(A/N): Part two, and I would just like to inform you that these DORKS both had matching chapters that were so incredibly close in length. Elaine's was 14 pages and six and a half lines, and Leo's was 14 pages and eleven and a half lines. He had five extra lines, and I guarantee you every single one of them was about how much he adores Elaine.

Leo

I knew it was a dream immediately. Not only because I vividly remembered going to bed at home- remembered Lisbet and Jerremyah wishing me goodnight and her accompanying forehead kiss, before they left me to fall asleep while they talked to Greygorry- but also because things were... odd.

I was in the boys' dormitory, which was normal enough. Lily and the other boys were horsing around in the open center of the room- well, James and Sirius were horsing around, Lily, Remus, and Peter were mostly just watching- while I was laying on my back, on my bed. What was odd, however, was the fact that my entire view of things- my vision in general- wasn't as clear as usual.

Everything was ever so slightly blurry, and the room was a little dark- like someone had only turned on half the lights. The colors were less vibrant, and even if I could've already confirmed that by looking at the curtains of my bed, what really cemented it for me was what I could see out of the corner of my eye; one of my favorite sights in the world: the top of Elaine's curls, as she rested her head on my shoulder. Except... they were a different color. Or, shade, I guess? They were still brown, just... not what I was used to.

My dreams were never like this- blurry and dull, not the fact I was with my friends. Most of my dreams had my friends in them, even if they weren't the main focus; they were a huge part of my life, after all, and I loved them all dearly, but... more often than not, they did share a particularly commonality: the fact that I was off to one side. Sometimes, like now, Elaine was with me- and a few times Remus had come to visit- but usually... I was alone.

I preferred to be alone- not because I liked it, but because I knew if I was away from them, they were in less danger. I was less of a danger to them. But still, I absolutely adored these moments where Elaine broke those barriers- even if they weren't technically real. It felt real enough, and they were based on the way I saw her- the way I knew she would act, if given the choice- which is one of the reasons I loved it. Loved her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius smack James across the face with a pillow, and he barked out a laugh that brought a grin to my face, as the feathers exploded as if they were shot out of a canon. I don't know why they were so fast, but assuming it was some weird quirk of the dream, I buried my face in Elaine's hair and sighed happily. "I miss this," I told her, and it took me a second to realise why I felt like something was missing.

I couldn't feel her. It wasn't that I always could feel people in my dreams- with my Blood Sense, I mean- but typically when I couldn't use my Blood Sense, I didn't notice I couldn't; it just never crossed my mind. But I was definitely missing it now, and things were dull, blurry, and dark- not to mention weirdly fast. What was I, human?

"I miss you," She said firmly, which- while realistic, made me think maybe I was getting a little too full of myself, inspired by my clan members' recent compliments. Did I think Elaine missed me right now, considering we hadn't seen each other since the start of Christmas break? Yes. Did I also think that my subconscious making her tell me that in a dream was pushing it a bit? Again, yes.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, but the automatic smile that had bloomed on my lips slipped into a frown as I took a deep breath in through my nose, and realised I couldn't smell her, either. My eyes drifted back to our friends, and I decided to try to satisfy my curiosity- and to interrogate my intentions, I guess, since technically I was asking a figment of my own imagination solidified into an Elaine-shaped package. My favorite shape. "What are you doing over here?"

She didn't answer right away- maybe my brain was determining the best way to respond? I don't know. "Where else would I be?" What sort of answer was that? There were so many other places she could be, even just within this room, so why was she- why was I- it didn't make sense.

"With them," I told her, because that's where she belonged. With our friends, or with her family- not cloistered away, with me. "You should be with them, enjoying yourself." That was what I wanted, for my friends to be happy- and above all, for Elaine to be happy. Happy, and, "Safe." Which she could never be with me, at least not entirely.

She didn't seem happy about this, her body tensing, but she didn't do much more than that for the time being. "But I want to be with you," Brain. Brain, please. It was honestly scary that I couldn't tell the difference between what was something Elaine would really say, and what my subconscious was fantasizing into existence. "Leo, why can't I look at you?" Oh.

