(A/N): Lisbet, Jerremyah and Greygorry continue talking, and they discuss Greygorry's sire, Sidonie, in more depth.

Lisbet

After making it clear to Greygorry that whether or not I became more to Leo than just- well, I don't think there was a word for the role I was currently playing, so I guess 'aunt' would do- was entirely in Leo's hands, we moved on to the next most pressing issue. Which was, predictably, Greygorry's relationship with his sire.

"So, Grey..." I glanced in Jerremyah's direction, and he immediately came to attention, clearly recognising my tone. Unfortunately, so did Greygorry.

"Putain de merde, casse-couilles absolu!" I smirked at him.

"Je pensais que tu aimais ça, parfois." Greygorry rolled his eyes at me, even as Jerremyah huffed out a laugh as he came to stand beside me. Obviously, he had gotten the message that we were supposed to be presenting a united front- maybe I should have felt bad for ganging up on Grey, but considering he had the willpower of at least two people, it was unfortunately necessary. Besides, he and I ganged up on Jerremyah all the time- although, that was in a very different context, and he certainly never seemed to mind.

"Get on with it." So, when he wanted to ask us uncomfortable questions it was fine, but the second the tables were turned, he got all cranky about it? I never knew Greygorry to be such a hypocrite.

"Okay." Jerremyah said simply, shrugging as he wore a grin. "Does your mistress know you're here?" Grey grimaced- I knew it wasn't the word 'mistress' that rankled him, but the way that Jerremyah said it. When Greygorry called Sidonie his Maîtresse, he meant the feminine version of Maître- Master. When Jerremyah called her 'mistress', he referred to their sexual relationship- which Greygorry usually didn't appreciate.

"Ma Maîtresse-" The sharp look he speared Jerremyah with only made the older man flash him a particularly toothy smirk. "Est bien au courant de mon congé." The way he phrased it- 'my leave'- made me feel like maybe he didn't intend to leave Sidonie's side permanently. He was still calling her Maîtresse, but that didn't mean anything- I strongly suspected he would refer to her as such until the day he died- or, well, died again. Hopefully not by Sidonie's hand, this time.

"Is she aware of who you're leaving her to join up with?" It was a pointed question- and it would have meant two different things depending on whether it was Jerremyah, or I, asking. Jerremyah would have meant whether Sidonie knew Greygorry was here for him and I- but because it came from me, Grey knew what I was really asking, and hesitated accordingly.

"It's not like I could keep it from her." Concerned fury welled up from within me before Greygorry continued speaking. "It's not like Leo's existence is some well kept secret, Lis- even in France, people know about the half vampire, part veela hybrid." Panic, and soul deep, bone aching dread filled my chest. "Sidonie's done her best to keep things under control, but... even she can only do so much." And why was Sidonie trying to keep things under control? What did it mean to her, whether Leo lived or died? Certainly not what it meant to me.

"And what benefit does it serve Sidonie to keep Leo from being overrun by every fanged Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to take a shot at him?" Jerremyah snapped out, and I felt my heart flutter with genuine fear at the thought of Leo, a teenage boy- my teenage boy- surrounded by a group of much older, much stronger vampires.

"I told you-" Jerremyah cut Grey off, which he didn't usually do in serious situations. In casual conversation, and in jest, yes, but not when Grey had something important he wanted to say.

"You said Sidonie was, 'doing her best to keep things under control'- but keeping things under control could be easily solved by taking out that half vampire, part veela hybrid-" He braced a hand on my shoulder, like he could tell just how much I needed it- and he probably could, considering I felt like I might be shaking. "But clearly, since Leo is still alive, and the only attempts on his life have come from family members, Sidonie isn't taking that route. So," He said, squaring up to Greygorry in a way I had never seen him come even remotely close to in the past. "What. Benefit. Is it. To. Sidonie?" Grey glanced at me, past Jerremyah's shoulder, wide eyed and nervous, and it made awful thoughts fly through my head.

Maybe Sidonie had heard that Leo was growing up to be a handsome young man, and coupled with his veela genes, she wanted to offer him a place in her harem. It didn't seem Sidonie's style, but I had seen much better people do much worse things in my lifetime.

Maybe, she thought she could keep him alive for now, only to be able to offer him as a prize later- a lamb to slaughter, so to speak. This also didn't seem like something Sidonie would do- the only 'prizes' she had ever offered that I knew of were of a sexual nature, and everyone involved had always been more than willing to participate.

