(A/N): We're back with Lisbet, Jerremyah, and Leo.

Lisbet

I sent Lawrence out with the rising sun, my reply to Elaine tied to his leg- or rather, Grey sent Lawrence out, since I was currently unable to move. Grey also provided the stationery, while Jerremyah graciously let me use his shoulder to brace the parchment on- the shoulder Leo's head wasn't lolled against, that is. We'd summoned Grey with a whisper after we'd lowered the silencing charm; after we were completely sure Leo was fast asleep, and he'd opened the door so slowly and quietly that it was as though he expected something to jump out at him- like an apex predator, or maybe, two enraged vampires, if he accidentally woke the boy in our arms.

It'd taken a while for Leo to become comfortable enough to start nodding off, and I'm sure Jerremyah and I would've literally held our breath rather than just figuratively, if we didn't suspect that it was something soothing to him. It was one of the rare times where I wished I had a heartbeat, just so the steady rhythm could lull him to sleep- like the most natural metronome in the world. There was nothing to it; if we'd been human, then maybe- no. I think even then, we would've stayed as still as possible, for the love of our little one. The boy who, somehow, miraculously, trusted us enough to fall asleep in our arms, even after what was clearly an extremely distressing nightmare.

Jerremyah and I were casually still- aka, we didn't move, but we made sure not be rigid, lest we give Leo an uncomfortable place to rest- and we spent the entire time alternating between gazing down at him lovingly, and looking at each other, almost incredulously. I think we both agreed that neither of us expected to end up here- not when Jerremyah had pulled us both into his lap; not when he'd first come here to join the clan, and especially not when we'd broken up. And we really hadn't expected Leo to wake up briefly, crack an eye open enough to take us both in, then swap his head to Jerremyah's other shoulder, and promptly fall back asleep.

From that point, it was at least another hour before he woke up for real, and by then the sun was well and truly in the sky- and threatening to break through the barrier of the thick royal blue drapes currently covering Leo's windows, and disturb my ba- my kit. Our, kit. When his eyes blinked open this time, he gave a wide yawn, and burrowed further into the cradle of our arms. "'s it time to get up?" He asked sleepily, and I couldn't help but press a kiss to his temple, just to relish in the way his nose scrunched up at the sensation.

"No, Sweetheart," I murmured, trying to keep my voice as soft as I could make it. "You've nothing to do today, you're fine. You can go back to sleep, if you want."

He took a minute to think about this, even as he idly stretched out in my lap. His long legs had always hung over the edge of my body, just by virtue of the size difference, but now, instead of being bent and curled around mine, he pushed them out straight, further under the covers. "Mm... no. Can't." And yet, the lazy way he sprawled out told me that wasn't anywhere near as certain as he wanted to make it seem.

"Oh, by all means, feel free," Jerremyah said quietly, and while the words themselves might've come across as sarcastic, he said it so gently I think even Leo knew Jerremyah was genuinely giving him permission to do so. Practically begging him to, judging by the look on his face.

Leo smacked his lips after another yawn, and blatantly rubbed his face into Jerremyah's knit clad shoulder. "No training?" We hadn't done much actual training since Nicholai had died, and I wasn't exactly sure today was the day to start.

"Only if you really want to, Sweetheart."

It took him a second to shake his head, and I wasn't sure if it was because he was thinking about it, or because he was on the verge of falling back asleep. "Nah," He said, then after a few more seconds of silence his eyes blinked back open, and he met mine. "Did you talk to Greygorry?"

Thinking about our conversation with Grey made me think about how we'd come to be here; made me think about smelling Leo's terror, and finding him weeping and struggling in his sleep. It was unfortunate but true, and I pressed a kiss to the crown of his head to distract myself. "We did," I told him. "Of course, Grey was Grey- so we only talked about half the things we wanted to, and then he forced us into an agreement to leave the other things alone." His eyes drifted for a second, as if he needed the distance to think, before they returned to mine.

