(A/N): Accidentally deleted the finished version of this chapter when adjusting the chapter numbers to reflect the added special chapters, so... those author's notes are gone forever, along with any changes I made in the document editor. Ugh, why is there no undo button? Better yet, why can't I just edit the document name, without having to create the document all over again under a new name? It's SOOO DUMBBB. Basically, lots of exposition about Jerremyah's past, how he and Greygorry met, and how he and Lisbet met.

Also, with this chapter, there is now a chapter for every day of the year. Yay?

Jerremyah

"You said things were 'worse', without Lisbet- what does that mean, exactly?" Leo asked, and I hesitated.

"To understand how things deteriorated, first, you have to know the way things were before." He waved a hand at me, gesturing for me to continue. "Before I ever met Lisbet- before I met Grey, either- I was mostly on my own. Nuria is my sire, and we... we get along alright, but she's always preferred her solitary little existence. I checked in on her occasionally, after the first decade or so, where I was... 'learning the ropes', so to speak. Technically, I 'lived' with her, but... I was never there, really, and that's the way we both liked it." He frowned.

"So... what? You just... wandered?" I shrugged.

"What else was there to do? When you don't have to eat, or sleep, and you don't require shelter- at least not often- there's no real reason to stay in one place, because you don't have to work your whole life just to stay alive." Something crossed his face, but he didn't speak up, so I continued. "It was because of this wandering that I ended up in France. I'd heard rumor of a woman there, who-" I cut myself off, trying to figure out how to explain things with Sidonie without crossing any lines.

"Jerremyah." I perked up at his use of my name, said plainly- he was trying to tell me to cut the shit. "I won't tell Lisbet if you don't." The problem was, Lisbet wasn't the only one that wanted to keep him from... from having to grow up too soon.

"Still, I'm not entirely sure it's appropriate." He rolled his eyes at me.

"When has that ever stopped you?" When my mate or her kit where on the other end, apparently.

"Still, I-" He cut me off.

"I do have a girlfriend, you know- or, well, I did, up until recently, anyway." What was that supposed to mean?

"What's that supposed to mean?" He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Do you remember when you were hitting on Lisbet, and I was grossed out, and you said I wouldn't think it was that gross, 'in a few years'?" ...Yes...? "Well, I didn't think it was gross when it was Brooke, instead of my aunt." I was so distracted by him once again referring to Lisbet as his aunt, that I didn't grasp his meaning right away.

"What?" He just stared at me, until it hit me. I felt my eyebrows shoot up- Oh. Good for him! Did... did Lisbet... was she aware of this? Somehow, I doubted it. "Oh. That's- well-" I didn't know what to say, and Leo's lips quirked up, like he knew. "...You're being safe, aren't you?" Immediately, his expression became horrified, and he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Oh god... I shouldn't have said anything." Now, that wouldn't do.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed- it's completely natural." He groaned even louder. "It's not something I've had to worry about a lot- especially recently. Even when I did..." I considered trying to soften my language, but decided it would probably only make things worse. "...have sex with-" He jolted slightly, clearly surprised by my candidness. "-humans- human women, at least- Lisbet or Greygorry typically took care of it. They were the instigators of those encounters, anyway." Leo looked like he was surprised, but trying to hide it.

Most likely, if I was human, I might have been convinced, but as a vampire, I was naturally more observant- at least of physical cues- not to mention that his heart was an extremely useful way to reliably monitor his emotions, as well as the way his scent changed.

"...we're safe. When we're at school, we've both become quite proficient at casting those sorts of spells." ...'When we're at school'? So, they had had need of protection outside of school? The last time he had been home from school had been the summer- it couldn't have been before that, surely? He was only fifteen as it was, for gods sake! If there was a possibility of him sleeping with someone- Brooke or otherwise- then I needed to make sure I had protection to offer, just in case.

"Well... as long as you're being safe, I have nothing more to say about it... unless you want to-" He shook his head frantically, just like I thought he would.

