This is so Long, you might want to take breaks in between reading it.
All typos are mine. I'll maybe correct them later.
Characters are not mine. Plot is though.
Day 1
Lauren fidgets on her seat and counts her toes in her head. Lifting each one in her shoes just to make double sure that they're all there.
When she was four, her brother played some horrible prank on her that made her believe she'd lost two of her toes. One from each foot. So now she randomly counts them in her head just to make sure she still has them.
It's one of her many nervous habits.
And god is she nervous right now.
She looks up at the horribly painted green door. It kinda looks like a baby puked it's breakfast on it. It's also home to Lauren's worst nightmare.
Evony Morrigan.
Tall, beautiful, bat shit crazy; Evony Morrigan.
She's the Dean to The Academy. She's also had it out for Lauren from the moment she got here four years ago because she's the very first human to have ever made it in here and Evony took that as an insult of sorts. It also doesn't help that Lauren has been acing pretty much each and every single test she's ever taken. It stumps out Evony's theory that humans are lesser beings and the Dean doesn't really appreciate that.
So far, she hadn't had the chance to do anything to Lauren other than be bitter and accquire wrinkles she doesn't need.
Until today.
As Dean, she gets to decide who gets partnered with who for Final Assigments. This wouldn't be a problem if Lauren wasn't one thousand and one percent sure that she's going to be paired with some underacheiving Fae who'll end up messing her perfect score and crippling her chance of graduating with honors and having the advantage of working anywhere she wants.
And she needs to graduate and become a Fae Field Doctor.
It's been her dream since she was seven. Before that she wanted to just be a regular doctor but that got real old real fast. Why waste your time with common cold when you could be examining unicorns?
"The Dean will see you now." A cracky voice that just screams of too many cigarettes and too much cheap beer cuts her from her thoughts.
She looks up and offers the woman -who's kept her waiting for more than an hour now while she files her stupid nails that look like she bites anyway- a smile.
The Siren doesn't return it. Just raises her nose haughtily and looks away.
Lauren shrugs it off. It's not like she wanted her to smile back anyway, she was just being polite.
She smooths her dress and picks the cupcakes that she baked last night because she has it on good authority that the Dean is stupid in love with cupcakes. "Here goes nothing."
...
The Dean just stares at her while slowly munching on one cupcake after another.
It's all kinds of creepy to be honest.
But Lauren sits there with dignity and just tries not to look at how her mouth moves up and down.
"These are good." The Dean says finally.
Lauren smiles. She might have put a little bit of chemicals that she developed in the lab in there to make them better than your avarege cupcake but now isn't time for guilt.
Guilt is for the faint hearted anyway.
"Thank you. I'm glad you like them."
"Love them." She pushes the three remaining ones from the batch of twelve to the side and picks Lauren's file. "Final Assigment. You excited?" She opens the file slowly, peruzing Lauren's A's and the numerous compliments the professors wrote in there.
"Very." She half lies. She's more scared than excited to be honest. But the cupcakes seem to have put Evony in a good mood and rocking boats was never really Lauren's thing.
"Seems like you'll be solving a murder."
Lauren's eyes widen. Death is probably the most intersting case ever. Things are looking good.
"And with a succubus no less."
Or maybe not. "The sex feeders?" She asks incredulously. How exactly is a sex feeder supposed to help solve a murder?
"They feed on chi."
"From having sex!"
"You're giving me a lesson on my own race now, human?" The Dean asks with an arched brow and Lauren has to count her toes twice just to calm herself.
"Of course not." She answers with faux sweetness.
The Dean smiles. All teeth barring and shark like. "That's what I thought." She closes the file. "You have a week to solve this or we'll bring in professionals and fail you."
"A week?" Lauren's eyes widen. Final Assigments usually take a month. It's standard procedure.
"A week." The Dean smiles, "seeing as you're so brilliant."
It's a bait. One that Lauren doesn't take because she's been playing this game with the Dean for four damn years. She has learnt to choose her battles.
"Here is your case file." She pushes a thin file to Lauren. The thing looks like it has zero information in it. She can already see her the big fat F that's going to be her Final Assignment result.
She might as well go become a human pharmacist while she still has her pride.
