(A/N): We're back in 1966 with Evie and the rest, with her reaction to Khal saying that a stuck vampire would stay that way forever, unless someone put them out of their misery. We find out a little bit more about Lisbet and Jerremyah's story from Grey, and Nicholai makes Evie uncomfortable in various ways. On another note, can it even be considered foreshadowing if I just tell you outright how a future event is going to go down?

January 16th, 1966

Evie

...well. I'd say, 'that got dark quick', but I don't suppose it was ever 'light' to begin with. "Out... out of their misery?" I asked hesitantly, and Nicholai nodded.

"A mercy killing. Putting them down, so they're no longer suffering-"

"I know what it means." He blinked- was that surprise because I knew, or because I'd cut him off? "I just don't know... why, I guess. I mean, if it's permanent, then I suppose I understand, I just..." Minsi patted my hand in an obvious attempt to comfort me.

"Sometimes, when a werewolf gets too old, their wolf side can take over permanently. It's rare, but it happens- and when it does, we have to..." She trailed off, but we all knew what she was saying. "At that point, they're as much a threat to themselves as they are to the rest of us, and it isn't just the werewolf community at risk at that point, either." My eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" She winced, then tilted her head to the side.

"Well... Evie, did Lisbet or Jerremyah explain the Statute of Secrecy to you?" I hesitated, trying to search my memory for either of them using that phrase, but upon coming up blank, I shook my head. "No, I figured as much. Most witches and wizards view it as an unfortunate necessity, considering how muggles have reacted to us in the past, but it wasn't exactly possible for them to keep the existence of magic from you, given the circumstances. Even if they hadn't been endorsing your, er... rapid lifestyle change," What a way to put it! "They would've had to either Influence or Obliviate you into forgetting the magic they'd used, and we've already established that you expressed your desire for them not to do so." Because losing my memory, even just a tiny part of it, was a horrific concept.

Nicholai made a displeased sound from my other side. "They should have done it anyway," He snapped, but when I glared at him as hard as I could, his expression softened until he looked somewhat chagrined, if not quite embarrassed. "It's the law! If it got out that they hadn't- that they won't- and that you're still human? They would be in serious trouble!" I felt bad that my decision could possibly get them in trouble, but on the other hand, the thought of forgetting made me sick to my stomach. "Honestly! I would expect this of Yates, but Lisbet?" I glared at him again, entirely fed up with his and Jerremyah's petty little rivalry.

"Why?" I snapped in return. "Because you hate him?" Nicholai eyed me warily, but when he opened his mouth, it wasn't him that replied.

"Because Lisbet has personal experience with muggles who have a violent vendetta against magic." Grey explained, and I felt my eyebrows furrow of their own accord. What was that supposed to mean?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Grey sighed, crossing his arms over his chest at the question I suspect he'd expected.

"You know how people used to be burned at the stake for witchcraft?" Perplexed, I nodded. I mean, yeah? Didn't most people? He didn't say anything more, merely choosing to shrug rather pointedly.

"Don't shrug at me," I scolded on instinct. "A shrug isn't an answer- use your words, like a big boy." He blinked, angling his head so he could stare at me more directly. After a few seconds of just... staring at me, his face split into a grin.

"Wonders never cease," What- what? That wasn't- that was neither an answer, nor anything that even remotely made sense, given the context. "Lisbet was accused, found guilty, and sentenced to death," What?! "Jer and I got to her just in time, but the whole thing shook her a bit." Yeah, I bet!

I was reluctant to ask, but I had to. "And I assume... that would kill her?" Grey blinked, and then a small, sad smile spread across his lips.

"Would it kill you?" I mean... of course, but I wasn't a vampire. "This was... before." Before what? ...oh.

"She was human?" Grey nodded. "They tried to set her on fire?!" He winced.

"Technically, they succeeded." What?! "The bottom of her dress caught alight, before Jer managed to grab her. He put it out quickly enough that she wasn't injured- beyond what they'd already done to her-" Which was a very ominous statement to just throw in like that. "-but still. I can't imagine what must have been going through her mind." He was quiet for a second, clearly deep in thought. "We weren't friends at the time- we'd never even met. I'd heard a lot about her from Jer, and I was a little jealous, if I'm completely honest. She... she didn't know we were there. That anyone was coming to save her. She put on a brave face, but we could both smell her terror." I blinked.

"You can smell fear?" I asked almost without thinking, and Nuria snorted quietly from behind me. Oh, right- I'd forgotten what she'd said last night about smelling Lisbet's distress, and using it to figure out what had happened.

"Among other things." Nicholai said surprisingly pointedly, eyeing me almost... warily? Oh God, what had they been smelling from me?!