"Nope! No thank you!" I pursed my lips, trying to smother my laugh- and hide my smile. "You said that Lisbet and Greygorry are the ones who initiate your encounters with humans- I wouldn't have expected that. Of you, or of them. I don't mean to-" He paused, clearly remembering that I had told him he couldn't offend me. "Is there a reason for that, that you're comfortable telling me?" I shrugged, flashing him a quick, half smirk.

"If I don't feel comfortable answering a question, I'll just tell you to fuck off." He jolted a little, before an almost blinding grin bloomed on his lips. "Having sex with other people is fun, but if it were only Lisbet and I for the rest of eternity, I would be perfectly content. But, variety is the spice of life. Greygorry is- was- our favorite, he's our best friend- both of ours best friend. He's the only person I fully trust with Lisbet- the only one I can truly let my guard down with, other than her." I paused. "Or, at least, I used to be able to trust him." I sighed, and hung my head.

"You said you went to France because you heard news about a woman there- it was Sidonie, wasn't it?" I hesitated- not because I was worried about exposing him to dirty language, but because I was concerned about affecting his opinion of- of Sidonie, yes, but most importantly, of Grey.

"...Yes, it was Sidonie. I heard rumors that there was a woman in France that had created her own harem- I thought maybe it could be fun." His eyebrows shot up at the term 'harem'- but there wasn't really any other word for it.

"You were going to join a harem because, 'you thought it could be fun?'" I shrugged again, and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Is there any other reason to join a harem?" He opened his mouth, paused, and then shut it again. "Grey isn't just our favorite- he's Sidonie's favorite, too. Her 'Favorite', as it were. It's a position that holds quite a bit of prestige- and one he values very highly. I suppose that's one of the reasons she chose to send him to... 'watch over you'." His eyebrows furrowed.

"So, because she likes him more than everyone else, she sent him away? That doesn't make much sense to me. Wait- is that what you meant when you said, 'Sidonie's new recruits'?" I nodded.

"From what Grey has told me, she's been taking on less and less new candidates over time- whether that's because it's rarer for someone to catch her eye, or because she's satisfied with her cast of men as it is, I'm not sure." His eyebrows rose.

"'Cast of men'? ...Just men?" I nodded again.

"Yeah, just men. Most vampires have little to no preference for who they sleep with, but some- like Sidonie, or Nuria- stick exclusively to one sex. Maybe they still experience attraction to the other, maybe they don't, but either way, they only actually sleep with one. Sidonie's harem is all men- attractive men, obviously. The quality of her subjects is renowned, and any event she organises is expected to be quite- well... provocative. Of course, this caught my attention, and I went to France to get a closer look." Leo looked like he wanted to roll his eyes.

"Of course you did." He said under his breath, and I felt the corner of my mouth twitch up.

"I'd been out on my own for eighty five years-" He blinked, and I shook my head. "Yes, I'm eighty two years older than Grey, and yes, it was eighty five years between me leaving my sire, and when I first met Grey. I'm probably off by a few months, one way or another, but that's my best estimate, just based on what year things happened." His face cleared up.

"What an odd coincidence, for those two numbers to be so close." I shrugged.

"Once again: Fate's little surprises." He pursed his lips, looking like he didn't know what to make of that. "When I got to see Sidonie's harem for myself, I was... interested. Her selection was... impressive. Still, I wasn't sold. Sidonie, by nature, demands certain things from those in her court- things I wasn't sure I was willing to give. Still, I knew I hadn't had any better options come up before then, and honestly... I was starting to become... disenchanted, I guess. My life before had had no meaning-" He winced. "-and my life after I was turned looked to be going the same way. And then... then, I met Grey." I felt myself smile, and didn't even bother trying to dampen it.

"And your life had purpose?" I huffed out a laugh at his question.