"Your partner has already been briefed. She'll meet you in the Common Hall tomorrow morning. Best of luck to you Miss. Lewis."
Lauren glares before she leaves.
Wishing with everything that she is that she could grab the remaining cupcakes and take them with her.
...
"What's with the face?" Her brother asks as Lauren stomps into the kitchen and marches to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.
"Not right now, Ryan." She gulps down her water furiously. Hoping it'll drown the anger she feels.
A succubus? Sure they have all that thralling skill which will probably come in handy but other than that a succubus is more of a liability than anything.
She'll have to feed. Which will just waste time because it's not like sex takes a second or anything. Then there's that little detail that in terms of Fae ability, they bring nothing to the table. It's not like they can teleport or read minds or slow down time or do anything of great importance.
"I'm going to fail." She groans sadly and lays her head on the kitchen counter.
Ryan, blonde jerk that he is, laughs. "Never thought I'd here those words come out of your mouth."
"Shut up, Ry."
"I'm just saying." He shrugs before picking an apple and heading out. "Oh," he stops at the door, "mom said to tell you to fix dinner. She'll be home late."
She snaps her head up and narrows her eyes. "I have Final Assignment coming up. I don't have time to make dinner."
"I don't make the rules." He shrugs again. "I'm in the mood for something Italian."
"You can go jump in front of a stray bullet. I'm not making anything."
"Oh come on. You're going to fail anyway. You said it yourself. So why not just forget about studying and-" the orange that she hits him with on the head cuts that sentence off.
...
She ends up making dinner after all because disobidence isn't really her thing. As much as she wishes she could be a rebel sometimes. She's too much of a 'good girl' for that. It's just not in her.
Plus when she's cooking, she doesn't have time to think of the F that's waiting for her somewhere in the near future, ready to mess up her perfect score.
Her mother comes up right after she's done setting the table and is surprised as hell that she made dinner instead of studying for her Final Assignment.
"But Ryan said-"
"Honey, how many times have I told you not to listen to a word your brother says."
"But-"
Susan Lewis just kisses her youngest's cheek and laughs. "On the brighter side, dinner looks wonderful."
Lauren just glares at her and stomps to her room.
She's over today.
Completely over it.
II
First impressions are everything, and Lauren wants the Succubuss's first impression of her to be that she is no nonsense and F's aren't things that she's looking forward to so she best take this assignment seriously.
"Why do you look like a fifty year old librarian who's trying out for a nun?" Is Ryan's question when he sees her in the morning.
She glares at him, still pissed from last night. Then looks at her grey skirt and white blouse and grey blazer and adjusts her glasses. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Ryan. And what would you know anyway. You just sit here the whole day and eat."
"I'm looking for a job." It's always been a sore spot for him.
She rolls her eyes as she pours her coffee, "you've been 'looking for a job' for six years."
"Well, jobs are hard to find."
"Or you're just lazy." She retorts and moves away when he tries to smack her. She sticks out her tongue at him childishly and he rolls his eyes.
"Very mature."
"Says the jobless twenty six year old."
"I'm-"
"Looking for a job. I know." she gets up and kisses his temple, making him scrunch his nose, "and you'll find one. And if you don't, I'll hire you when I become a big shot Fae doctor."
"Funny you say that seeing as you're going to fail your Final."
"You're a jerk." She says before rushing out.
...
She's always hated the Common Hall. It's dirty and stinky and just downright disgusting. Walking into it always gives her the most insane need to stop and start cleaning. Which she can't do. Because that's crazy.
"Uh- hello." She stops in front of a goth looking girl who judging by her daylight ring, is a vampire of high calibre. The girl doesn't even bother looking up. Lauren sighs and lightens her voice even more. "I'm looking for-" she opens the file again, wishing it had a photo to make this easier- "Bo Dennis. Would you happen to-"
"No." The girl cuts her off.
"Okay." Lauren nods. Embarassed. But it's not like she's going to ask again. She might be one of the smartest people in the world, but even she knows not to smart talk a vampire.
A chewing girl seating nearby looks up at her then looks away when Lauren's eyes connect with hers.
She sighs and looks around. There must be some authority figure somewhere here. She spots a huge figure who's either a giant or a guard or both. Either way, he's her best bet right now so she makes her way there. Her heels clinking on the hard floor of the Hall making her feel hella sophisticated.
