphor. It wasn't worth explaining to Claire so she just dropped it. Some things weren't worth getting into with her.

"You can play hard to get." She insisted with a sigh. "You just need to loosen up a bit. God, you're always so tense and high strung. You should ask a doctor for some Xanex because seriously? They created that shit for people like you. Maybe I'll get some at the bar for you tonight." She suggested, since she knew a few prescription drug dealers. "And say what you want about that dress, you looked hawt in it."

"Sowhere'sHerbie anyway?" Chey cleared her throat as they walked down the path together. "Uhh, just up over here, but I may have said that you called him Avery." She told Claire, and then lifted her hands in the air in a dramatic shrug. "And don't start on me for that. Flynn said she thought she heard you call the damn bird man something that started with an A. I told her you liked naming shit, so I said Avery since it sounds the most like Avisaille. Shut up, I don't want to hear anything about it. And I told her about Cooper the coocoo clock bird. Next time don't be such a retard."

[CLAIRE MCLEESTER]

Claire stopped once more and stared at her sister. Why did she have to call Herbie Avery?! Griffin was going to think that she was the one on crack, changing his name so many times. She just shook her head and didn't say anything to her sister. She was upset with her. It wasn't as if Cheyenne seemed to even notice that Claire was upset! Not that it was easy she supposed. Cheyenne was so consumed in all the other details and not as much in the fact that Claire had been denied.

She walked down the beach in silence until they got down to where Flynn and Griffin was. Griffin was just standing up when they arrived and Claire tossed her shoes into the sand a little off to the side so that they wouldn't be in anyone's way. And she wasn't about to try and walk on the sand in heels. Besides, the sand felt nice between her toes. It was cool and soft and she loved it so much!

"Hey Flynn." Claire gave a little grin to the girl who was on the ground and waved at her even though she was practically right in front of her. But just in case she couldn't see her. Because... it was dark out! Then her eyes wandered over to Griffin and she tucked her hair behind her right ear so the breeze wouldn't blow it into her face.

"What else do we need? Do we have everything? Chey you brought the-- oh wait, no I put it in the ca- oh there it is!" She spotted the lighter fluid and the matches. She didn't trust that her sister would remember it so she'd taken the initiative to put it in the car for her. And from the looks of it that was all they had so Cheyenne clearly didn't get any extra. Figures. She thought to herself.

[FLYNN YOUNG]

Flynn looked up to see the girls heading back over and smiled up at them. When Claire waved she couldn't help but laugh a little and gave a wave back before she got up to her feet. Her attention went to Cheyenne and the bottle of champagne that she had. In fact, both of the sisters had champagne on them. Perhaps it was a celebratory time, since they had succeeded in what they had set out to do.

"Did you get some wood Cheyenne?" She asked and then spotted it in her other arm. It had just been turned away from her. "Oh fantastic, you did!"

She moved out of the way for the others to set the wood and twigs where they needed to. She had bound up the Avisaille with the help of Cheyenne but now she felt like she was useless just standing around and looked to the others. "Does anyone want my help with anything? To set up quicker?" She piped up and looked at the other three waiting patiently.