(A/N): We're back with Lisbet, Leo, Jerremyah, Greygorry, Jo, and Danniel. This chapter is mostly the previous Ellwood Clan chapter, but from Lisbet's POV. There's more beyond that, though, and we hear about what happened while Leo was unaware, since obviously, Lisbet IS aware.

Trigger Warnings: Obviously, Leo dissociates again, but this time we see it from the outside.

Lisbet

Something had happened to Leo. I couldn't be sure what it was, exactly, but almost immediately after he'd buried his face in the small of Jerremyah's back- almost immediately after I'd called him 'cub', so similar to what I really wanted to call him- I'd come to the realisation that he was no longer... present. It didn't worry me too much- at least, I wasn't worried that he was in any sort of physical danger- but I wasn't certain what I should do about it. In the end, I did very little- it was mostly Jerremyah, and Greygorry, who did all the work.

I thought the Twins hadn't noticed, at first, until I saw the quiet concern on their faces, right before Grey went into overdrive organising the initial stages of our training session- the one Leo had wanted, but was now no longer aware enough to appreciate. Jerremyah, on the other hand, set to talking... about nothing, really. Nothing of consequence, anyway. He kept his voice quiet and steady, likely just trying to be a familiar, comforting sound for Leo to latch onto whenever he came back- and wherever he may be currently- as though he was trying to make up for his lack of a heartbeat by creating a sort of similar natural metronomic sensation. He also wrapped both his arms more securely around Leo's legs, once he recognised that trying to get our boy to release his waist in order to hold hands wasn't going to be an option. Not unless Jerremyah wanted to break his arms- which he most certainly didn't.

Greygorry guided me into sparring with Jo, who silently refused to go easy on me- probably because they both knew I could use the distraction right now, and Danniel was, at his core, a big softie. We went on like that for a while- ten, maybe twenty minutes had passed since Leo had disappeared, his heartbeat plonking awkwardly the whole time as though it didn't know what to do with this situation, either- before suddenly, it was clear I think to all of us that he was back. He'd returned, without ever really having left, and we all breathed a collective- silent- sigh of relief.

Jerremyah had been talking about food preservation techniques... or something like that, and then Leo's heartbeat had stopped plonking and started beating purposefully again, if just as uneven as ever. I felt him turn his head and open an eye- both felt, and smelt, his confusion, albeit interlaced with something I would only hesitate to describe as contentment because I didn't want to put words in his mouth. Or, well- emotions in his mouth, anyway. Then, Jerremyah addressed him directly, and I felt him jolt slightly.

I faltered at this, concerned by his reaction, and Jo took full advantage of my distraction, body checking me into Greygorry's shoulder before I managed to bounce off him, returning my attention- and my body- to the fight. I felt Leo's cheeks flush, and I knew the others were all monitoring him, too, because Jo and Danniel were just as affected by this as I was. Grey didn't show it, but I could tell he was relieved, too- though I still didn't know whether that was just for Jerremyah and I's sake, or whether he actually had a bit of a soft spot for Leo.

He pulled his face away from Jerremyah's back and spoke for the first time since I'd cut him off earlier. "No. I- I'm- I'm good." He clearly struggled to get the words out, then, for whatever reason, seemed frustrated with himself for it. Jerremyah shrugged and asked whether Leo thought being vertical would help- I know he'd probably been far more worried than he'd let on about leaving Leo dangling over his shoulder, but it wasn't like he'd had much choice, considering the vice grip our kit had on his waist. "I- Yeah, maybe." He didn't sound very sure of his answer, but Jerremyah took him at his word- for the most part. Instead of putting Leo down, he swung him around his body, and pulled him close to his chest in a way that was oddly reminiscent of... well, of when my father used to carry me to my bed after I fell asleep in front of the fire, when we were both still alive. "What- What-"

Jerremyah shrugged again, and said, "Five seconds ago you were unresponsive-" It was at least a minute or two, now. "-if you want standing privileges, you're going to have to prove to me that you aren't going to keel over the second I put you on your feet." It was obvious that he was joking- even, I suspected, to Leo- but it still made my heart creak in my chest. Maybe Leo felt similarly, because he took a long look at Jerremyah's face- which was looking down at him properly, for once- and burrowed his head into Jerremyah's shoulder, despite the way his face turned red as he did so.

"I'll let you know when I'm capable of getting by without you, 'myah." Oh. I knew how my mate felt about that particular nickname, so I wasn't surprised when he tightened his grip on our boy minutely. Honestly, I was impressed that he hadn't done more; been more obvious. It was a weighty statement, even if we both knew Leo didn't really mean it that way. "Might be a while, though." Oh, only about one hundred and twenty years or so, hopefully. If we got really, really lucky, and he actually wanted what we wanted. It felt like far too short of a span, but if there was a choice between that and the time remaining before his sixteenth birthday... I'd take the century any day. As, I knew, would Jerremyah.

Apparently, I must have been looking at my mate and kit a little too covetously, because Grey held up a hand, bringing our doubles sparring match to an end in an instant. "Right, I think that's enough of this particular exercise for now," He said, angling his head slowly and every so slightly in Leo's direction while making eye contact with me; it was clear permission to take my leave, without verbalising it or otherwise making it obvious to Leo. He turned back to the Twins, who were both far too focused on Leo to pay close enough attention to the older vampire. "You're both quite good," He told them, and while Danniel looked surprised and pleased, Jo merely looked suspicious. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from those trained by Nicholai, but..." He shrugged. "I've been disappointed before."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at such a backhanded compliment. "Grey, they're too young to be able to parse your ridiculous tome of subtext- be more direct when you want to congratulate them, like you were to Evie." He shot me a sideways glance that was absolutely withering. "Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but try to be nice. You know how to do that, right?" A dry look followed the withering one.

"I know how," He confirmed, then sobered slightly, shifting uncomfortably- almost nervously. "I... I suppose I should practice, for if I meet- I wasn't... the nicest to her, the last time we met." Right, Dahrya- I saw big, bright blue eyes peer over Jerremyah's knit clad shoulder.

"Something to add, N- Leo?" I'd been about to call him Nounours again, but given how he'd reacted to being called cub- if that's what had set him off- I thought it was best to lay off the terms of endearment, at least for the time being. God knows I wouldn't be able to keep it up forever.

His head popped up a little further, his chin hooking over that same shoulder, and I saw his frown- a travesty, for sure, but was it one that I had caused? "I- I wanted to warn Greygorry that Dahrya won't be nice to him, no matter how nice he is to her- she's a rather... abrasive person, at the best of times." Hm, I thought, shooting Greygorry a weighty glance that earned me a scowl in return. I wonder where she might have gotten that from? "I- Did I-?" He hesitated, and when I turned my full attention back to him, I saw the concern on his face- saw Jerremyah pull him closer, in response. "Did I do something... wrong?"

Oh. Oh. Oh, Leo...

(A/N): Traffic stats were broken momentarily but have since been fixed again, and I finished writing the chapter for next year's anniversary a few days ago, and the one after, so I only have to write one more chapter to be a year ahead, and then from that point on I should only need to write one chapter per week to STAY a year ahead. Will I stop there? Probably not, but that's the goal.