Jon's concern manifested itself in a frown and he took a firmer grip on Piper's hand, shaking his head slowly in confusion. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. He changed the subject. I thought maybe you'd know what he was going on about. I don't know that much about that sort of thing. I left Rhy'Din when I was sixteen and before that..." He shrugged, having lived a fairly sheltered life before leaving Rhy'Din to pursue a career on Earth. "He said he doesn't belong here, Piper. Do you know what he means by that' He said something about Lyneth's gifts and her magic." Panic had flared in Piper's eyes as Jon spoke, her own hands tightening on his. "No," she said softly, shaking her head. "No, I don't know what he means, and I don't want to think about my husband leaving me, Jon. But if something has happened, and ..." She trailed off, the panic receding into concern once more. "He never talks about Lynnie's magic. Ever." She bit her lip, frowning worriedly. What did this mean' Was Ollie somehow under someone else's control" Had Lyneth's real father found them' Blessedly Piper was, at heart, a practical young woman, and thanks to her search for some way to protect Lyneth while still pregnant, she had contacts. "Theres a woman at the Library," she said quietly, glancing a little nervously toward her husband and child where they were still playing. "Her name's Magda, she helped me with the research when I was pregnant. She might be able to make sense of this." Jon frowned further as Piper seemed to start making sense of what he had told her, though he still felt somewhat lost. He'd known Lyneth wasn't biologically Ollie's daughter, but that had never seemed to matter, and he had been so busy with his own life and concerns, he hadn't really noticed the changes in his cousin. Ironically, Jon was missing the old, acerbic, irritating Ollie and was worried what might have happened to him. "I got the feeling it wasn't really Ollie I was talking to," he admitted quietly, looking to Piper now for understanding. Slowly, Piper's eyes lifted to meet those of her cousin by marriage, her alarm melted away to reveal very real fear. Her fingertips rose to touch the little vial that hung about her neck; a gift from Riley Lo to protect her and her child against the Fae who would want to take her baby away from her. "Oh no," she breathed. "But he can't have found us." Her hands gripped Jon's tightly. "He can't. I've done everything I can to keep her safe, I won't let them take her away from me. Oh God, Jon, what can I do?" Jon's face paled at the reaction from Piper. He really had no experience with fae and if that's what they were dealing with, he had no idea what to do. Vampires, that was another matter, but that was like ancient history to him. That door was closed, and he didn't want to open it again. He glanced at the vial around Piper's neck, holding tightly to her hand again, that vitally human connection between them. "What's that?" he asked, curiously. She hesitated, blinking rapidly as she realised what he was talking about. "Oh, it's ....it was a present from Riley Lo; she says if I smash it, it'll conjure a warrior who can protect us. But it only works once." She shook her head, swallowing hard. "We shouldn't let him know we suspect anything. If he is going to take Lyneth, then it'll happen sooner, if he thinks we know, won't it?" "I don't know, Piper, but..." He glanced to where Ollie - or whoever was using Ollie's body - had disappeared to spend time with Lyneth. Turning back, he lowered his voice for her ears alone, "I would make sure he's never alone with Lyneth, and..." He trailed off, pressing his lips tightly together as his jaw clenched. It was painful to think that someone who had once been one of his closest friends had come to this. "I think you should talk to someone who can help. Someone who knows more about....this sort of thing than I do. But don't let him know you suspect anything is wrong." Piper tensed, aware that her happy little bubble - so painstakingly constructed in the past weeks - had just burst. But she nodded, drawing in a slow, deep breath. "I can do that," she promised. "Perhaps he'll try to paint if I suggest it, and ....well, then I can take Lyneth out with me." She, too, glanced toward the sound of her daughter playing with ....what? Who' "I should go in there." A name popped into Jon's head. Someone who'd helped him once before. He wasn't sure if this sort of thing was up her alley or not, and he didn't want to see his cousin harmed in any way, but she might be able to offer some advice, if nothing else. "I know someone. Someone who helped me deal with a....problem." Problem was putting it mildly. "Do you have a slip of paper?" Blinking, surprised that Jon would know the name of anyone who might be able to help her, Piper stared for a moment. "Oh ....oh, of course," she nodded quickly, rising from her seat. Her hands found the green leather-bound journal Ollie had given to her almost a year before, opening the scrap-filled pages to tear a slip free. A pencil came to her reaching fingers just as easily, and both were offered to Jon. "You really think they could help?" "If they can't, they'll know of someone who can." Jon scribbled a name and a number on the slip of paper and handed it back to Piper. He didn't have to warn her not to let Ollie know. "If you need anything - a place to stay or anything - call me or Vicki or Caroline. You're a Granger now, Piper. We take care of our own." The slip was palmed with startling expertise by the well-bred young mother, her tension relaxing a little as it became clear that she wasn't going to have to deal with this on her own. "Thank you, Jon." Squeezing his hand, she rose onto her toes to kiss his cheek. "You should go home to Victoria. Don't worry about us; I don't think whatever it is wants to hurt us, or he'd have done it already. But I will keep in contact, I promise." He smiled when she kissed his cheek, only too happy to help. Though he was troubled and worried about Ollie, he cared just as much about Piper and Lyneth's safety and well-being. He wrapped her in a brotherly hug. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." "I promise," she repeated, constructing a warm smile that almost matched the one she had greeted him with when he'd arrived. Before he'd brought her own worries into the open with his concerns. Piper walked Jon to the door, very aware now of every sound that came from the man and baby at the other end of the loft. "Take care of yourself, Jon." He smiled in return as she walked him out. "Don't worry. Vicki keeps me out of trouble." Or gets him into it, whichever way you choose to view things. "Remember what I said," he reminded her. "You're not alone." He didn't feel the need to remind her about the ring or the coins he knew Caro had given her, that she'd given to every member of the Granger family, whether blood or not, the safeguards she had arranged to protect each and every one of them. As much as he was tempted to stay, he didn't want to arouse Ollie's suspicions. "I love Ollie, Piper. I don't want anything bad to happen to him." He felt the need to remind her of this, also, before taking his leave. "Neither do I." The sable-haired young woman watched Jon walk away before closing the door, turning to lean her back against it with a low sigh. Her fingers rose to touch against the vial at her throat once again, feeling the reassuring crackle of paper in her palm, and tried to clamp down on an unwanted, mercenary thought. As much as she wanted to keep both her husband and child safe, Piper knew that if she was forced to choose, Lyneth would always be her priority. "Take care of yourself and Lyneth. I'll see you soon." He kissed her cheek in farewell and off he went, back to the diner to call Vicki to pick him up. Before the night was through, Vicki would know everything Jon knew.

((The above ties into Ollie's Hubris SL thread. Thank you to Piper's player for the above scene.))