Disclaimer: I don't own Bloodlines.

A/N: Okay, so the summary of this one is: Neil comes back after visiting Olive at Court (you know, after he got the tattoo), and he won't shut-up about how brave Olive is, and Zoe gets jealous. There is no real Zeil moments, just jealous Zoe really.

Jealousy:

Sydney, Adrian Ivashkov, and Neil have returned from Court. They came back last night, and I haven't really spoken to Sydney since. Except to tell her how brave she was to stand being around all those horrible, bloodthirsty vampires. It wasn't a lie on my part, I was still terrified of the creatures, I just happened to have a soft spot for one of them in particular... Neil. So that is why I nearly lost it when he wouldn't shut-up about some other girl...

"Oh, you should totally meet Olive," Neil said cheerfully, a big change in his usual neutral behaviour. He didn't even get this happy when he was talking about training, his supposedly most favourite thing in the world. It instantly made me jealous.

"Should we?" I said, as Jill, Eddie and Angeline gave me a startled look. It seemed that before today, it was an unspoken rule that I did not talk or associate myself with them without Sydney, and with Sydney it was usually on business matters.

"Oh yes," Neil answered enthusiastically. "She is so brave - she'll do anything to support the cause of destroying Strigoi."

I nodded in agreement, sarcastically of course, not that they knew that. "Of course, wouldn't all of us though? It is an important matter that hopefully will be resolved soon. It would really help us Alchemists too - lighten our work load."

"Yeah, yeah," Neil nodded. "But Olive is just so dedicated from day one. Ever since they explained it to her, before they took her blood, and she had just been brought back, she didn't hesitate to help." Neil sighed, the kind of sigh that made me want to reach over the table and strangle him. Why couldn't he like me?

"Well I should hope so, we wouldn't want to think that any of her Strigoi tendencies were still there. That would be disastrous." I cut in snidely. "Not that poor guy a few months ago, what was his name... Lee O' Donahue?" As the words came out of my mouth, something in Jill's face twisted, and Eddie put an arm around her shoulders. Oh yes... Sydney had informed me that Jill had dated Lee before he revealed his true, sadistic self. Poor girl, her own fault really for dating someone she hardly knew. Especially one significantly older than her.

"What is wrong with you Zoe?" Neil snapped. "Olive is a really good person. Just because you are too narrow minded to see it." I felt like throwing what little lunch I had actually ordered at him.

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to go on. And he did, much to my surprise.

"You are in no position to judge. You think that we are all evil creatures of the night, when we aren't actually that different at all. You forget that we all have a common enemy: Strigoi. That we have a common goal: to not let humans know of our existence. All you Alchemists are the same, and you can hardly think for yourselves." He paused, and I thought that he was finished, but he was only taking a deep breath.

"And then there are the personal issues," he continued. "You, and your sister, hardly eat. You both are practically anorexic. You have no social lives and devote yourselves to work, even if you don't need to. Do you know what you are wasting? I would love to be able to have some time for myself. You are always ever so eager to please, yet you insult everyone who doesn't meet your standards-" I couldn't listen to anymore of his idiotic rant. I stood up and started to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going! I'm not even near finished!" He yelled angrily after me, but I didn't turn around, I just kept walking ahead. And soon enough I found myself locked into the girls bathroom, crying over Neil's harsh, but true, words, his obvious admiration and infatuation over Olive, and the fact that Neil wouldn't like me back ever.

Being an Alchemist wasn't as fun as it seemed.

A/N: Okay, so this was only a fun-sized one, but the point is strong. Neil notices all these things about her, and argues with her about them because he cares :)

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