Had I- could she tell that I was- no. No, this wasn't real. This was a very weird dream, and while I always enjoyed spending time with Elaine, I hated the fact that my brain was forcing me to confront certain things. Things I really didn't want to confront. "I... I don't know. Did I do something wrong?" I knew there were countless things for her to be upset with me for, but which was this? Or... was this something I was currently unaware of?

"I mean physically look at you. As in, I can't seem to turn my head in your direction- do you know why?" I felt my eyebrows furrow as I took that in. She couldn't turn her head? Why? What possible purpose could that serve? Unless...

A chill crept over me, and I forced myself to blink as hard as I could, multiple times in a row. When nothing happened, I assumed either my little trick to try to wake myself up wasn't working, or... I wasn't the one dreaming. Was that possible? Could I be in Elaine's dream, right now? Was that why things were so odd, and I didn't have my Blood Sense? And if so, did that mean... I wasn't real? I'd thought I was imagining Elaine, but was the reality that she was imagining me?

I suppose there was only one way to find out- asking. "Elaine... is this mine, or... yours?" Things were further muddled, when she rose up on her elbows in order to be able to see my face. Hadn't she just said she couldn't do that? Her face went slack, her eyes widening, and as I stared into them, I found myself shocked by two things- one, the horror in them, and two, the fact that they looked vastly different to what I knew.

I knew Elaine's eyes like the back of my hand- and loved them to an infinite magnitude- those warm brown irises with a darker brown ring, and those lovely subtle green flecks. Right now, they were just... brown. I couldn't see the flecks at all, and the difference in colors was almost impossible for me to discern- it made me incredibly sad to be looking into her eyes, without looking into her eyes. If this was Elaine's dream and not mine, then... was this how she saw herself? Could she not... see herself, the way I saw her? Was she physically incapable of doing so? If so... that was heartbreaking. To me, and probably in general. I wouldn't be surprised if I found out strangers wept at such a concept.

"Leo- what- what's- what are you-?"

I felt myself shake my head, but I wasn't sure whether I'd chosen to do so, or whether something was guiding my actions. "Don't worry," I said, which- in hindsight, I knew would invariably put her on edge. "I have a plan." I do? "You're not going to like it, though." That described most of my plans in general, but what- the only 'plan' I thought I had at the moment, was... oh. Oh. Oh, God, it'd better not be that plan...

"...what sort of plan?" She asked, and I looked at the others over her shoulder, to make sure they weren't eavesdropping. If this was going the way I thought it was going, then things were about to go downhill fast- and even if they weren't eavesdropping... well, I had the feeling Elaine's reaction wasn't going to be quiet- in terms of volume, and emotion.

I jerked my head to the side to gesture her closer, and when she leaned in, I put my mouth to her ear. It was supremely weird not to be practically drowning in her scent when I was this close to her, and I could barely feel her curls tickling my face- the world seemed set on robbing me of every opportunity for joy, at this particular moment. I opened my mouth, and I was overwhelmed with the oddly familiar feeling of something creeping up the back of my throat. "I'm going to make him drain you dry- and you should know that he's going to revel in it."

...what. The Hell. Was that? Elaine reeled back, and I couldn't blame her- I'm sure her shock and horror were both mirrored on my own face. I certainly felt horrified- sickened, disgusted, revolted. "Elaine, what- what was that? What was that?" Even I could hear how shaky my voice was, but I couldn't control it- didn't even try, because if this was a dream it didn't matter, and if it wasn't... it was Elaine.

She opened her mouth, but what came out wasn't- I knew what it was almost instantly, and it was half the context, and half hearing it in her voice, that made it so terrible. "I've already laid a hand on him, where I knew none of you could stop me- King's Cross." Once again, I had to question whose dream this was- because Elaine shouldn't know those words, but I thought if this were really my dream, the words would've come out a lot harsher; crueler. More like the way she'd acted while under Maloney's trance, back in second year. As it was, she looked even more horrified than before, which fit more with the Elaine I knew so well.

