The fourth part of my Midnight, Texas story. There are another five parts after this! Yay! Anyway, the loveliness that is Olivia and Lem are in this chapter. So snark ahead!

Warnings: None that I can think of, but tell me if you see any I should know about!

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Taking a deep breath Lem stretched his arms over his head as he slowly woke up. Human or vampire he loved those few seconds right after he woke up when he could believe that everything was right in the world.

Ever since the veil started to fray that was something that he didn't always get to do. He was very much aware that the town that he had come to love was under attack from the rest of the supernatural world.

He constantly had a worry in his mind that something was going to happen while it was the day time and that he would be able to do nothing. It was pure luck that a lot of the beings that came fought during the night.

Lem didn't know what he would do if something happened and he had to simply watch because the sun was up. He loved being a vampire, but he loved his family more. Now that he thought about it though he knew that he had had to do that before.

It happened long before Olivia had come to town. When it was simply him, Emilio, and Mildred living there. He still wasn't quite sure what happened, but something evil came rolling into town in the middle of the day.

He was awoken by the sound of screaming that still played in his mind. He ran for the door ready to fight and protect. It took a step into the sun before he realized his mistake. Luckily, the witch saw it as well and sent him back into the darkness and slammed the door shut.

It had been so long since he had felt that helpless. He ended up pacing the front door for hours until Emilio finally came to get him. To say the man of cloth looked bad would have been an understatement.

To this day he never was able to forgive himself. In his mind he knew that there was nothing he could do. He was a vampire and there was nothing that was ever going to be able to change that. He didn't want to change that.

In his heart though he knew that he would have been able to help if only he could walk in the sun. It was stupid and childish of him and he knew it. He simply didn't care what it seemed like as long as his family was safe.

That was when it hit him that Olivia wasn't there. It wasn't often anymore that she wasn't laying next to him on the bed when he woke up. Simply to let him know if everything was alright with everyone else.

He had never asked her to do that, but somehow she knew exactly what he needed. By now he knew he shouldn't be surprised by how well the assassin knew what he needed without him saying it aloud.

Still, it warmed his heart knowing that she could read him as well as he could read her. It meant something special had grown between them. Not that he needed any more evidence of that. He simply enjoyed the reminders.

As he laid there he felt a shot of worry go through him at her not being there. Had something happened when he was sleeping? Was she or someone else injured so badly that they had been too busy to think to get him.

It wasn't as if that would surprise him. With how long he had been alive it was a rarity that something truly surprised him. With how the veil was coming apart though? It was a very real chance that something had happened.

Normally, one of them woke him up though. Whether it was day or night they never forgot about each other. If they were in true danger they would have done something to get a hold of him while he slept.

That was only if the screaming didn't wake him up first. He always did love being awoken by screams. The blind panic that had him racing for the door before he remembered what he was and that the sun was still very much up.

He had found love and peace when he made Midnight his home. Right after Xylda had changed the way he fed he had known that he was never going to leave the town. Unless his truly dead and dismembered body was being dragged out.

All because of one child that he was supposed to drain and kill. To this day he still couldn't believe his luck that he had met Xylda. He would always have a special place in his heart for the woman that saved him.

Which translated into caring deeply about her grandson. He might have been wary of the man when he first came to town, but knowing that his grandmother was Xylda changed all of that. He didn't need anymore reason than that to trust him.

That being said he never told anyone else to trust the psychic. He knew that if they didn't get there on their own then there would always be questions between them. There was never a doubt in his mind that Manfred was a good man.

Alright, so, he might be a little overprotective of the man from the start. He might be the grandson of a powerful psychic, but there was something missing. It had taken a long time to figure out what it was, but he finally did.

Xylda had known what she was doing. She never hesitated or looked afraid. Even when she thought he was going to attempt killing her she had trusted her powers. The last thing Manfred trusted was his powers.

Lem still didn't know exactly what had happened there. All he knew was that the young man was in serious need of control. It was too bad that there was nothing that he was able to do to help him. He was a vampire not a psychic.