"Hello." She starts confidently. "I'm Lauren Lewis. I'm looking for Bo Dennis. I don't suppose you know who she is and where she could be."
The huge creature just looks at her and Lauren almost gives up before she sees a hand being lifted and she follows where he's pointing.
It's at the girl who was looking at her.
The one who clearly heard Lauren asking for her yet still just sat there.
The chewer.
"Thank you." She says politely to her helper and walks to the succubus. "Bo Dennis?"
The girl looks up. Her brown eyes clearly proud of the trouble she just put Lauren through. "The one and only." She says proudly.
Lauren's glare makes even her own face feel hot, "and you couldn't tell me that before I made a fool of myself?"
"You didn't ask me." She shrugs then looks Lauren up and down. "Loving the outfit by the way. Yum."
She counts her toes and counts them again.
'F'. Here I come.
III
It's been half an hour and Lauren has already realized Bo Dennis is incapable of taking anything seriously.
"For the love of god, will you stop chewing already!"
"No." She says bluntly and Lauren glares at her, she wasn't expecting a no. "It keeps my jaws busy. It's either chewing or kissing you. So unless you're down with that..."
"In your dreams." She retorts quickly and it makes the succubus laugh as she goes back to the files.
Lauren hates the violent blush that covers her cheeks.
...
"This file is too incomprehensive." Lauren says after an hour of them finding nothing other than the girl's name. Her age and height and some other trival information that is superiorly unhelpful.
Her theory that the Dean is setting her up for faliure is just getting stronger by the second.
Especially when she looks at her partener who's got her feet on the table, sipping on a soda and observing her nails. She gave up on the case half an hour ago on grounds of severe thirst.
Lauren doesn't know what will happen first. Her pulling out all her hair or killing Bo Dennis.
The latter seems more probable.
"How much longer are you going to just sit there?"
"For as long as I'm thirsty." She answers easily.
Lauren glares. "And how long do you think that will be?"
"I'm not the thirst police." She scoffs. Lauren's nose scrunches. 'thirst police'? Who says such things though?
Lauren taps her feet on the floor, another nervous habit. She hums a Beethoven piece in her head, a calming technique that she has used since forever, then turns to the succubus who's now noisily slurping on her soda.
"Look." She clasps her hands diplomatically, you attract more bees with honey after all. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, and that's probably my fault. I apologise. But this is really important to me and I'd really appreciate it if you took it just a little seriously. Please?"
The brunette looks at her blankly then; "I think I had too much soda. I got to pee."
Lauren doesn't know what to say as she watches her go.
F.F.F
...
She's waiting for her with sanitizer -because there's no way she's walking anywhere with someone who hasn't sanitized her hands- and a plan.
"This smells like horse shit." Bo grumbles as she pours the sanitizer in her palms.
Lauren made a few resolutions while Bo was in the restroom. The biggest and most important one was that she is going to ignore the living hell out of the brunette for both the sake of her sanity and her perfect score.
She'll make decisions and drag Bo along to where she needs her and by god they are going to pass this Final Assignment if it kills them.
No way she's letting Evony ruin her life.
"This smells like horse shit, she said as she practically drowned her palms in my fifty dollar sanitizer. Give me that." She grabs the small bottle from the brunette's hands and starts walking towards the exit.
"That was rude." The brunette grumbles as she catches up.
Lauren scoffs. Pots sure do like calling kettles black.
"Where are we going anyway?"
"To see the body."
"The dead one?" She doesn't sound like she's so much upto it.
"No the dancing one." Lauren rolls her eyes and gets off a napkin from her pocket and pushes the door to the Common Hall open.
"We're going to a strip club?"
She halts her movements and turns back to the smirking brunette. Something isn't very okay with this girl. Lauren is certain of that. "I was being sarcastic." She explains slowly. Making sure the girl catches each word.
She still has that insufferable smirk on her face. "Well, can we go to a strip club after?"
Lauren face palms.
...
For the first time since this whole thing started, Lauren is glad that she's partnerd with a succubus when Bo manages to get them a chance to see the body by thralling the man who just couldn't stop looking at her boobs.