"I was going to make you slaughter your little friends," It was almost worse in her voice than Jonothan's- Jonothan only won because I knew he meant it, and because of what he'd done... after. "And then, in your last moment of stunning clarity, pitch yourself off the astronomy tower." Elaine's face was just as horrified as ever, but now it was also quite sad, and pained.

There may have been nothing I could do about what Jonothan had made me do while under the influence of Spharmus, but I could still protect her now- for the most part, anyway. "Elaine-" She cut me off, which I suppose I should've expected. Unfortunately, there was only so much 'protecting' I could do, if she refused to let me- which I suppose is the sentiment Lisbet had been trying to instill in me.

"No." I blinked. "No, you listen to me, Leo- it's okay." No, it absolutely was not 'okay'- but before I had the chance to set the record straight, she pressed a kiss to my forehead. "It's okay, because I won't let you hurt anyone." She was staring into my eyes, and it felt intimate- albeit less intimate than normal, since I was nowhere near as likely to get lost in her eyes, now. I don't know how she didn't understand that I was dangerous, and if I wanted to- even if I didn't- hurt someone, there was nothing she could do to stop me. "I won't let you hurt anyone, because I know if you do, you'll never forgive yourself- and the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy."

Oh, Elaine... at least this argument was based on me- on her feelings for me, rather than either of our abilities. Whether she could realistically do anything about it or not, she was still going to try, because she loved me. She loved me. "Elaine..." She leaned down again, and this time, she kissed me on the lips. It was only when she pulled back, that I noticed things were back to normal. Well, for the most part.

The world was back to its regular, vibrant, bright self, and Elaine- her eyes had returned to the ones I loved above all else, and her curls... Oh. Oh, I'd almost forgotten how much I adored them. The color, the shine, the bounce- "Leo, what-" She paused for a second, and for a split second, I worried she'd caught me staring, but then I remembered she'd been catching me for almost five years, and most likely wasn't going to start making fun of me for it now. "What's with the chains?" The-

Oh. God. No. There was no- how could she- but I guess she hadn't known about Jonothan, either, so I don't suppose it was out of the question- and this dream, if that's even what it was, was really freaking weird, so maybe this was just... part of it. Maybe this was... normal? For this thing, anyway. "How- how do you-?" She cocked a brow at me wryly, which I guess I deserved. Then, she lowered her hand, and I felt an uncomfortable tug around my upper chest and shoulders. When I looked down- for the first time, I now realised- I was shocked to find myself wrapped in chains. Chains.

Chains. Oh, God! Oh, no- no, no, no! No, this couldn't be- it wasn't that sort of dream, was it? Things had been uncomfortable so far, not exactly the happiest dream I've ever had, but it wasn't- this didn't seem like- I don't know what it was. I don't know what changed, how I knew, but somehow, I did. It was exactly that kind of dream, and the last things I did while I still had the opportunity were to meet Elaine's eyes- possibly for the last time- and suck in and hold as deep a breath as I could.

The bed underneath me disappeared, and my last glimpse of Elaine before I fell was of her terrified face- please, please let that not be the last I see of her, please, she deserved better than that- wherever I ended up, on the other side of the bed, it was night time. I couldn't tell whether it'd been late when I was in the dorm room, too- maybe that was part of the reason it'd been dark to start with- but it was definitely night now, even if it wasn't anywhere as dark. Because I was falling backward- down, down, ever downward, toward... something, except maybe that 'something' wasn't as mysterious as I was trying to delude myself into thinking- I caught the exact moment Elaine broke through into this... area? Section? Place?

There was a moment where my own fear got overwritten; I saw the terror and despair on her face, and a fire flared to life in my chest. I wasn't sure what was happening- in so much as I didn't know whether this was her dream or mine, or even a dream at all- but I knew that I knew more than Elaine did, and her fear made me angry. Not- not her fear- I wasn't angry at her for being scared, but I was angry that something had made her scared. That I was part of the reason she was afraid.

