(A/N): We're back with Lisbet, Leo and Jerremyah, discussing the dream. I think when the new year starts, I'm going to change my uploading schedule from every second day to at least every third day, if not set days a week, like one on Sunday and one on Wednesday or something, because I feel like I never get the chance to do anything for myself. I upload a chapter, then write a chapter, type it up, and by the time I finish that, it's time to upload it and then get started on the next one. I have other stuff I want to work on, and I feel like, with the fact that I don't even know if anyone but me is reading this... There isn't any point in putting myself under so much pressure to get a 1,500 word chapter out every second day (and sometimes many more than that). I love this story, and it'll never die- and I plan on turning it into a book series, which is one of the things I want to work on, but I barely have time to breathe outside of uploading right now, so I think I'm going to have to dial it back once I complete my goal of a chapter every second day for a year.

Trigger Warning: References to potential/planned suicide, mentions of dying/potential/imagined death. References to a person being drugged against their will (the spharmus incident).

Lisbet

What... what was that even supposed to- what could he possibly mean by that? He wasn't sure it was his dream? Whose dream was it-? Then, what he said really hit me, and I realised- or at least, I thought I did. "You... you think it was Elaine's dream?" He hesitated for a second or two, but eventually, he shrugged.

"I don't know- not for certain, anyway. It didn't... it didn't feel like one of mine, and you know she- she has those dreams. The really vivid ones. And this was..." He shuddered. "This was really, really vivid." Which I suppose explained why he'd been so upset, and I was extra glad that Jerremyah had convinced me to touch him to try to wake him up, since clearly that'd been what he needed in order to snap out of it. "But there were things that... Elaine couldn't possibly know." Like what? I was immediately suspicious of this, but as it turned out, I shouldn't have been. Or... Leo was far too good at making me feel like I shouldn't. "What Jonothan said to me before the fight- about how he was the one to drug me," He hadn't told them? Hadn't told her? "And..." He glanced at Jerremyah, and that was all it took. The silencing spell was back in place in a second, and now that Leo was aware enough to hear them, there were no groans of frustration from downstairs. "And chains."

Ah. Well. No, there was no chance of her... knowing that, now was there, since I'd only made him consider the method for- that- yesterday. "She mentioned it?" I asked in a voice that was still a little strained no matter how hard I tried to hide it, and Leo hesitated again.

"Not... not exactly. But, there were things I shouldn't have known either, plus- Lis, I think for the first half of the dream, I might've been... human. Or at least, seeing things from Elaine's perspective." I... didn't know what to make of that. "I've never been human, so I don't know- Everything was dull, and blurry. And like... badly lit, almost? Does that make sense?" Unfortunately, yes. "Is that what being human is like? Oh, and things seemed faster than normal, too! And I didn't have my Blood Sense! Usually, when I dream-" I cut him off as gently as I could.

"Leo," He blinked, clearly pivoting to pay attention to what I was saying, instead of what he was saying. "I sent my letter to Elaine while you were sleeping-" I had to hold up a hand to keep him from interrupting. "I happened to mention that you were asleep in my arms after a nightmare-" He narrowed his eyes at me, and I knew it was because he wanted to challenge my shoddy attempt to make it sound casual. "-if she had one too, I'm sure you'll know about it as soon as you get her reply." He frowned slightly, and I took a deep breath in an attempt to steady myself before changing the subject. "Leo, you know how I told you about our friend Khal?" It took him a second to think about it, but as soon as he remembered, his expression turned suspicious.

He crossed his arms over his chest- which was rather precious of him, considering he was still lounging quite happily in my lap. "The seer. Yeah, I remember him- why?" It was pointed, but even if he was obviously telling me to drop it, I didn't really have a choice. If this was real- if Leo and Elaine had truly shared a dream... it was no small thing. And the only person I knew- that I trusted- that could handle such a thing, was Khaldun.

"Look, I know you don't like him- don't like the idea of him- but I honestly don't know... what else to do. If this was more than just a dream- more than just a figment of your subconscious imagination... then I think it would be foolish, if not downright idiotic of us to ignore it. And... if it really was Elaine's dream, then... it's her decision, too, isn't it?" His face fell instantly- like I knew it would. He could deny himself until he was blue in the face- literally- but he'd never deny her.

"Do you think..." He took a second, but I think he was just carefully considering his words, this time. "Is it bad? Or- dangerous?" I wasn't sure what to say- because I'd genuinely never heard of two people sharing the same dream before. Maybe it was common, and people just never talked about it.

Of course, if it wasn't- and knowing Leo, it wasn't... "I think that might depend on what the dream was about, Nounours." By the way he blanched, I knew it was nothing good- as if everything else prior to this moment hadn't already told me everything I needed to know on that front.

"It..." He glanced at Jerremyah, who gave him what I assumed was his best, 'I'm being supportive, but not too supportive', smile- which was really closer to a grimace. Apparently, it did the trick for Leo anyway, because when his eyes returned to me- yes, I count fixing his gaze on my jaw as almost the equivalent of eye contact now, sue me- he forced himself to continue. "It's complicated." I expected him to stop there, but he didn't. "There were two halves, and they were... very different." Two halves, in a dream shared by two people. Could there have been an Elaine half, and a Leo half? If so, which had made him react like that- and why was I almost certain it was his?

"You said you thought you were seeing things from Elaine's perspective for the first half of the dream," Jerremyah said, which- good catch, babe. "Does that mean you think the first half was- her half?" Leo winced, and when he hesitated to answer, Jerremyah continued. "And do you think- if you were human, does that mean she wasn't?"

The look on Leo's face was almost comically horrified, and when he shook his head, I think it had more to do with what he wanted to be true, than what he actually thought might be the case. "Don't put something like that into my head," He said, then sighed deeply. "I don't know. There was a point where- she said she couldn't look at me. Physically, I mean." How else would he mean it? "That doesn't sound like someone with vampire strength, to me." No... but dreams didn't always work like that. "But then she could, and I don't know what changed." Hm...

"Sometimes, dreams are like that," I told him, and he grunted quietly. I didn't blame him for not being satisfied with my answer- I wasn't, either. "I don't know what to say, Little One." I cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to his forehead, which he accepted graciously. "I don't know how to help you. I don't know what any of this means- and it's scary for me, too." His expression softened, and he pushed his face further into the palm of my hand. "What I do know is that I love you," He closed his eyes, and I knew it was because tears were forming in them. "And for every nightmare you have, I'll be waiting for you on the other side. Even if you're at Hogwarts, and I can't be there to wake you up- I'll always be here, willing to talk it through." He opened his eyes, and I gave him my warmest smile. "I'm only ever one letter away."

He leaned forward and buried his face in my neck; it was very pleasant- for a few seconds, until he murmured into my skin, "I think I died."

(A/N): This chapter seems rather short... I swear it's five pages. I counted like, six times! I think it's because there's two kind of longer paragraphs, so it just looks shorter than normal. It's also about 100 words shorter than the usual 1,500 words, but that's honestly not that much in the grand scheme of things. I don't know what happened.