The only thing that gave him any real comfort was the idea that he wasn't the only one that was looking after the man. Everyone of the Midnighter's had decided to adopt the psychic into their little family.

That bound had been new though. It was still in the forming stages as they all tried to find out who he was. All that changed though after his screams echoed through the night. He was their family and no one was ever touching him again.

He still remembered that night so clearly. For the longest time Olivia had been his only source of food. She had more than enough strong emotions that she was willing to share with him. He knew that as long as she was around that he wasn't going to need anyone else.

Then he had to feed off of Manfred. Well, he didn't exactly have to feed off of the young man, but with how much emotion had been pouring off of him in that moment he knew that was no other choice.

He had known that the man was in pain the moment he laid eyes on him, but he never would have been able to guess it was so painful. It had been such a surge of pure emotion that he had almost pulled away as soon as he touched him.

Once they knew that Manfred was situated in Fiji's home he and Olivia had headed to the pawn shop. He knew that none of them were going to be able to sleep anymore that night. They probably wouldn't sleep until they knew he was okay.

He had shared with Olivia what he had felt from the man. He had wanted to keep it to himself for the man's sake of privacy, but he couldn't. There had been so much pain that he had needed to feel the arms of his lover holding him.

That was when he had learned just how much the assassin had warmed up to Manfred. She loved him like a little brother. Which was pretty much the same view that Lem had. If he was truthful, everyone in town had the same thought by then.

There was something about Manfred that had everyone wanting to protect him. Maybe it was the fact that he looked like he was about to fall apart at any second. Even when he was in his element there was a fragility to him that everyone was able to see.

Something that put him in a lot of danger. At the same time though he finally had a family that was going to be there no matter what. One that would do everything to keep him from falling apart and, if need be, put him back together.

With thought of going to find the Midnighter's Lem climbed out of bed and started towards his closet to get dressed. He got halfway to the doors when he heard something coming from other room. With all the security that Olivia had put up he had a good guess who was coming.

Changing his direction he looked at the door and watched as the doorknob turned. A second later he was staring into the face of a smug Olivia and a very nervous looking Manfred. He hated how used to that emotion on the younger man he was getting.

"Hey, Babe," she greeted walking over and placing a few bags on the bed, "Told you he was awake."

"Yes," Manfred agreed shooting Lem a shy smile, "You did."

"What's going on?" the vampire questioned looking between the two.

"Olivia was just showing me her skills at kidnapping. Again."

"Oh, don't be a baby. I didn't knock you out this time."

Shaking his head Lem made his way to his lover and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched Manfred shift from one foot to the other before looking away. He had noticed him do that a few times before.

Not just with them either. Every time he saw some kind of intimate moment he began to look uncomfortable. Which was saying something considering just how uncomfortable he looked on a good day.

"What's going on?" Lem repeated finally taking a look in the bags, "Movies and popcorn?"

"And wine," Manfred jumped in holding up the bottles in his hands.

"And wine."

"We're having a movie night," Olivia offered taking the dvds out of his hands, "Since Fiji is out of town I decided to invite..."

"Kidnap!"

"...Manfred to fill in for her."

The vampire gave his lover a look when she said that. As far as he knew she and Fiji didn't have a movie night. He actually distinctly remembered Olivia shutting the witch down every time she asked saying that she got too itchy sitting in one place for that long.

Olivia simply shrugged before grabbing the popcorn and wine and heading back into the house to get everything ready. He couldn't help but smile at her retreating form. She was such a softy behind everything else. At least to the people she cared about.

"Sorry for invading your space," Manfred spoke up wrapping his arms around himself, "She said her tv was better than mine."

"It's no problem," Lem smiled grabbing his robe off the back of the chair and putting it on, "What movies did you pick out?"

"Harry Potter? She gave me a very dark look when I asked her what they were about."

"You've never read or watched Harry Potter?"

"No? I was a little… busy."

