(A/N): Hey Guys! So, here's the next chapter. I'm running out of names for the chapters, so just... bare with me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

Elaine gaped at Brooke, shocked and outraged, and everything remained silent for a moment as I moved to put myself between two of my closest friends. "Damsel..." She didn't reply, instead choosing to launch herself at Brooke. "Really?!" I growled as I caught her around the waist, holding her off the ground with ease. "What did you think was going to happen?" She struggled furiously, but to no avail.

"Leo, let her go," Brooke ordered, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Like hell!"

Elaine dug her elbow into my chest repeatedly, but I barely felt it- I wasn't sure if it was intentional, or an unintended result of her struggling, but I figured I deserved it either way. "She wants to fight me, let her fight me!" Elaine snarled like a particularly angry wolf, tugging at my arm to try to get free, and I couldn't help but admire her ferocity, even though it was incredibly frustrating to have it turned against me like this.

"No."

"Why not let them fight?" Remus asked, still sitting slightly stunned, and I half-glared at him.

"You know I can't do that."

Brooke had moved forward a bit, only just out of Elaine's reach as if to taunt her further, and Remus stood slowly as if finally coming to the realisation that I might need some assistance with this whole thing- if not physically, then emotionally. "Why not?" Brooke asked rhetorically, and I looked back at her over my shoulder, rather than relying on my blood sense like I had been doing, in order to better get my point across.

"Because you'd win," Brooke paused, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I can't let you hurt her."

Elaine stopped fighting, her breath coming out in puffs against my neck. "Veela genes make you stronger?" She panted, and I nodded.

"The night I attacked Brooke-" All three winced. "When I attacked her, she was able to push me back. Just a little, but I had enough control left to keep moving back." Brooke's gaze fell, and I lowered Elaine slowly to the floor. "Are you good, now?" She hesitated, avoiding my eyes, but after a second, she nodded.

"Sorry." I had half a second to feel confused before she lunged at Brooke once more, and landed a good hard slap across her cheek. I went to grab her again, but she only knocked my hands out of the way. "Stop it. That's all I wanted to do." Brooke's face was red, though her left cheek was a darker hue due to the slap.

"You... You little-!"

I rolled my eyes as she rather predictably pounced at Elaine, snagging both of her wrists in one hand and dragging her towards the doors. "I'll calm her down, you guys go back to the others." Remus nodded, and I saw him slip his hand into Elaine's as I closed the door behind us. Good, at least someone was taking care of it- taking care of her.

"Let me go!" She protested, attempting to struggle against my one-handed restraint of her wrists, and I snorted almost more in disbelief than anything else.

"As if I would, after all that." She abruptly dug her heels in, stopping in her tracks, and I turned to face her more fully.

"What are you going to do now, huh smart guy?"

I rolled my eyes at her and slipped my arm behind her knees, repositioning my arm around her back to keep her arms restrained, and lifted her easily off the ground. "That," I said simply, before continuing to walk.

"I'm sorry I attacked your girlfriend, Leo," She muttered as we exited the castle a short while later, the only other sounds being that of the snow crunching beneath my shoes, and the cold wind howling past us.

"She's not my girlfriend," I objected, albeit without much enthusiasm, and after taking a seat on the step outside the entrance hall doors, I let her go.

"Not yet." I turned to look at her, raising one eyebrow. "Oh please, we all know it's going to happen."

I frowned, looking forward again. "It can't." She stared at me, lips pursed. "If we ever became more than friends, I'd be putting her in danger." I paused for a second. "Even more so than now." She smiled sadly, nodding.

"I have seen you in action, Leo- You'll gain control as you get older, I'm sure." I returned her smile and grabbed her hand again, this time to connect, rather than control.

"God, I hope so."

She leaned in slowly, resting her forehead against mine. "I'll leave it up to you to decide if-" I cut her off, pressing my lips against hers briefly.

"Never leave things up to me, I make terrible decisions."

She huffed a quiet laugh, planting a kiss of her own on my lips. "It isn't me you should be kissing."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Stop it." She grinned at me.

"You know I'm right. No matter how much danger it puts her in, she won't care. As long as she's with you, none of that will matter." I turned my head to avoid her all too knowing gaze.

"I'd do anything for her- you know that as well as I do."

Brooke made her eyes widen for dramatic effect, and she nodded sharply. "Oh, I do, I really do." I waved her off, trying to force back a blush.

"Shush." She shrugged, smirking.

"I'm just saying, you make it pretty obvious that you like her."

I sighed, resting my head in my hands. "She's my best friend Brooke, I can't lose her. I can't."

(A/N): So, what did you think?

More chapters to come!

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

This chapter has had edits made to it on 23/3/24 - formatting, and reconfiguring of sentences so they make more sense. Added Leo saying he wasn't sure whether Elaine's elbowing wasn't intentional or not, but that he felt like he deserved it either way. Added Leo admiring Elaine's ferocity. Added Leo saying that Remus stood because he realised that Leo might need emotional assistance, if not physical. Added Leo saying he'd been using blood sense to 'see' Brooke, since I said he turns to face her a little later, and he probably wouldn't know what she'd been doing before then if he had neither been looking at her nor using his blood sense. Added Leo line about Remus slipping his hand into Elaine's, the 'at least someone's taking care of her', one. Changed Leo saying, 'You alright now?' to 'Are you good, now?' Changed Leo saying 'Like that'll happen!' to 'As if I would, after all that.' Added Leo's line about taking Brooke hand again, 'this time to connect, rather than to control', because even if he was only technically restraining her to keep Elaine safe and keep her and Brooke from fighting (which would hurt them both), it left a bit of a sour taste in Leo's mouth, hence why he said 'control' rather than 'restrain' or anything else more neutral. Changed Leo's 'Shut up' to a 'Shush', because I feel like Leo would want to be a bit more gentle with her (both in general, and right now). Added the italics for emphasis on that last 'I can't.'