Tony waited until he heard Evey began to snore before stepping outside.

It was a clouded, rainy morning in early June. The weather reflected Tony's gloomy mood perfectly, but it did not hinder his determination to do what he'd set out to do that day, while Walden and Evey were safely asleep inside the house.

He had no idea where Ted was. He simply hoped that the Wolf wouldn't interfere.

Or Jeanne, for that matter. Tony was under the impression that she hadn't gone very far after Evey had forced her to leave the manor in January. He often felt like he was being observed, like an invisible presence was lurking in the shadows. But maybe he was just being paranoid.

He walked toward the edge of the warded area around the estate and contemplated the fine line in the ground where he'd marked the border. He inhaled deeply, in a fruitless attempt to settle his nerves.

He'd deliberated for weeks, ever since he'd mentioned the idea to Walden. He still didn't know if it was madness or a necessary risk. If it was the right thing to do or not. What he did know was that it was better if no one ever found out about it, in case it resulted in complete catastrophe.

He took a step forward, over the line. And waited.

As he'd expected, it didn't take long. Seven minutes later – he kept glancing at his watch nervously every five seconds – Greyback Apparated a few meters away from where he stood. Tony hastily returned within the warded confines of the estate and waited for the Wolf to approach.

Greyback was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, partially unbuttoned at the top, with dark trousers and casual shoes. He had his hands in his pockets, and he advanced nonchalantly, a smug sneer on his face. Like he didn't have a care in the world.

Like he'd anticipated this.

"Bloodsucker," he said in way of greeting as he neared the spot where Tony was standing.

Tony ignored the jab. "How are you monitoring everything we do?" he couldn't help but ask.

Greyback grinned, showing the tip of his filed teeth. "A wizard never reveals his secrets."

Fair enough. Tony hadn't really expected an answer, but Greyback usually liked to brag, so it was worth a shot. "Have you found a way to break your connection to Evey?" he asked without further ado.

"As a matter of fact, I did," the Wolf said cheerfully. "But, you see, to be able to do it, I need her. Are you willing to surrender her to me?"

Tony frowned. "You're lying."

Greyback snorted. "Of course I'm lying. If I truly needed her, I would have worked harder on disabling these irksome wards. For now, I think it's best that she remain here, away from any potential threat to her life."

"You are the threat to her life," Tony snapped, then mentally scolded himself. He had to keep his cool. "Look," he went on more calmly, "we want the same thing, Greyback. Why don't we work together to find a solution?"

Greyback eyed him with a knowing smile. "Your little friends have no idea that you're meeting with me, do they?" It wasn't really a question. "The vampire is unconscious for the day, and I assume that Evangeline has adapted to his sleep schedule by now, since they're married." Evangeline. Hearing Greyback call Evey by her full name was incredibly disturbing, for some reason. "You're going behind their backs, you treacherous little weasel. Haven't changed a bit, have you, Dolohov?"

Greyback seemed to know everything there was to know about them. Was there a spy in their midst? Walden didn't entirely trust Ted, and there was Jeanne… But she had no reason to ally with Greyback; she despised the Wolf as much as they did. A mole within the Order, perhaps? Snape was a double agent, but whose side was he really on? Even if he served Dumbledore, he had to feed Voldemort regular, valid information to allay suspicion.

Merlin, he really was paranoid. Greyback had that effect on people. "Be that as it may," Tony said, trying to keep his voice steady, "my proposition makes sense."

Greyback shrugged indifferently. "I'm not that desperate. Unlike you," he added with an unpleasant leer.

We're not that desperate. That was exactly what Walden had told him, over a month ago. It briefly made Tony reconsider the whole thing. "Do you have any clue at all? Did you find anything relevant in your travels, or-"

"Why should I tell you?" Greyback interrupted him. "If I knew anything, I would keep it to myself, Fangs. I'd wait until Evangeline is mine again, and I would deal with her as I see fit."

"Stop calling her that!" Tony hissed.

His vehemence seemed to take the Wolf slightly aback. "Why? It's her name. What else should I call her? Mysterious hybrid girl? It's a bit of a mouthful."

"Don't call her at all," Tony said. "And if I were you, I wouldn't be so confident. Do you really believe that we'd let her out of our sight even for a second? You'll never have her, Wolf. You'll never see her again, never touch her again."

