Disclaimer: I don't own Bloodlines.

A/N: This oneshot is dedicated to rainy (guest). She is absolutely amazing, she doesn't have to, but she still always reviews on my stories :)

Was anyone else totally disappointed about Zoe's lack of appearance in Silver Shadows? I was. I guess this means that Zeil is always going to be an uncanon pairing :( Stupid Olive...

I tried tweeting Richelle Mead about the prospect of Zeil, but she didn't answer. I tried twice and I'm going to try again. If anyone has a Twitter account I would really appreciate it if you helped me out.

Protector:

The gang was at Clarence's house and they were all staring around awkwardly. Sydney had forgotten to pick up some takeaway on the way because she was stressing about something or other, and Zoe had volunteered to pick it up. The only thing was that she was a minor and she needed a legal driver to go with her incase she got pulled over by the police. Sydney couldn't go, someone had to stay here with the "bloodthirsty creatures" but Neil suspected that she just didn't want to accompany her sister today. It seemed that they were fighting... again. Angeline and Zoe didn't get on, and Angeline was a minor herself anyway, as was Jill. Adrian couldn't be trusted because, well... he was Adrian. So only Eddie and Neil were left, and they were both staring at each other. Eddie was the most trustworthy, but Neil seemed to be the one that was nominated. Jill was cringing in a corner as Neil and Eddie both used her as an excuse to stay.

"I have to stay and protect the princess - it is my duty." Neil said, glaring at Eddie. He didn't actually mind Zoe all that much when she wasn't whining about the amount of fat in food, or freezing in fear of Jill, but he didn't see why Eddie was deemed the first and foremost protector of Jill. It was Neil's mission too, and anyway, wasn't there rumours that he had failed to protect her that time of the attack?

"It's my duty too," Eddie mimicked Neil's fading English accent childishly. "I was on this mission first - you are just back-up." Eddie was just saying any excuse that sounded passable into his head. He didn't like Zoe - she was nothing like Sydney, and although he doubted that she would bother him much in a car ride, he would much rather be admiring Jill in the distance. He was going to be selfish for once, he may not be able to be with someone of Jill's status, but he could love her from afar without her knowing.

"Just go one of you, I'm starving!" Adrian exclaimed, entering the sitting room from feeding off Dorothy.

"You just fed!" Zoe spat at Adrian in disgust, as Jill decided that now was a great moment to run out of the room and get some blood - hopefully when she came back Zoe and Neil, or Zoe and Eddie were gone. She didn't like when they fought, it gave her a headache, and right now she was starving. And Adrian wasn't exactly helping that.

"Yeah, well I think that I can fit in a little more. You want to be on the menu, mini Sage?" Adrian answered, quirking an eyebrow. Zoe opened her mouth furiously, about to say something, but Sydney got there first.

"Adrian!" She snapped. "Apologise to my sister! And you two," she faced Eddie and Neil. "Make up your mind about who is going or I swear that what happens next won't be pretty..." she threatened, looking exhausted and furious all at the same time.

Neil felt guilty, all that Sydney did for them, and when it came down to one of them to do something for her, they all argued about it and refused to do it... "I'll go," he muttered, looking at the floor. He heard Sydney sigh in relief as she handed the car keys to Zoe. He did like Zoe, but as he said before, Jill would have to come first.

"Be careful..." she warned, but Zoe just rolled her eyes.

"Let's go!" Zoe called over to Neil, jingling the keys around. "I'm hungry."

. . .

Zoe had told Neil to stay in the car as she walked down to the takeaway shop and got the food. Neil had no idea how she was going to carry everything though, especially the distance... all the parking spaces were full and it was a five minute walk to the nearest takeaway. So he did what all Guardians would have done. He followed her in the distance. He liked Zoe, and so he was going to help her and offer his services. That's how he managed to see it and interrupt before any real damage was done.

Zoe didn't dress her age, she dressed like a business women, taking after Sydney's style. Unfortunately it didn't look as good on her as it did on Sydney. Although her face betrayed her real age, that was no help when you were looking from the side or from the back. She looked like she had money, and quite a bit of it.

As she walking innocently down the street someone dressed in a navy tracksuit, hood pulled up, ran into her and gave her a hug. Zoe, startled, stood there in shock until he pulled away - with her handbag and started to run off. He liked Zoe, but she was really naive at times. Neil would have laughed at the scene before him if the situation hadn't been so serious.

He ran past Zoe, ignoring her startled shout as she realised that he had followed her, or really, stalked her. He ran after the guy who had mugged Zoe, and unfortunately for the mugger, Neil was much faster and had a lot more stamina. He caught up to the guy easily enough, and leapt onto his back, making the mugger keel over from his weight. He pinned him down and rolled him around so that he was lying on his back. He grabbed the handbag and punched the mugger hard in the face.

"That one is for the lady that you mugged," he growled angrily, and then he had to restrain himself from decking the guy again. The mugger didn't reply, he was simply too scared from being caught.

A man nearby had called the police, thinking that it was some kind of gangster fight on the streets. The mugger got arrested after Neil explained himself and Zoe came running up.

"Your handbag," Neil told her, handing it to her. She took it gratefully. "They want you to go down to the station to make a statement."

Zoe shook her head. "The Alchemist's will handle it. Thanks for getting my handbag back." And she hugged Neil tightly. He was in too much shock to do much, wondering if she was trying the mugging methods that she had learned today, out on him. She pulled back, embarrassed.

"That, um, takeaway," she said, beginning to walk away, her cheeks pink and her voice tight.

"Yeah, forgot about that. We should, err, probably get it before the others go mad." He answered, looking at the ground.

He liked Zoe, he really did. But perhaps a little too much.

A/N: Feel free to request a oneshot through review or PM :) Leave a review anyway telling me if you are liking the oneshots so far.