It's actually all sorts of fascinating, how he just fell under her spell. Even Lauren can admit to that.
"So how long will that last?" She asks as she pulls a body out then frowns when it's not the one she's looking for.
"A while. I gave it to him pretty hard."
Lauren looks at her and arches a brow. The brunette rolls her eyes. "Shut up."
"I didn't say anything." Lauren chuckles, pulling yet another wrong body. This morgue has so many dead people.
"Your look said it all. I think I found her."
Bo's statement stills her own movements and she moves to the brunette as she stands in front of the body.
It's her alright. But she looks nothing like the photo in her file. That one is full of life and her cheeks are rosy and she's smiling.
Here, she's almost blue. She has marks all over her body and she just looks so cold. It makes Lauren want to vomit and cry. Dissasociation has never really been her strong suit and she can't help but feel something for this girl who looks no older than sixteen. Dead.
Suddenly this whole thing isn't about passing Finals. Yes, she wants to maintain her perfect score and shove it in Evony's face. But there's a dead girl they're supposed to help. A family that they can give piece of mind to by finding out what happened to their daughter.
It's bigger than some test.
"You okay?" Bo's voice rings in her ears and she nods, offering a grateful smile.
"I'm okay. Do you have a pen and paper?"
"Yeah," Bo gets out a small notebook and pencil from her coat.
"Okay." Lauren reaches into her blazer and takes out a pair of gloves. You should always have those on your person, you never know when you might need them. "So uh, death by strangulation, judging by the marks on her neck."
"Do we know what was used?" Bo asks, writing the information down.
"No, it's not easy to tell. But whatever it was it was thick, wide see the marks." She points at the marks and Bo nods, looking closely too.
Lauren turns her around. There's a mark on her skull. "She was hit by something. A blunt object most likely. More than once if the cuts are anything to go by."
"Can we tell what object?"
Lauren narrows her eyes and looks at the wounds, "something sharp." She says thoughtfully. "Most likely metal because the cuts are deep."
"How do we know she died from strangulation and not from blunt force trauma?" Bo asks placing the note book down a bit.
Lauren stops to think. "Why would someone strangle her after she's dead?"
"For kicks." Bo shrugs and Lauren feels like she's going to be sick. "People do fucked shit."
The blonde turns the victim back to her back and looks at her eyes. "She most definitley died from strangulation. See the eyes. There's no way this could have happened if she'd been dead when the strangulation happened."
Bo nods and writes that down too.
Lauren keeps looking at the body for any more telling signs but she doesn't really find anything that can't be verified without proper tests and Bo walks around.
Lauren hears a drawer open and she looks up, "what are you doing?" She hisses.
The brunette raises a file with a proud smile, "I think this might come in handy."
IV
They stop at a deli after they leave the morgue and Bo gets enough junk food to feed a small nation.
They sit in the car as she demolishes her burger and Lauren bites slowly on hers while looking through the file that Bo stole.
"You want another?" Bo asks, offering the last burger.
"No thanks." Lauren says not looking up.
Bo shrugs and eats the last one. She hasn't eaten anything other than that soda she had earlier. She was hungry as hell.
"So," she asks, wiping her hands off on the napkins that Lauren smared her horseshit smelling sanitizer on, "found anything."
"She was reported missing in August. Yes?"
"That's what the file says." Bo responds, opening said file just to make sure.
"But she couldn't have died then."
"Because of the decomposition?" She asks. Gulping her water down to make sure her food doesn't come up. She kind of doesn't like talking about dead bodies when she's eating.
"Yes. Her eyes were opaque, yeah?"
"Yep." Bo nods.
"That means she's been dead less than three days. Also it was damn hot in August. The body would have been much much stiffer than it was had she died then. Heat generally accelerates the rigor-"
"I just ate." Bo puts a palm up and the blonde blushes.
"Sorry. I tend to over share sometimes."
"You can share all you want. Just not when I've just eaten."
"Fine." Lauren rolls her eyes and looks back at the file. But Bo can see her blush.
She smiles. The girl might be annoying as hell with her disgusing santizer, but she's cute. There's no denying that.
"So what we know so far, she dissapeared two maybe three weeks ago. Died less than three days ago. Probably put up a fight with her attacker and was strangled to death."
"Yes." Lauren nods.