Greyback threw his head back and laughed. "That would be a shame, alright. Evangeline is so very delicious." Now he was just saying her name to taunt Tony. "And so wild in bed," he added with malicious delight.

There was a minute of complete silence, only broken by a couple of thrushes chirping in a nearby tree. Tony's mind was a maelstrom of emotions. Evey had never mentioned… No. He's lying. He must be. But Evey had been rather close-mouthed about her captivity… He's trying to get under your skin. "That's not… That didn't happen."

"Believe what you will. Did Evangeline mention disclosing your name to me, and how it happened?"

She had mentioned it. She'd confessed to Tony. How Greyback had been determined to get the newest Ancient's name. She'd admitted to being tortured before she finally gave in…but she hadn't specified what sort of torture. "Shut up! I know you're lying." There was an edge of desperation to his tone, but he couldn't help it.

"I see that Evangeline wasn't forthcoming with details of the time she spent in my company," Greyback said jubilantly. He'd found Tony's weak spot, and he wouldn't let go.

This was a disaster. Had Tony really imagined that anything good would come out of this? Walden was right. This was crazy. Wrong. Stupid. "Go away," he growled. "We'll find a way around your connection, with or without your help."

"Mm. Personally, I'm not in a hurry to find a remedy," Greyback said. "I feared that our connection might be a threat to my life but…well, let's just say that a physical bond such as the one we share has its benefits, in certain situations." He laughed again at the look on Tony's face. "I will get her back, Batboy. I will recover what's rightfully mine. I bit her. She belongs to me, she belongs with me. The first female werewolf in history, and a powerful one at that. She can do much better than that stinking vampire. She deserves better, and once she realises it, we will rule the world together. I will be king, and she will be my queen. She will bear my children."

Tony stood speechless during the ramblings of the delusional Wolf. Merlin, and he'd thought that Jeanne was crazy. "Evey hates you." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"She does now, perhaps. But she'll come around. It's meant to be." He sounded like some fanatical bigot talking about the second coming of Merlin. His grey eyes were bright with passion.

"She's terrified of you," Tony went on. "She'd rather die, knowing it would kill you, than serve you."

Greyback cocked his head sideways, his mirth fading. "No, she wouldn't do that," he said slowly. "She may have a high threshold for pain, higher than I gave her credit for, but she has strong instincts of self-preservation all the same. Though I'm glad to hear that she's terrified of me," he added with satisfaction and renewed amusement.

"What are you doing?" someone asked from behind Tony. A male voice. It couldn't be Walden, so it had to be Ted. Shit. Greyback must have seen him coming a long way, and had kept Tony busy until Ted was close enough to hear everything. He wanted to cause dissension.

Tony turned around, but not completely. He was reluctant to expose his back to Greyback. "Ted, I can explain-"

"Hey, grandpa," Greyback said with mock cheerfulness.

Blackbeard ignored him. "What the hell are you doing, fledgling?" he repeated.

"I just…I thought…" Tony stammered. "I was hoping that…" Ted was usually even-tempered and jovial, but the thunderous look on his face made Tony recoil.

"Are you bloody stupid?" Ted asked again when Tony didn't produce a satisfying answer to his previous question.

"You know what's stupid?" Greyback said idly. "Falling in love with your brother's wife."

Tony gaped at him. So many people knew already. Too many. But they were people he believed would keep it to themselves; Greyback was another matter.

"Oh, shut up, you son of a biscuit eater," Ted said, without looking at Greyback. "Boy, you'd better get back inside now, before I let your brother know what you did. You can imagine how he will react, yes?"

"Ted," Tony said pleadingly. "You can't tell Walden, alright? You can't tell Evey. I was just trying to help, and-"

Ted made a shooing motion at him. "Off with you!" he barked.

Ted glared at the cub for a full minute before realising that it had no effect on Greyback. He wasn't as easily fazed as the Ancient youngling.

"Long time no see," Greyback said pleasantly, though there was more than a trace of disdain in his voice. "I'm sorry I was absent when you last paid me a visit. You should have called. We would have had some tea and-"

"No," Ted said roughly. "I'm sorry. I wish I'd known you existed before Grigori had a chance to brainwash you. Or to turn you, for that matter. You're as mentally unstable as he was, and that's saying something." He sighed wistfully. "You had potential. He saw that in you. But he used you for his own purpose, to serve his own interests. You could have truly helped them, these cubs you pretend to care so much about, if your soul hadn't been blackened by that flaming demon spawn."