The rage heated my insides so thoroughly that it took several second after I hit the water for the cold to penetrate my skin. I sunk beneath the surface, and I was glad I'd take that preparatory breath, because after the water flooded over my face, I didn't come back up for a long time. I looked for Elaine. Of course, I looked for Elaine. There was nothing else to look for, and even if there had been, I wouldn't have bothered. It was Elaine. The only thing I wanted to look at- the only thing I ever wanted to look at- was Elaine. Period. I didn't have to search very hard- even if I hadn't seen where she'd been in relation to me when we'd been falling, I would've been able to find her by the motion of the water, as she landed... and immediately started fighting her way toward me.

It was only at this point, watching her wade toward me through the haze of the water, that I realised I'd yet to reach the bottom of the lake, whereas Elaine was running across it as best she could. It struck me as odd- and then struck me across the face with fear, anxiety, and concern. There was no way it could mean anything good- there was no way any of this could be good, but the helplessness I was feeling... I'd felt helpless before- been feeling it almost all my life, to varying degrees- but this was... another level. I was chained, sinking, unable to breathe- unable to do anything to alleviate Elaine's fear, which was almost the worst part- if this was a dream, I didn't care about what was happening to me, but Elaine... I was becoming more and more convinced that either the answer was that we were in one of Elaine's horrible nightmares, or my subconscious was a giant masochist, because if I had any control whatsoever, there was no way Elaine would be involved. Not like this.

Suddenly, she was above me. I could see her almost perfectly through the water separating us, and when I got my first clear look at the horror on her face since I went under, I felt my entire body jerk in reaction- and as I saw her reach for me, I felt something grab me from behind. It didn't- it felt like hands, and arms, but... wrong. I knew immediately that this was incredibly dangerous thing that was happening to me- not just because there was something now holding me under the water, but because I knew this was... it wasn't just me, that was in danger.

I heard Elaine's voice calling my name, muffled and distorted by the water, and I saw her hands stop short before she could reach me, as if there was some sort of invisible barrier between us. She sounded incredibly anguished- scared and upset didn't even come close to cutting it- and even as I was relieved that the barrier keeping us apart would hopefully prevent whatever was pulling me under- whatever monster had its metaphorical as well as literal claws in me- from getting its hands on her, too, I couldn't help that I was ever so desperate to reach her.

I wasn't entirely sure what happened, whether Elaine had done something or I had- or maybe some secret third thing- but I met Elaine's eyes, my lungs burning, and a second later her hands hit my chest, through my shirt. I felt her pull me toward the surface, and the second she touched me, that sinister creature underneath me fell away... but for how long? As soon as I broke the surface, I sucked in breath after breath as Elaine littered little kisses around my face.

"Leo. Leo, Leo, Leo." She said my name like a prayer, and if I hadn't been so preoccupied with filling my lungs- to try to warn her- I probably would've done the same with hers. The problem was, I needed her full attention- and thankfully, since I didn't have any way of drawing said attention to me, she pulled back of her own accord to meet my eyes. "Leo-"

I cut her off. I hated doing it, because I loved her voice and knew this might be the last time I ever heard it, but I had to. I had to get her out of here. If that thing was still around, or if it came back and tried to take her from me- No. No, I wouldn't let that happen- but I was currently incapable of protecting her- of protecting myself- so there was only one thing I could do, to keep her safe.

"Run," I choked out, and I saw the confusion on her face. "Run!" I felt more than saw the water begin to churn around us, and if I could have, I would've pushed her away from me- although, if I could've pushed her away, I could've protected her... or at least tried to.

I felt a hand slip around the side of my neck, and icy claws dug into my throat. There was nothing I could do to fight back, and honestly, I was just relieved that it seemed to be leaving Elaine alone- so, I held my breath, and spent every last second I had roving my eyes across her face with the desperation of a starving man. The hand pulled me back, pulled me under, ripping me from Elaine's grip, and I heard her scream my name again.

