The next few days were excruciating as Brody waited for the moment when all three sisters would be out of the house. Never before had he wished so vehemently for a demon attack. His head felt cloudy and muddled; the only thing he knew for sure was that he had to get Leo on his own. His plans for what he'd do when that finally happened changed from hour to hour, even minute to minute.

He was having those dreams nightly now. Always the Avatars, always Leo, always the longing and the humiliation. And always he'd wake up, burning red and sticky with shame. He tried to avoid analysing the dreams, tried to keep busy enough to avoid thinking about them at all. Instead of spending evenings alone in his apartment, poring over old books, he'd started seeing Paige every night, hoping she'd distract him from uncomfortable thoughts of Leo. This had been working reasonably well, consciously if not subconsciously, until the previous night, when Paige had invited him to dinner at the manor. Brody had been grateful for the chance of a change of scenery, to get out of his oppressive apartment. So after work he'd driven to the manor, for once just thinking about Paige – what they'd have for dinner (probably takeout, since Paige had confessed to him her lack of culinary skills), and what they'd do after – maybe go for a walk or rent a movie. He was sure she'd ask him to stay over…

He was mulling this over as he pulled up to the manor and parked. He picked up the bottle of wine he'd brought with him and walked up the steps to the house, imagining what Paige might be wearing. He was sure she'd make quite an effort for their romantic evening together. The door was open as usual, so he walked straight in, calling "Hello?" as he did. Nothing could have prepared him for what came next. Right there, right in front of him, leaning against the living room door, stood Leo.

Brody gasped. He couldn't feel his legs. His stomach lurched. His grip on the wine loosened and it slipped out of his hand and fell towards the floor, where it was frozen at the last minute by Piper, who'd just walked out of the kitchen.

"Ah, Agent Brody. Clearly you think I haven't got enough on my plate, what with demon vanquishings, running P3, raising two boys and cooking your dinner."

Brody tore his gaze away from Leo who was looking straight back into Brody's eyes quizzically.

"Piper… I'm… God, I'm sorry. It must've slipped." he stammered.

"Well, no harm done. You're lucky I'm one multitasking witch." said Piper with a dry smile. "Grab that wine and come on through. Looks like you could do with a drink. Paige is upstairs getting ready."

He did as she said. He forced himself not to look back at Leo, knowing the Avatar would still be staring at him with that questioning look on his face.

*

Brody tried to compose himself as they all sat around the table for dinner. The sisters were chattering away but he didn't hear a word of it. He stared down at his plate. The food there had gone almost untouched; every time he tried to force down a forkful he got another jolt through his gut and he had to fight the urge to throw up. Still, it hadn't stopped him from drinking. He was on his third glass of wine already, and they were only on appetizers. He tried to focus his attention on Paige, who was sitting next to him wearing a fitted, low-cut red top. Her hair was up, and a few stray wisps framed her face. She was smiling, and touching him lightly on the arm. She's pretty, he thought. Your pretty girlfriend. You're a lucky man. And as if to emphasise this to himself, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The warmth and softness reassured him, and he began to feel slightly more like himself.

"So, Kyle. You've been a little quiet tonight. Everything okay?" It was Phoebe. He looked up, sensed the whole table waiting for his reply. He tried to focus all his attention on Phoebe, but something in him drew his glance like a magnet to Phoebe's right, where Leo was sitting. The two men's gazes met. Just for a second, but Brody felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He opened his mouth, knowing that the silence was becoming uncomfortable. But when he tried to talk, all that came out was air. To cover it up, he faked a small coughing fit and downed another half glass of wine.

"Agent Brody? Kyle? Y'ok?" asked Piper.

He felt Paige kick him sharply on the shin under the table. "Um, yeah, sure. Sorry."

"You aren't… you aren't still mad at Leo are you?" she asked, frowning at the idea. "I mean, I thought we were all cool about the Avatars now. You saw for yourself, they didn't have anything to do with your parents' death. They're not evil. Right, hun?"

"Of course we're not." Leo's voice seemed to vibrate deeply through Brody's body.

"No, he's not mad. We've talked about this. Haven't we? Kyle? I said, haven't we?" Paige sounded like she was getting a little mad herself.

Brody nodded his head soundlessly.

"Sorry Leo. He's been a bit distracted recently, but I promise it's got nothing to do with you" said Paige, with a palpable lack of conviction.

"Sure, I understand" said Leo, who was once more holding Brody's gaze. Brody couldn't have looked away if his life had depended on it. What felt like rage was coursing through his body. He couldn't believe that Leo could sit there so calm and angelic. How was he able to play the good guy and fool the girls so convincingly? It seemed like only he, Brody, could see what was behind those serene hazel eyes and that soft smile. Evil. He could see evil.

Suddenly, Brody's attention was drawn to a feeling of tightness in his lap, and he realised in horror that he was hard. He moved a napkin over himself and wished fervently for the night to end.