(A/N): We're back with Lisbet, Leo and Jerremyah in 1975.


Lisbet

Leo was quiet. I mean, he was usually pretty quiet, but he was especially quiet now, as he was clearly trying to come to terms with what Jerremyah had said. It was equal parts emotional and practical- and unfortunately, I still thought that the practical side of it was what Leo was having an easier side absorbing. A lot easier time.

Then, he lifted his head- a question in his eyes as he met Jerremyah's. Apparently he'd been on the verge of voicing it, since he'd opened his mouth and everything- but then he paused, and suddenly looked incredibly self-conscious. I wanted to speak, to ask him what was wrong, but Jerremyah was waiting patiently, so I figured that I might have more luck doing the same... and I was right. Eventually, Leo gave in. He pulled his teeth from where he'd been worrying his bottom lip, and opened his mouth again- this time much more hesitantly.

"But..." There were a few more seconds of silence, as though he was hoping Jerremyah or I would cut him off with a question of our own. When we didn't, he forged on with a small wince. "But what if it does?" Jerremyah tilted his head to the side.

"What if what does what?" It sounded a bit funny, him saying 'what' so many times in quick succession, but clearly he'd decided that in this particular case, it would be more beneficial to speak up and ask a question, rather than wait for Leo to elaborate on his own.

"What if... the vampire does take over my veela side?" Jerremyah opened his mouth, but in a rare turn of events, Leo cut him off by continuing to expand on the subject. "There's never- as far as we know, there's never really been someone like me before. A hybrid of this specific nature. What if it's entirely possible for my vampiric nature to supersede the part of me that's currently veela? What if it can change me, all the way down to my very genetics?" Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that Jerremyah seemed to be genuinely considering this theory, but somehow, I still was.

"Well," He said slowly, as if he'd just finished the final draft of his reply in his head. "I suppose you'd probably be a full-blooded vampire." Leo flinched, but oddly enough, Jerremyah seemed inclined to ignore it completely. "You'd be the same amount of vampire as the rest of us, without having been- turned." I knew his brief pause was because he'd been about to say 'bitten', but then he'd remembered that I had bitten Leo, the first time we met. "I assume your reaction to that would be much the same as your reaction to becoming immortal via the change, so it's sort of a moot point, isn't it?"

For a second, all Leo did was stare at him. Then, he nodded in a way that I could unfortunately only describe as 'dumbly'. It just felt thoughtless- like his head was somewhere else entirely. "I... suppose..." He murmured, and Jerremyah shrugged.

"Does this have anything to do with how you told me you'd feel like- like you'd lose part of yourself, if you became immortal?" Leo blinked- and honestly, I was surprised that Jerremyah was being so forward about this whole thing, but again, maybe I shouldn't have been. 'Forward' was kind of Jerremyah's thing, after all.

"I... maybe?" Leo sounded genuinely bewildered, and Jerremyah let him sit with it for a minute, until he'd gathered his thoughts. "Maybe I feel like..." He kept his eyes down, which was immediately worrying. "Like I'm already losing part of myself." ...oh. Yeah. Definitely worrying. "Not- I phrased that wrong." Oh, thank God- "Like I'm at risk of losing part of myself." That wasn't better!

I pressed a kiss to his cheek bone, and I felt him flush against my lips as I did so. "Is there... anything we can do to help?" I hesitated to offer, only because I was worried that he wouldn't respond well to it- but since Jerremyah hadn't done anything to deter me, I figured it was okay. Or at least, that he didn't think it was the worst idea in the world.

"Honestly," Leo said, and I perked up, because he was answering. He was responding- and even if it turned out badly, at least he hadn't frozen, or gone blank. "I have no idea." ...well.

"Is there anything more you can tell us? So we can figure out whether there's something we can offer you?" Leo was quiet for a second, but I knew by the way he'd tilted his head to the side, he was considering my request.

"I- it's- well... as you know, I'm not exactly... I don't really confront my feelings, if I can help it." Jerremyah and I nodded for different reasons- me, because I agreed that I knew this, and Jerremyah because he could relate to that particular sentiment. "I guess it's just... it's hard for me to adapt. Things keep changing, and I don't know how to handle it." Oh, Leo...

"Because..." Jerremyah hesitated, glancing at me, but I wasn't sure what he wanted from me- and then he continued, anyway. "Because of your father?" Oh. It made sense now, why he'd looked to me. He and Nicholai had had a... fraught relationship, so of course he was worried about how this all might come across.

"...I mean, that didn't help." Leo said, and I saw Jerremyah's eyebrows furrow.

"'Didn't help'- meaning there are other elements at play?" I may not have picked up on it- or at least, Leo may have managed to distract me before I'd gotten around to asking- but Jerremyah had jumped on it like it was a new feather bed.

Leo shrugged, grimacing slightly. "Of course there are other elements. Every time I start getting used to things, my world is turned upside down. Sometimes it's good, but usually..." He trailed off, and Jerremyah nodded again.

"Do you think," Now it was Jerremyah's turn to pause, like he was reconsidering whether he should continue with this particular line of thought. In the end, he winced, but pushed onward. "Do you think there's a connection between things continually changing, and you changing?" Leo froze, which- not good. "I asked earlier, if you felt like maybe you didn't know yourself very well- because you're so young. Do you think this is contributing to that? But also... do you think that the fact that things are changing, is making you feel like you, yourself, are changing?" Leo blinked- which meant he wasn't frozen anymore, at least.

"...I... what?" Jerremyah gave him a second to try to parse this out, but it clearly didn't help, because Leo just continued to blink at him.

"Do you think-" Leo cut him off.

"I'm having a little trouble with that right now, actually." The corner of Jerremyah's lips quirked up slightly.

"Do you- how do you feel?" I knew he probably meant 'how do you feel about what I asked', but either Leo didn't know that, or simply didn't care.

"Confused, mostly. A little lost- in this conversation, and in general. To answer your question, probably. There's- everything's connected, isn't it? Maybe not in any of the ways you expect, but nothing exists in a vacuum." That wasn't an answer, and yet... it was more of an answer than I'd expected from him.

"Okay," Jerremyah said, and I was slightly confused as to why he seemed to be retreating, before he continued. "Alright. I understand that you're overwhelmed-" Oh. Oh, that's what that was? "-we don't have to talk about this now- or ever, if you can't- or don't want to- but I just thought I'd ask. In case it might help."

Leo hesitated for a second, and I felt a fraction of tension slip from his shoulders as Jerremyah gave him a way out of this conversation. "I- I'll- I'll take that... under advisement." He said. Then, he opened his mouth again. "Thank you. Thank you for- for looking out for me, and... and thank you for... for thinking of me."


(A/N): Lisbet: *looks to Jerremyah for advice*

Jerremyah: *looks to Lisbet for advice*

Leo: *doesn't look at anyone, because eye contact is HARD*

also

Leo: *is overwhelmed*

Jerremyah: *seeing he's overwhelmed*

Lisbet: *is oblivious*

Jerremyah: 'Huh. That's rare- usually WE'RE the ones that're oblivious.'

Leo: 'Hm? Who's what, now?'

Jerremyah: '...don't worry about it.'

Vale773: Thank you for your review! You cheered me up a bit. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! To be honest, I ship Leo and Remus a little bit too, but I have (romantic) plans for Remus down the line, that (mostly) don't involve Leo.