Greyback chuckled. "As melodramatic as ever, I see." His expression darkened. "You will pay for your betrayal, Blackstripes." He said Ted's Wolf name with contempt and anger. "You did nothing when they banished Grigori. You stole from me. I will have my revenge, you old fool," he gnarled. "You can't keep Evangeline safe forever. She's too stubborn for that." Without another word, he vanished – Disapparated, Ted assumed.

He stared blankly at the empty spot for a moment, wondering what to do. Evey and Walden would be asleep for hours yet – it was late spring, and the sun set late, these days. Evey usually rose earlier than her husband, but Ted still had hours to decide what to do about the fledgling. Should he rat him out? Was it really worth all the chaos that would ensue, all the drama?

Had Tony caused any real harm?

"Leave him be," a voice said at his side. "The girl has scrambled his brains. He can't tell right from wrong anymore. Or, more accurately, smart from dumb."

Ted had heard her approach. He'd smelled her; she was never far. She rarely interfered directly, however, and never let her presence be known to the others. She didn't make herself visible, in case Tony was looking in their direction, Ted assumed, but there was no need. Ted knew where she was, and he knew her height and approximately where her face should be. "Bonjour, Jeanne."

"Don't tell the others," she continued, ignoring his greeting. "Don't make his life any worse than it already is." It sounded more like a command than a suggestion. Jeanne muttered in French, speaking too fast for Ted to make out most of the words. He only caught parts of it: "…cette putain de gamine, quelle fouteuse de merde… Sérieusement, comment peut-on être aussi aveugle?"

That fucking girl, what a nuisance. Seriously, how can people be so blind? Yeah, she had a point there. Walden and his wife were completely oblivious to Tony's mad crush on Evey. But the blindest people were the ones who kept their eyes closed, right? "That's really none of our business. They'll deal with it in their own time. What about Greyback? Is there no way to follow him? With one of your hired magicians or something?"

He couldn't see her, but he could picture her expression just the same: a bitter grimace, her one eye glowering at him. "If it were possible, I wouldn't be wasting my time here talking to you, would I? I'd be on my way to execute the fiend myself."

"Hey now," Ted said chidingly. "No killing, remember?" While he disapproved of what Greyback had done to Evey and her family, and of his involvement with that ridiculous 'Dark Lord', Ted had to admit, like he'd said earlier, that Greyback could have been a great leader of wolves, if Grigori's influence hadn't lingered after his banishment. Greyback was charismatic. He was cunning. He had a vision – but then again, Grigori used to have a vision, too. They had taken it too far. They didn't want to improve the lives of werewolves; they wanted to exterminate all other races and rule over the ashes of the world.

Ted, optimistic by nature, still held a faint glimmer of hope that Greyback could be saved, that he would see the error of his ways and redeem himself. His hope was becoming thinner by the day, though, especially after seeing him just then.

But Ted didn't want him dead. Losing Grigori had been hard enough. For all his failings, Grigori had been his cub. Ted had bitten his fair share of mortal werewolves in his time, but Grigori was the only true Wolf he would ever turn. And now he was gone. Ted had no idea what had happened to him – he hadn't lied to Alice about that. The others had excluded him from the trial, and from whatever took place afterwards. Since then, Ted was held in contempt of his…pack, if it still could be called that. It was surprising enough that they'd invited him to the meeting requested by the Bloodmother in November, but he suspected that it was just a matter of tactics. They'd been vastly outnumbered, even with Ted there.

"What's your problem with Evey, anyway?" he asked after a moment. "Besides the fact that she's unwittingly making your fledgling's dead heart ache, I mean."

He could almost see Jeanne purse her lips in resentment and disgust. "She's unnatural. She's wrong. She shouldn't exist. And her size belies the number of problems she can cause."

Ted frowned. The other Wolves had debated Evey's existence at great length, before she was rescued. They hadn't known what to expect, from the Ancients' vague explanations. At that time, they didn't even know that she could turn into a werewolf, or that she was connected to Greyback. As far as Ted knew, they still weren't aware of these facts. He certainly hadn't told them. He cared too much about her, and he was afraid of how his elders would react if they ever found out about these things.