Suddenly, I was extremely aware of the fact that I hadn't had the opportunity to put on deodorant yet, this morning. "Right, well," I forced out awkwardly. "If you could just ignore every sort of smell I emit, from here on out- and forget any you may have noticed before now- I would be eternally grateful. Which, as vampires, is a time frame I'm sure you'll appreciate." Grey barked out a laugh.

"No deal," He said, and I felt my cheeks heat. "Best I can do is pretend." I rolled my eyes at him, and turned to Nicholai, hoping he'd be more obliging.

He was already making extremely direct eye contact. "I'm not very good at pretending." He said, and I sighed exasperatedly.

"I've noticed." His dark eyebrows furrowed, but he pushed past it.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about being aroused by us-" Oh, boy!

"I am not-" He arched an eyebrow at me, and it was almost as though the force of the blood rushing to my cheeks cut me off. "It's not very gentlemanly of you to mention it." I tried, but he shrugged more loosely than I would've previously thought him capable.

"I haven't been a gentleman for a long, long time- probably since the first time I knew I'd made a woman aroused, if I'm honest." Oh. My. God!

"You- stop talking." I turned back to Grey, who had somehow rapidly become the better- or at least less mortifying- option. "You, start." He snorted, looking endlessly amused with the situation Nicholai has seen fit to drag me into.

"So, Jerremyah went after her as though the flames weren't even there. In the end, he suffered more burns than she did, but of course, since he's a vampire, he healed quickly." I felt like I could breathe again, now that we were back on a safer subject. Safer for me, at least. "He could've died, going into that fire," He said, answering the question he knew I didn't want to ask. "He didn't care. He was already gone on her- I think something inside of him recognised her as his mate from the second he met her."

I thought back to what Lisbet had told me in the club, about her and Jerremyah being soulmates. "I thought mates were a long term thing? Like, they had to be together for a really long time, in order for it to take effect?" For whatever reason, from the corner of my eye, I saw that Nicholai looked vaguely uncomfortable. Good!

Grey nodded. "Usually, yes, you'd be correct- but sometimes, like with Lisbet and Jerremyah... it's almost like love at first sight." There was a shuffling noise from being the couch, and when I turned my head to look, Khal leaned against the back of it, with his arms braced on the top.

I stared at him for a second, took in the look on his face, and sighed. "You have something for me, don't you?" He nodded. "Am I going to understand it?" He considered this for a second, then shrugged. "Is this going to put you at risk?" He shook his head quickly, which made me a little suspicious, but when I narrowed my eyes at him, he huffed out a laugh.

"I'm not looking into the future, Evie. I've already seen it, this is just me offering commentary on it." Which didn't entirely make me feel better, but it did make me a little less worried that I'd be the thing to accidentally drive him insane. Whether or not I did it on purpose, however, was still up for debate.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to like that even less?" He grinned at me, and I sighed again. "Alright, hit me with it." He patted the back of the couch repeatedly and in quick succession, like he was trying to improvise his own drum roll in order to manufacture anticipation. Unfortunately, it was working.

"I'm not sure whether cupid shot your demigod with the arrow, or if you, our dear Evie... took the bow and shot him yourself." Oh. I... I wasn't sure what that meant- but apparently, Khal wasn't done. He leaned in close, grinning so widely that he looked a little deranged. "Either way..." He said in a whisper, as if he was telling me a secret- in a room full of vampires, who all had super hearing. "He got hit with the whole. Bloody. Quiver."

(A/N): Minsi: 'Even if they hadn't been endorsing your, er... rapid lifestyle change,'

Lisbet and Jerremyah: 'We want YOU, for vampirism!'

also

Nicholai: *snaps at Evie*

Evie: *glares at him*

Nicholai: 'Oh no! She's mad at me! But... but I'm RIGHT! It simply doesn't make sense!'

Evie: *snaps back at him*

Nicholai: *shocked pikachu face*

also

Grey: *shrugs*

Evie: 'A shrug isn't an answer- use your words, like a big boy.'

Grey: 'I... why do I feel like a school boy, being scolded for talking in class?'

Nicholai: 'I don't know, but I'm right there with you.'

Grey: 'And why is it kind of hot?'

Nicholai: 'That, I know the answer to. You're a freak.'

Nicholai: '...and apparently, so am I.'

also

Khal: 'Your future boyfriend is completely obsessed with you.'

Evie: 'As expected. I refuse settle for anything less.'

also

Me: 'Oh my God, what obvious foreshadowing, teehee!'

Me: *is using the 'obvious' foreshadowing to hide the much more 'subtle' foreshadowing*