"Do I need to stage an intervention?" He asked quietly, but still rather casually, and I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Is he being mean to you guys?" Ah. Joking, then.

I huffed out a laugh before I could really think about it, and burying my face in the hair above his ear, I stage whispered, "Just so you know, he can hear us." I felt his head turn against mine, and assumed he was meeting Jerremyah's eyes.

"Is that an issue for you?" He asked bluntly, but before I could so much as shake my head, he continued. "I'm willing to hit him again, if-"

"No, no. None of that." I told him firmly. No more hitting Grey- no more hitting anyone, unless they really deserved it... and in that case, I'd still prefer to be the one to do so on his behalf. "Even if he said he didn't care about that, I don't want to risk you hurting your hand again." Or doing anything to put his already fragile psyche at risk, for that matter. "Grey did make us promise to ensure you're on your best behavior around him- at least when it comes to Lavinia and Dahrya." His brow furrowed. "He doesn't want you to embarrass him, when he's trying to impress them."

His smile was small, but very clearly amused. "I don't think I'm going to be the one embarrassing him," He said, then went quiet for a second. A rather worrying second, as that smile dropped into a frown. "You... he made both of you promise?" Uh oh.

I hadn't thought about- I hadn't considered- I'd fucked up. I glanced at Jerremyah over Leo's head and saw the horror in his eyes, even as he leaned over to brush the underside of his jaw against the top of Leo's head. "Well..." I started, not quite knowing where I was going with this- which, now that I think about it, must be how Jerremyah felt the majority of the time. "We were both there. And... two heads are better than one. And, Grey knows that Jerremyah is- that he has a way with you like no one else." Which was almost an admission in and of itself, but Leo merely tilted his head to the side. I thought it was just because he was thinking, but then he butted his forehead against Jerremyah's jaw, and I hoped that meant we'd gotten away with it.

"That seems fair." Was that... all it took? He was surprisingly willing to accept such an answer. "Are they..." He hesitated, his cheeks turning red. "How... how embarrassed should I be?" Immediately, I knew what he was asking about, and I used the arm I had looped around Jerremyah's shoulder to pull him closer, and subsequently press Leo between us.

I littered countless kissed around the top of his head and hair but he never complained, and in the end, I only came up for air to put his mind at ease. "Not at all, Sweetheart. Not at all. It's perfectly- we all have nightmares, sometimes. There's no reason to be embarrassed." He was quiet for a minute, and I couldn't tell if it was because he was taking this in, or because he disagreed.

"But..." The latter then, apparently- and unfortunately. "It wasn't exactly... it didn't feel like it was... Elaine was there." I blinked at the abrupt change of subject. Then again, as the revelation sunk in. Uh oh. If Elaine was there, and he'd reacted like that... it certainly couldn't mean anything good.

"Leo-"

He cut me off, but I didn't care in the slightest, since this was clearly one of those times where he only did so because he had something important- and painfully honest- to say, and couldn't wait to get the words out. "I'm not... I'm not entirely sure it was my nightmare."

(A/N): Lisbet and Jerremyah: *practically luxuriating in their love for Leo*

Leo: *oblivious*

also

Lisbet: 'Greygorry forced us into an agreement not to talk about his problems.'

Leo: 'I'll kill him.'

Lisbet: 'No, no. None of that.'

or

Grey: *setting boundaries with his friends*

Lisbet: *jokingly upset*

Leo: 'Is he bullying you? Don't worry, I'll take care of it.'

Leo: *rolling up his left sleeve*

Leo: *moves on to rolling up his right sleeve*

Lisbet: *unrolls his left sleeve*

Leo: *finished rolling his right sleeve, and moves back to his left*

Lisbet: *unrolls his right sleeve*

Leo: *finishes rolling up his left sleeve, moves back to-*

Lisbet: 'You're going to get tired of this before I do, little one.'

Leo: 'Wanna bet?'

Jerremyah: 'Put me in coach, I'm ready to play!'