It's not much. But it's much better than what they had before.
...
"F'Laurene's home." Ryan yells as soon as he sees Lauren walk into the house. She rolls her eyes and slips out of her heels.
"That's not funny or smart."
"It's pretty smart to me." He passes her his Dr. Pepper and she almost kisses him in gratitude. "So, how did your first day of Finals go?"
"Okay." She shrugs. Remembering hwo annoyed she was with Bo in the morning and how sweet she was when Lauren was overwhelmed at the morgue and how she practically turned a leaf and started taking things seriously when she saw how important this is to Lauren. "Great actually. My partner is really awesome."
"So, we're not failing anymore?"
She smacks his arm and lays her head back. "Probably not."
...
Day 2
Bo wakes up to someone practically trying to drive her insane with perpetual knocking. she rushes out of bed, her eyes still laced with sleep and not really seeing straight. She slips on a box that she's yet to unpack although she moved here three months ago as she tries to get to the door.
"I'm coming. Fuck."
She grabs her kimono that she's had since forever on the way and runs her hand through her hair just in case it's her landlord or someone equally as annoying.
It's not.
It's Lauren.
"What are you doing here?" She asks with wide eyes. For some reason feeling embarassed of how she looks compared to how pretty Lauren looks this morning. "How do you even know where I live?"
"I have the highest IQ of the centuary. Finding your place was a piece of cake to me. May I?" She points to the house. Clearly she wants to come in.
But- this place looks like shit today. Not that it ever looks immaculate but today is a paticularly bad day.
"Can't we just talk here?"
Lauren arches a brow. Probably wondering why Bo is being rude when they left things at such a great place last night.
"Do you have a meal inside there?" Lauren asks, nosily trying to look inside.
Bo closes the door even further. "What? No." Her meal left hours ago. Thank God.
"Then why won't you let me in?"
"Because I don't want to." Hot or not. This girl is annoying.
"We're partners. You have to learn to let me in. And that includes into your house."
"Today's just not a good day."
"Oh for crying out loud." Lauren applies her horrible sanitizer and before Bo knows what's going on, she pushes the door open. "Oh. My. God."
...
They spend more time than Bo thinks is necessary cleaning her house. All the while Lauren lectures her on what kinds of germs she's harboring and how she's pretty sure Bo has a million and one germ induced diseases by now which by the way is so rude.
And untrue. Bo is a perfect Fae. Things like germs really can't get her down. And for Lauren to even say they can is a million kinds of offensive.
By the time they're done cleaning the house it's past two and Bo can actually see her floor. She had honestly forgotten what it looked like.
Lauren makes sandwiches for lunch and she puts so much vegetables in it that it's less of a sandwich and more of just some sad sandwich wannabe. Bo doesn't comment on that though, the last thing she needs is a lecture on her diet.
"So- what brought you all the way to my place?" She asks as they're seated. Lauren drinking the Dr. Pepper that she practically jumped on when she saw it in the frigde. She shyly told Bo that she 'might like them' when the brunette raised her brow at the enthusiasm. Bo is slowly sipping on her beer. Loving the lightheadedness it brings with it.
Fae beer is the shit.
"I was thinking," she pauses in that way that people do when they know you won't agree with what they have to say, "we should go talk to Clere's family, friends. People who might know something about her dissapearence."
"Clere?"
"Calling her 'the victim' seemed insesitive."
Bo sighs and places her bottle on the table. "You know we can't. It's against the rules."
"She's dead, Bo. Someone took her and hurt her and hit her then killed her. Don't you think that's grounds enough to break the rules just this once?"
"Lauren." Even she knows she's close to breaking. It's those big brown eyes. They're too good at getting Lauren what she wants.
"Please. We'll just go, ask a few question and-"
"As who? It's not like we're the police or anything. We can't just go and start asking questions."
"We can't just sit and do nothing either and without a clue as to who took her then we can't really solve this murder. Come on, Bo."
She groans and places her face in her palms. She's going to do it even though she knows the probability of it landing them in trouble is so, so high. She really should have asked for a less gorgeous partner to be honest.
She's just a succubus and the flesh is weak as hell.
"Let me talk to my friend on the force, okay. He'll get us a cover or something."