I saw her try to reach for me, but something stopped her- hopefully that barrier, rather than anything else- but after a second, she was pulled backward bodily, away from me. I should've been worried; scared, but something about the sight was reassuring. As if somehow I knew that whatever was removing her, was only trying to help. To keep her safe. Apparently she didn't know that, though, because she fought this new invisible force with that very classic 'Elaine' ferocity.

She was screaming for me, screaming my name, but she was getting further away- quieter. I watched her float upward, toward wherever we'd fallen from, and even as I wished she wasn't so scared- that the last I saw of that lovely face wasn't horror, and the last she saw of me, wasn't... this- I was glad she was out of reach of whatever the monster dragging me down had in store. I tracked her until she disappeared, not just from view but in general, and as a wave of relief washed over me, I let my burning eyes slide shut.

My lungs ached, and when I felt my back hit the bottom for the first time, there was nothing but a kind of eerie calm. This is what it came down to- me, and the chains, and water. Just when I couldn't hold on any longer, I felt the ghost of a hand brushing my hair off of my forehead, and in the wake of that small gesture of kindness, I took that fateful breath.

(A/N): Leo: '(...) or my subconscious was a GIANT masochist, because if I had any control whatsoever, there was no way Elaine would be involved. Not like this.'

Leo: '(...) Elaine shouldn't know those words, but I thought if this were really MY dream, the words would've come out a lot harsher; crueler. More like the way she'd acted while under Maloney's trance, back in second year.'

also

Leo: *literally drowning*

Leo: 'Nothing matters but Elaine.'

So, a couple of things.

Leo's 'trick' for waking himself up from a nightmare is a trick I used to use when I had reoccurring nightmares when I was younger, about the black cat from Napoleon stalking me (yes, the dog movie). I would blink as hard as I could, three times in a row, and by the time I'd finished, I would be awake. Unfortunately, that trick stopped working for me as I got older (if I remember to do it now, it just doesn't work, and my brain goes 'huh, must not be a dream. My teeth must really be falling out, and I'm getting squashed between two mattresses by a crane. Makes sense.') I made Leo have this trick and not Elaine, because one, Leo knew it was a dream (for the most part) and Elaine didn't, and Elaine has a history of trouble with really vivid dreams.

Second thing, yes. Leo starts off the dream by saying that things are dull, dark and blurry (and weirdly fast) because he's experiencing the dream from Elaine's perspective, and as such, like a human. The dream later switches more toward his perspective, which is why he says things go back to normal, and at the same point, Elaine says they get more vivid and bright- because she is also seeing things through his perspective. I don't think I've mentioned this explicitly, but vampires see things differently than humans (as hinted at by their brains being adapted to their speed and senses, stuff like that) but Leo, being a half-vampire (and especially a half-vampire, quarter-veela) has what you might call a... unique outlook on life. Does that mean that Leo sees everything, including the people in his life, differently to how they 'actually' look? AKA, differently to how most people see them, and how they most likely see themselves? Yes, absolutely.

So, when Leo says Elaine's eyes and hair look different, you might be wondering... would Leo still be as enamored with her if he saw her 'normally' (aka the way other people see her/the way she sees herself)? Yes. Yes, he would. I have no doubt about that- because he didn't fall in love with Elaine for her looks, he fell in love with her personality, and those characteristics became the things he loved about her. If she had blue eyes, he'd love her the same, if she had red hair, he'd love her the same. The words would be different, but he'd love her the same way. Just to clear that up. Oh, and another thing... I didn't mention it in the last chapter because Elaine was a bit distracted, but... Leo looks differently through his own eyes, which is why he doesn't understand why people think he's so attractive. Because to himself, he looks plain and dull, and everyone else looks bright and colorful. (Something to do with his vampire side being interested in other people, and not giving a shit about what HE looks like. It's unnecessary information, to the vampire brain.)

Chapter titles for this chapter, the last chapter, and the next chapter, are all from Evanescence's 'Going Under'. The next chapter, which I haven't even BEGUN writing.