Manfred's eyes dropped away when he said that. It was as if he was remembering some thing unpleasant. He stepped forward to offer the psychic some comfort like he would for anyone else. Except as he moved forward the young man moved back.

"I'm..." Manfred tried to say before his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Lem!" Olivia called out, "Can I get some help in here?"

"Of course," he replied back glad that he was able to give the man a moment to get back his wall, "Please, make yourself comfortable, Manfred. And don't try to escape. She knows where you live."

Leaving the young man alone he made his way to Olivia. As soon as he walked into the room she was giving him a look that had him moving forward and pulling her into a hug. Instantly she was burying her face into his chest taking a deep breaths to keep herself calm.

"Are you alright, love?" he questioned running a hand up and down her back.

"I don't know," Olivia answered calmly though her body was shaking, "Every time I look at him I see him in the street screaming… bleeding..."

"I know what you mean. It was..."

"No, I..."

"Olivia?"

"I keep seeing him like that and I remember every time I broke and begged for them to stop. Begged for someone to save me. When I was sure that the only way it was going to stop was if I died. When I..."

Holding her all the tighter he began to sway gently as she got control of herself back. It had been awhile since that night and now he was sure that the woman had been lost in those thoughts since then.

"There's a difference that you're overlooking," he muttered causing her to pull away.

"What's that?" Olivia asked staring into his eyes.

"He has us. And we'd never let him go through anything alone. We'll always be there. Come. We should go back before he thinks something's wrong."

Smiling she pressed a kiss to his lips before handing him the bowl of popcorn and shooing him. A laugh fell from his lips as he went back tot he bedroom. All the humor he felt was washed out when he saw a very awkward looking Manfred sitting in the chair in the corner.

"You could lay on the bed," Lem offered placing the bowl down, "The view to the tv is poor from there."

"I'm okay," the psychic tried curling in on himself slightly.

"Nope," Olivia said walking in and passing Lem the wine glasses, "Get over here."

"Really. I'm..."

A look from the assassin had Manfred standing up and stiffly sitting on the edge of the bed. In that moment Lem was sure that the man was going to break in two. Either that or he was going to take off running and never be heard from again. Until Olivia tracked him down at least.

"You don't have to look so scared," Olivia said putting the movie in the player before throwing herself on the bed, "We're just watching a movie. I promise not to tie you up this time."

"I know," Manfred nodded not rising to the bait, "I just..."

Olivia reached out to place a hand on his only for the psychic to jerk away and stand up. A flash of hurt filled her eyes at that, but she only dropped her hand down and stared at a slightly shaking Manfred as he headed to the door.

"I'm sorry, Olivia," he offered not looking at her.

"No," she sighed standing up and holding her hands up, "I am. You don't… You don't like being touched, do you?"

"Not really."

"Is there any reason why?"

"The ghosts. They're always reaching for me when I see them. Wanting to take me over. It's a skill to learn how not to get possessed. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is trying to possess me. I know you wouldn't… You couldn't… But I..."

"Manfred, trust me, I get it."

Finally looking up the younger man saw the pain and openness in the woman's eyes. He looked like he was going to reach out and touch her. Instead he made his way back to the bed and sat on the edge of it.

Olivia smiled softly and sat next to him though she made sure to keep some distance between them. Now that he knew that she wasn't going to attempt touching him it seemed as if the weight of the world was off his shoulders.

"You still have to introduce me to Harry Potter," Manfred smiled picking up the remote, "Are you staying, Lem?"

"No," the vampire chuckled putting the wine down, "I have to get down to the pawn shop. I've also heard the rants many times before."

"Dumbledore was an asshole!" Olivia exclaimed crossing her arms.

"Have fun you two."

Leaving the pair to watch the movie he got dressed and went down to work a smile on his face. As he worked he thought about everything that had been happening lately. For the firs time in a long time there was a certain peace roll that was hanging over the town.

That peace stayed with him throughout the night and even as he made his way back home after Bobo had come to relieve him. That sense of peace was reiterated when he got back home and found Olivia and Manfred fast asleep their heads next to each other on the same pillow.