"Not exactly, but it was certainly a lot more fun." He quirked a smile to match my own. "Grey and I hit it off immediately. I think Sidonie was hoping that he would be able to convince me to join her, but... despite everything else... she's simply not my type. Beautiful, definitely, almost painfully so, and a will of forged iron, but just, so..." I eyed Leo, and he jolted, before his face split into a grin.

"She's blonde, isn't she?" I nodded gravely.

"Quite blonde, I'm afraid. More Grey's thing than mine, unfortunately." He bit his lip, clearly trying to quell his smile. "We went at it like rabbits- even let Sidonie watch sometimes, when she was interested. It's only fair, considering we were in her house." His eyebrow rose slowly, but he chose not to comment. "We traveled a bit, with Sidonie's permission, and we spent two decades nigh inseparable. The first time we parted ways for more than just a few weeks, was when I accepted an assignment from CJ- Jonothan's sire." He came to attention.

"The Hunter?" I nodded.

"Precisely. He'd heard rumblings that a certain church in Norwich- St Brigid's- might be the source of a sudden influx of holy water, saturating the Hunter's supply lines. He was already too involved with them, too notable- he needed someone who could get the job done and be willing to disappear for eighty years or so. But most of all, he needed someone who understood the inner most workings of the Church. Before I was put under the care of the cloth merchant, I spent the first few years of my life in or around a church- as a matter of fact, I was born in one." Leo snorted.

"What, and your skin didn't sizzle off instantly?" My eyebrows furrowed.

"I wasn't a vampire yet, and besides, crosses don't-" He cut me off.

"I meant because you're a dirty sinner." Oh. Well, that was fair, I guess.

"...My father was a priest, my mother, one of his parishioners-" Now, it was time for his eyebrows to furrow.

"Aren't priests not supposed to-" I cut him off, shrugging.

"It certainly didn't seem to stop the randy old bastard, in any case." His mouth clicked shut. "From what I know, my mother was thrown out by her parents for having a child out of wedlock, and she turned to my father- and the Church- for help. When he refused to take responsibility for her unborn child- for obvious reasons- she abandoned me there so she could start trying to build a new life for herself. Not long after, I was given to a wealthy family- the cloth merchant- to be raised until I could go out on my own. Or, at least, until I reached a certain age, anyway." Leo appeared saddened by this, and I knew it was because he was drawing similarities between our childhoods.

A child, born out of wedlock, is abandoned so that their mother can maintain- or fix- their own lifestyle. The difference was, Leo now had people who cared about him, who wanted to help him, and take care of him- and it had taken until long after my childhood had ended- along with my life- for me to be able to say the same.

"Most people were part of a church in those days- it's just what you had to do to be considered a good, 'respectable', person, and even if it hadn't been expected of me, I would have returned to the Church anyway. I was, naturally, curious about my father, and the vows he had forsaken, in the name of his own pleasure- so, I spent many years of my life involved in the Church, one way or another. Just trying to find some sort of understanding, but... I never could. When I finally got up the nerve to track down my father, ready to confront him- I learned he'd already been dead for several years. The ghosts of my past- my creation, anyway- had been laid to rest, and yet... there I stood. Completely, utterly alone, and... without purpose. So, I knew the Church pretty well. It had been decades since I had even set foot in one, but... things never really change all that much when it comes to religion. Honestly, I think CJ just picked me because I was charming, and he wanted me to stop distracting Grey, so Grey could start distracting Sidonie again." Leo snorted.

"You? Charming? I'd love to see that!" I shot him a dry look.

"Li-"

"Yeah, yeah, Lisbet thinks you're charming, I know." Good. I'd hate for him to forget something like that. "I think we've established that Lisbet has questionable taste- she's stuck with me this long, after all." I frowned.

"Lisbet's stuck with you because she loves you." He flushed slightly.