He imagined that most of them would react as Jeanne did, though Ted didn't understand it. Evey was not an abomination, she was a bloody miracle. She may be the one thing that would at last unite Wolves and Ancients, instead of dividing them for no reason.

He'd tried to explain his point of view to Alice, since she was a tad more open-minded than her 'daughter', and less likely to scratch his eyes out, but the Irish woman, though she had no quarrel with Evey, also believed that the girl was an abnormality rather than a blessing, and certainly not an opportunity for peace-making. Alice didn't believe in a rapprochement between Wolves and Ancients; very few of them did, and these few didn't dare speak their mind. For the most part, they simply didn't see the point in the unification of their two races.

Live and let live, so to speak.

"She's a better person than any of us," Ted muttered, though that sort of argument was lost on Jeanne, whose definition of a 'good person' didn't fit in any dictionary.

Jeanne scoffed loudly. "Well, that's just fucking super. Let's all become friends and make her our united ruler."

That was precisely Ted's idea, but no one would accept it, Evey least of all. "I won't say anything about Tony's idiotic...plan," Ted said wearily, abandoning their previous topic of conversation. "But once again, I feel obligated to remind you: do not kill Greyback under any circumstances. You may think that I'm making empty threats here, and perhaps you're right. You could probably take me in an unfair fight. But Evey's death would crush the fledgling's heart, and believe me, you would live to regret that."

"He already hates me," Jeanne murmured. "It's not like I have anything to lose." He heard her move, and her scent quickly receded. It wasn't the first time she'd fled a verbal fight with Ted.

Ted turned his head, to the spot where Greyback had stood a few minutes earlier. He still had no idea how this would end. He'd conjured many different scenarios in his head, but no matter how optimistic he tried to be about it, he couldn't see how Evey would make it out alive.

If they killed Greyback, Evey would die. If they somehow managed to capture him, Ted wouldn't put it past the cub to constantly harm himself in order to make Evey suffer for it, possibly for eternity. Or until she decided to put an end to it.

His worst fear was that Greyback – devious, evil heir of Grigori that he was – would go on a murder spree in order to root Evey out of the manor, and then she would be recaptured, and gods knew how that would turn out. Did the cub really mean to attempt to make her his…queen, whatever that meant? Evey would never stand for it. She would likely kill herself if she was recaptured, knowing what awaited her. Ted was the only one who knew exactly what had happened during her captivity; he knew that Greyback had tried to rape her, which had led to Evey transforming into a werewolf for the first time and Greyback fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs. Perhaps Ted ought to reassure Tony on that subject, but it wasn't his place to reveal what Evey obviously wanted to keep secret. And he couldn't tell her about what Greyback had just told Tony.

It was quite the conundrum. That was why Ted didn't like keeping secrets. Honesty, in his opinion, no matter how harsh the truth, was always the best policy, in the long run.

Not for the first time, Jeanne watched as the hybrid strolled toward the woods, all alone. How easy it would be to end it all. Indeed, why should Jeanne risk her life to kill Greyback, when all she had to do was kill the defenceless girl instead?

Ted's words about the suffering it would cause Antonin echoed in her mind, but the fledgling already despised her. Even if she had to leave and never come back, never see him again, Jeanne believed it would be worth it, if it meant that Antonin was safe.

And yet she hesitated.

The girl was turning into that strange beast again, her Animagus. It was as bizarre and grotesque as the girl herself – a fitting match.

Jeanne knew that she could kill the girl in that form or any other. She wasn't trained to fight Ancients; she didn't have the necessary strength or rapidity to even try, even as a werewolf. It would be so fucking easy.

Antonin walked out of the garage as Jeanne stood there, indecisive for the first time in her life. He couldn't see her, and she made no sound, but he probably suspected that she was never far from him. She'd caught him staring right at her several times, frowning, but he'd never said anything. He obviously didn't want to speak to her. He'd forsaken her. If he could have banished her from the estate, or even from this thrice-cursed island, he would have.

So why no kill the hybrid? Jeanne asked herself for the hundredth time. Antonin was already lost to her, and if she didn't have him, she had nothing. She would save his life, save a lot of people's lives, if she killed the girl, and Greyback with her.

No one would ever thank her for it, but was it not worth it?

Jeanne stood there, motionless, invisible to all, pondering the girl's future, and her own.