Lauren smiles and nods happily.
II
"No."
"Come on, Dys. For me?"
Dyson has been her best friend since the day she walked into The Academy, fell and broke her damn arm then practically attacked him to heal.
Nothing says 'lets be friends' like a tongue shoved down your throat.
He was a year ahead of her and he's in the police force now. He works with humans. Meaning although he didn't really fail Final Assignment, he didn't pass with flying colours either.
"Bo-"
"We just want to ask some questions. Find more pieces to the puzzles."
"You know I can't."
"But you're a cop."
"Who's not on this case. And besides, even if I was on it, it's been moved to the homicide department, it's not a missing person case anymore."
He's making a lot of sense. He really is. But Lauren is seated on Bo's couch waiting for her to come through for them and something in her doesn't want to let her down. "Isn't there anything you can do. Anything at all?"
He sighs. "Give me a few minutes."
She smiles because she knows she's worn him down. It's good to know people.
...
Dyson insists that they take his car and that Bo and Lauren say that they're his interns should anyone ask any questions. It's all right with Bo, but Lauren, not so much.
"So- I was thinking, I should write down a set of questions for you." She tells Dyson as she applies her sanitizer before she opens the door to his car.
How many bottles of that thing does she have?
Dyson gives Bo a 'what the hell is she talking about' look and Bo tells him with a shrug to just go with it.
It's taken her less than fourty eight hours to learn that Lauren is über smart and she's aware of it and she expects the whole world to be aware of it too.
"I'm sorry. I don't follow."
"Here," she hands him the paper she wrote on, "those are the questions. Seeing as Bo and I are going to just follow you like a pair of lost puppies. I mean, interns."She finshes with a fake smile.
Bo snorts and then finds the ground funny when Dyson glares at her.
He opens his door with a little more force than necessary, "just-get in."
III
Clere Adams lived in a nice neighbourhood. There are kids riding around in bicycles as the three of the drive in and women gossiping while watering their flowers. It looks like a scene out of a movie and Bo wonders how such a henious crime could have happened right under their noses.
"Remember, you're my-"
"Interns. We know." Bo says with an eye roll as she rings the bell. Smiling at the smile Lauren sends her way.
A short woman in a pink summer dress opens the door. She's surprised, especially when she sees Dyson. Bo files that piece of information away for later.
"Mrs. Adams, hello. I'm officer Thornwood and these are my interns, Miss. Dennis and Miss. Lewis. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your daughter's dissapearence."
"We already talked to the police. They found her body."
"I know. But there's been some fresh evidence and we just want to ask you a few more questions. It won't take long. I promise."
She takes her time. Contemplating whether or not to let them inside before she opens the door wider. "It better not take long. I have a pie to bake."
...
Lauren doesn't take the juice offered, claiming she's allergic to oranges which Bo knows for a fact is a lie. She asks if she can look around at the beautiful pictures. Mrs. Adams smiles and tells her to go ahead.
It's those eyes. Bo is sure of it.
"What can you tell us about Clere's dissapearence."
"Nothing I haven't told you before."
"Would you mind repeating. It helps sometimes, when you look at something with fresh eyes." Bo says gently. Her eyes moving from Mrs. Adams to Lauren who's still quietly studying the family photos.
Mrs. Adams lets out an impatient breath of air. "She went to the beach with her friends and never came back."
"When."
"Early August. The fourth, I think. I told her not to go but she wouldn't listen. Her friends said she never left the beach with them. That she went to hang out with a different crowd and by the time they left, she hadn't returned."
"And you never went looking for her?"
"Of course we did. I looked the whole night before reporting it to the police. Look, officer Thornwood, Miss. Dennis, my daughter is dead. And I'm dealing with that the best way I know how and you asking me questions I've answered again and again isn't really helping."
"We're really sorry, Mrs. Adams. Both for your loss and for taking so much of your time. We'll take our leave now." Dyson says before standing up and motioning to Bo that they should leave.
Bo gives the woman an apologetic smile before going to Lauren and whispering in her ear that they have to leave now. Lauren looks up and nods.
"We're really sorry for your loss, Mrs. Adams."
"Thank you." The woman nods.
"And that's a great yacht you got there. Beautiful dog too. "
The woman just smiles before closing the door.