Or maybe... Maybe she thought, if she protected him now- gave him a chance to properly develop that uncanny strength of his- then maybe, someday, she could cash in that favor. Her own little soldier, bound to her service by virtue of protection he hadn't even asked for. This, out of the three options, sounded the most like the Sidonie I knew.

"It's of no benefit to Sidonie to protect Leo." Greygorry said quietly, and Jerremyah put a hand on his chest, clearly getting ready to try to intimidate him further.

"Get talking-" I cut him off, putting my hand on his shoulder this time.

"Ease up, Jer. We're all friends, here." I eyed Greygorry pointedly, and he seemed rather chagrined.

"Sidonie is the reason I was hired to train Leo during the school year." What was the opposite of reassuring? Whatever it is, that's how Greygorry's statement made me feel.

"And why does Sidonie care whether Leo had someone to train him? Especially when he's not at home?" My theory of her wanting a soldier wasn't getting blown out of the water like I had hoped it would.

"She doesn't. Well- him being trained does mean it would be harder for other vampires to kill him, so I suppose there's that, but... It was more about... placing someone close to him. To keep an eye on him." Jerremyah scowled at our old friend, but I could only bring myself to grimace.

"And is that what you've been doing, Grey? Keeping an eye on him?" Jerremyah sniped, and Greygorry looked pained by his reaction.

"I've been... I've been trying my best." For whatever reason, this is what set Jerremyah off.

"Your best? Your best?!" I squeezed his shoulder.

"Jer-" He cut me off, almost shrugging my hand off his shoulder- two things he had also never done before.

"You're doing your best to spy on a teenager, whose only 'crime' was being born to-" He cut himself off, grinding his teeth. "A psychopathic half-veela, and a vampire with poor emotional control." That was the gentlest way he could have put it, but Greygorry still winced- probably at the perceived insult to Nicholai.

"'Spying' is a bit strong-" Jerremyah cut him off again, but Greygorry had given up on looking surprised.

"But it's true, isn't it? You've been taking information about Leo back to Sidonie, haven't you?" The fact that Greygorry's eyes darted in my direction practically screamed his confirmation in and of itself.

"I only did as she asked me to do." I felt sick to my stomach. "Sidonie's interest is not the only reason I took the job, however- Nicholai was my..." His face screwed up. "...Friend? We didn't really talk about it. Maybe 'associate' would be more fitting. Either way, we got along well, and when Sidonie told me that the half-breed child everyone was making a fuss over was Nicholai's, I... volunteered to take the placement." His gaze softened, and he made eye contact with both of us, flipping back and forth between us. "She didn't tell me that you were involved, Lis- She knew I wouldn't have taken it if I knew, and I have the feeling I was her... preferred 'agent'." Well... at least he hadn't gone into it knowing who Leo was to me- if we were to believe him.

I had never had any reason to doubt Grey before- not his loyalty, or in general- and I knew Jerremyah never had either- It was a truly disturbing feeling.

"You didn't answer the question." Jerremyah prodded- not quite snapping anymore, but still clearly unhappy with the other man. What question hadn't Grey answered? All of the grim possibilities floating around in my head must truly be clouding my brain if I couldn't remember off the top of my head.

"Because you're not asking the right questions." My eyebrows furrowed- I didn't know what the 'right question' was, but I knew what I wanted- what I needed- the answer to.

"Why is Sidonie trying to keep Leo alive?" The corner of Grey's lips quirked up, like he was proud of me for thinking to ask that particular question.

"Because she made a promise- and Sidonie always keeps her promises."

(A/N): Jerremyah: *getting ready to fist fight Greygorry to the death*

Greygorry: *trying not to die*

Lisbet: *panic spiraling, and trying to keep her boyfriend from killing his boyfriend*

Translations:

Putain de merde, casse-couilles absolu! = Bloody hell, you absolute ball breaker! (alternatively, putain de merde can mean 'holy shit' and casse-couilles can mean 'ball buster' instead of 'bloody hell' and 'ball breaker' respectively. Not that there's anything respectful in those phrases, but... shrug.)

Je pensais que tu aimais ça, parfois. = I thought you liked that, sometimes.

Ma Maîtresse- Est bien au courant de mon congé. = My Mistress- Is well aware of my leave.

Also, I refer to Jerremyah as 'the older man' because he IS older- but Greygorry looks older. Jerremyah was turned when he was 26, and Greygorry when he was 29. Lisbet was 25.