"...again, a questionable choice. If she ever develops a better sense of taste, you and I are both screwed." Me, more than you. Even if Lisbet and I weren't currently together, I could tell with absolute certainty that she was still attracted to me- something I hadn't been sure of before we had reunited. It was only if Lisbet became completely repulsed by me that I would no longer have any hope- and luckily, I knew we were still a long way from that possibility.

"When I got to St Brigid's, I was assigned a guide- a young novitiate- Lisbet." Leo's eyebrows furrowed.

"'Novitiate'?" He asked.

"Someone in training- in this case, to be... a nun." His mouth dropped open, and his eyebrows shot up.

"A- a nun?!" He spluttered. "Lisbet- Lisbet- was a nun?!" I shrugged.

"She was different back then. Maybe it was almost being burned at the stake that started it all." More spluttering.

"Burned at the stake?!" I shrugged.

"It's a long story."

(A/N): Jerremyah: 'I considered joining a harem.'

Leo: 'Who would ever do that?'

Jerremyah: 'And that's where I met Greygorry.'

Leo: * 0_o *

also

Jerremyah: 'Lisbet was a nun.'

Leo: '...Nope. No. Absolutely not.'

Jerremyah wouldn't actually tell Leo to fuck off, he'd just do his best to worm out of answering any question he REALLY didn't want to answer.

Randy = Horny.

So, as I mentioned in the edit to chapter 363, my math was off. I originally wrote that Jerremyah was '84 years older than Greygorry' AND that he'd 'been on his own for 84 years before meeting Greygorry', which Leo thought was an odd coincidence. Changing my math meant that the numbers changed from 84 and 84 to 82 and 85. I had a bit of trouble calculating the numbers, but here are the dates they're based on.

Jerremyah's birth - 1512. Nuria sires Jerremyah - 1538. Jerremyah leaves Nuria - 1548. Grey is born - 1594. Sidonie turns Grey - 1623. Lisbet is born - June 1631. Grey is with Sidonie for a decade before Jerremyah meets Grey - 1633. Grey and Jerremyah hang out for 'two decades' - 1653. Jerremyah meets Lisbet - soon before June, 1655. Jerremyah leaves Lisbet sometime after June 1655, but before the end of December, 1655. He returns sometime after June 1656, but before December 31st, 1656 (he left for a whole year). Jerremyah turns Lisbet - sometime between June 1656 and December 31st, 1656. Lisbet and Jerremyah get together some months later, which we know by their anniversary is January 15th, 1657.

I say things happened before or after June because that's when Lisbet's birthday is, and he said she was a certain age during certain events, so it would have to be before or after her birthday, respectively. So, she's 23 when they meet, but turns 24 soon after- which means they met just before June, 1655. He said he left for a whole year after his mission ended, which means that it must have been after June 1655 (because she was 24 when it happened), but before the end of December, 1655, because when he returns a year later, he turns her- and I have the year she was turned written down as 1656. Considering that the second part took at least at least a little time, and that turning someone into a vampire takes a few days, it also means that he must have returned at least a little while before December 31st, 1655, in order to have the time. She COULD technically have been changed any time between June 17th, 1655, and June 16th, 1656, in order to still be 25 years old when she was turned, but I had 1956 written down as the year she was turned, so I'm sticking to my guns and saying she completed her transformation before the end of the calendar year. There's also the problem that Jerremyah said she turned 24 'soon after' they met, and it's inferred that that's before their mission really took off, which means that he had to have left at least a LITTLE WHILE after her 24th birthday- because why else would he say she was 23 when they met, then turned 24 soon after, when it would be more accurate to say she turned 24 right before he left?

Anyway, as you can tell, I don't have proper dates worked out just yet.

Also, adding to the fact that this chapter originally got it's author's notes accidentally wiped, when I first wrote that whole thing, when I went to save it after I was finished, the browser crashed, and it only saved up to the paragraph with the dates in it- the 'Jerremyah's birth- 1512' one. So, I had to rewrite everything after that. Didn't take any chances this time, saved it every three words!