Day 3
Evony calls Lauren early in the morning and when the blonde gets there to find Bo in the waiting area too, glaring at the nail bitting siren, she knows they're in trouble and it's probably her fault.
"Stop that." It's the first thing Bo has said to her in the ten minutes they've been seated here.
Lauren tries to stop with the fidgeting but there's only so many times she can make sure she has ten toes.
"Lauren." Bo hisses when Lauren starts tapping her feet at an annoying speed.
"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous."
"Don't be. It's going to be okay."
"We broke the rules Bo."
The brunette arches a brow at her, "so now you care?"
"Don't do that." She says softly, "I'm already guilty enough as it is."
Bo sighs and after a moment of contemplation, takes the blonde's hand in hers. "It'll be okay. Really."
Lauren nods and for some reason, she finds that she believes her.
...
Evony is furious. Which isn't that good a look on her to be honest.
"You stole the girl's medical file?"
"It had information we needed." Bo says with a shrug.
"All the information you needed was in the file I gave you. Why did you even go to the damn morgue anyway?"
"'Cause that's where the body was." Bo says like Evony is on a whole other level of stupid and Lauren kicks her foot from under the table. Does she want them to be suspended?
"What?" The brunette hisses, clearly in pain.
"Stop." Lauren hisses again.
"Still here." Evony says, cutting their glaring contest.
Lauren turns to the Dean and gives her what she hopes is an extremely innocent look. "We're really sorry. It won't happen again. No more rules will be broken. Promise."
Evony just glares at them before softening just a bit. "See to it that it doesn't, One more fuck up and it's Fs for the both of you."
Bo snorts condensendingly. Lauren grabs her hand and leads her out of the office before they can land in any more trouble.
...
"What was that?" She says angrily as she lets go of Bo's hand. The brunette asumes that obliviously bored look she gets when she pretends she doesn't know what Lauren is talking about.
"What was what?"
"Do you want to get us suspended?"
"By Evony?" She scoffs, "please. She's more of a prop than anything. A talentless prop at that. Besides, she was being rude to you."
Lauren's features soften and she feels a smile tagging on her lips, "you were defending me?"
Bo suddenly finds a stone that's in front of her mighty interesting. "It was nothing."
"It was sweet."
"Shut up, Lewis."
She tries sounding tough but the blush she has on is way too adorable. Lauren smiles and bites her lip before grabbing the brunette's hand. "Come on. I'm in the mood for something sweet."
...
Lauren buys them breakfast and she refuses when Bo wants to pay. "It's my treat."
The brunette pretends to shrug it off but Lauren sees the smile she gives her. It makes her warm all over and she finds herself smiling over her coffee cup like a fool.
"Okay," Bo clears her throat and tries to get them out of this odd staring, smiling contest they've found themselves in. "How are we proceeding?"
Lauren nods to get her head in the game, there's a dead girl waiting for them to find her some peace. Bo's perfect face can be stared at later.
"The pictures, yesterday. They were very orderly, like a time cupsle. They have photos of Clere from when she was born till when she was fifteen."
"Nine?"
"Yeah. After that she clearly ages. She looks eleven or twelve in the next photos so either they lost all the photos of her when she was around ten, or they just don't want anyone to see them."
"But why?"
"I don't know, but I think it's a medical thing. She looks different, in the photos when she's eleven. Maybe she was sick or something. But to know that we need her full medical file. Not that we can get it anyway with Evony breathing down our necks."
A small smile spreads on Bo's cheeks and Lauren just knows she's upto no good. "I think I have an idea."
...
An idea turns out to be a tiny, black with streaks of purple and blue haired Russian girl who looks at Lauren with open disdain from the moment they arrive at her house that's less of a living space and more of a bomb site.
"Kenz, meet Lauren. Lauren, my best friend Kenzi."
"Nice to meet you."
Lauren says politely. The girl just hums and then turns to Bo with a huge smile. "How've you been Bodacious. It's been a minute."
"Too many minutes. School's kicking my ass." Bo complains as she moves a gadget aside and sits on the couch.
Not that Lauren's trying to be haughty, but she honest to god just saw a bug on that couch and there's not a snowball's chance in hell that she's seating there.
Not even if the seat is bathed in bleach.
