(A/N): Hey Guys! So, two days till I leave for Canberra guys! Woo!

FLUFF

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

I arrived back at the Ellwood Estate a little later than I normally would have- because even though Mia was light, her trunk wasn't, and I was already tired.

As soon as I reached the front door, I set her down, dropping the trunk at her feet.

"Make yourself at home." Even I could hear how hollow my voice was. "Don't mind the vampires." I said, and the first thing I did was lock myself in my bedrooms en suite bathroom with a change of clothes, turning the shower up as hot as it would go. I stripped out of my blood soaked clothing as steam started to pour out of the shower, and threw them in the waste basket next to the sink- they were undoubtedly un-salvageable.

I blew out a breath as the warm steam licked at my skin, and that was all the reprieve I allowed myself before I ducked under the spray. It burned, but somehow I barely felt it- hmm, perhaps I was numb, and shouldn't have turned the shower up as high as I did, I was likely boiling my skin off. I turned the temperature down a fraction, and reached for the soap.

I couldn't bring myself to care that I should be using other products, running the soap over my face and hair, and then the rest of my body in an attempt to scrub all remnants of the night off of my body. I could still smell the blood- I stopped my scrubbing, and looked down at my body. There was no blood. I had washed every square inch of my body three times- if the smell was real, and not just in my head, scrubbing more or harder wasn't going to remove it from me.

Much more carefully than I needed to, I set the soap back on its holder, and after making sure all the suds were rinsed off of me, I forced myself to turn the shower off.

I could have stayed in there another hour- two hours, three. I didn't want to face the world outside these steamed up walls, but if I didn't leave now, I feared I would never be able to.

I slid open the shower curtain, and stared down at the floor of the bathroom, somehow finding it within myself to feel dumb that I hadn't remembered to put the bath mat down before I had tried to drown myself in the shower. Once I had managed to lay it on the floor, I stepped out onto it, and yanked my towel from its nearby rack in order to set about drying myself. As soon as I was satisfied that I wouldn't be dripping water anywhere, I threw the towel back on the rack, and set about getting dressed.

I didn't bother trying to brush my hair, and when I stepped out into my bedroom, Mia popped up from where she must have been sitting on my bed to wait for me.

"Leo, what's going on?" She asked in a whisper, and I froze, somehow still unprepared to answer such a question.

"He didn't tell you?" Lisbet inquired from the doorway, and Mia whirled around to face her.

"Tell me what?" I felt their eyes on me, but I didn't respond, deciding instead to occupy myself by double checking that my shoes were tied.

"His father was killed, just earlier." I flinched, and a second later, dodged Mia's outstretched hand as I took a step.

"Leo?" She asked quietly. "Where are you going?" I pursed my lips, thinking for a second.

"Elaine's unguarded. I'll go there." She reached out a hand again, but I was already gone.

I forced myself to concentrate all the way to Elaine's house, not wanting to zone out, and think about my dad.

It was getting pretty late, about nine o'clock at night, and I didn't bother doing my normal routine of waiting, simply scaling the side of the house and tapping on her window.

It took her a minute to open it, having to get up, and she looked confused.

"Leo?" She asked in a whisper, obviously not wanting to alert her mother or brother to my presence.

"Hey." I could hear my voice shaking, and clearly so could she, because her eyes widened in concern.

"Leo, what's wrong?" I took in a shuddering breath, forced a smile and shook my head.

"It's nothing major. I just... needed to see you." Her expression softened, and she opened the window wider.

"Get in here." Immediately, I obeyed. With barely a thought, I was standing beside her.

"I don't want to talk about it." I warned, and she smiled gently.

"I know you don't." She said, dragging me to sit on the end of the bed. "Just tell me what you need." I picked at the edges of the bed's covers.

"Hold me." My face was flushed, and I felt her surprise, but she complied, just like I knew she would.

She wrapped her slender arms around me and I pulled her closer, into my lap, resting my chin on top of her head- I hoped she couldn't smell the blood the way I still could.

After a few minutes she pulled away to look up at me.

"Are you going to be okay?" I considered it for a second before shaking my head.

"No. I'm not." She pulled me down as she lay back, forcing my head onto her chest as she kissed my temple.

"You will be. I'll make sure." She whispered into my hair, and I felt tears start falling from my eyes, forcing myself to keep silent.

"I don't think even you can make this right Elaine." I said, and she pulled back.

"Don't cry..." She murmured, mouth gaping a little as she brushed the tears away.

"S'not my fault." I mumbled, and she pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

"Oh, Leo... Of course it's not, baby."

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Aw, my babies are so cuteeeee!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

This chapter has had substantial edits made to it on 31/12/22 - Added in Leo taking a shower before going to see Elaine, so he isn't covered in blood like he was when he went to see Cipicia. I totally glossed over the fact that he would have been all bloody when I originally wrote this chapter.