"Told you that shit is a waste of valuable skill. You could have joined me. With your skill and my smarts we would have made bank."
"Illegally." Bo says fondly before turning to an uncomfortable looking Lauren. "That's why I'm here, in fact. I need you to look into someone's medical history for me."
"Who?"
"Clere Adams."
"Pretty sure there's more than one Clere Adams on earth, babe."
"Sixteen, five-one- recently deceased."
Kenzi rolls her chair to her laptop. Then before she starts typing, she turns to Lauren. "Is your friend going to stand the whole time?"
Lauren doesn't know what to say. Bo comes to her rescue. "It's an excersice technique."
"Really?" Kenzi arches a brow then shrugs after a second. "That would explain the legs."
Bo looks at Lauren's legs with a sort of feral look then smiles and bites her lip.
Lauren really hates how much this girl makes her blush.
...
"Okay, got it." Kenzi announces after a few minutes and Bo and Lauren move closer. "Clere Adams. She's got quite a history with hospitals. Suffered a nasty fall when she was ten, was hospitalized for a while. Cost her folks a shit load of money and her mom a great deal of blood."
"Just her mom?" Lauren asks curiously.
"Yeah. There's no record of her dad ever donating."
"Can you check why?" Bo asks.
"On it." It again takes her a few minutes and Lauren has nothing but utter respect for this girl's hacking skills. They're incredible. "William Adams. Suffered from Cystic Fibrosis for a while. Probably why he couldn't donate."
"Cystic Fibrosis, you're sure."
"One hundred percent."
Lauren looks at Bo. She thinks they've just caught their first big break.
...
"Talk to me."
Bo says as they strap their safety belts on. Lauren is yet to say a word, she's just letting the information sink in first, making sure she looks at this from every possible angle.
"Cystic Fibrosis causes infertility in men. Especially given that he's had it for such a long time."
"So- you're saying Clere might not have been Mr. Adams's daughter?"
"I'm saying we should look into Mr. Adams a little more thoroughly."
Day 4
When Lauren comes knocking this time. Bo is ready for her. She has already made coffee and she smiles when Lauren hands over the doughnuts and they settle down on the couch with their files and all the information they've gathered so far in front of them.
"This is delicious."
"Really?" Lauren's eyes light up. "I made them myself. I would have brought you more but my brother stole some at night."
Bo laughs at the adorable pout she gives at the end. "I didn't know you had a brother."
"He's annoying. But he's my best friend. How about you, any siblings?"
"Nah." She wipes off her hands on the napkins Lauren put on the table. She's pretty certain she doused them in sanitizer but she doesn't comment. Honestly, she's starting to like that stupid scent. "I'm an only child of fae gods."
"Yeah. Your parents are legends."
"My parents are a burden." Bo says truthfully. She has always hated the Dennis name. It comes full of so many expectations. Granddaughter to the Blood King. Daughter to the Dark Lord and the most powerful succubus to have ever exsisted.
It's a lot of baggage to bear.
Baggage she never asked for but follows her around anyway.
"Do you keep in contact with them?" Lauren asks gently.
"Not really. I want to live the life I choose. Not some pre-destined bullshit. And to do that I have to live by my owm because my parents are all about destiny. Hence the over priced tiny as hell apartment."
There's a long bout of silence after Bo's confession and she wonders if she's made things weired until Lauren touches her knee and smiles. "I like your apartment." She says, "it's very you."
"You mean dirty."
"I mean amazing."
Bo smiles involuntarily.
...
The lead for the day is Mr. Adams's yacht. Lauren says that Evony forbade them to talk directly to the Adams but she said nothing about associates.
Bo really likes this rule bending Lauren.
"What are we looking for?"
"Any nearby shops that deal with Yamaha yatchts. It's an expensive make. The kind you don't take to just any dealer. She had a really huge scratch on the side on a recent photo. I assume it was from an accident and I'm hoping they had her looked at."
"Her?" Bo asks, an amused smile playing on her lips.
Lauren shrugs, "her name's Clere. I just assumed she's female."
...
The man at the dealership seems reluctant to talk to them but after almost an hour of them nagging him with annoying questions and following him around, he gives up.
"Yeah. Bill called me in a few months ago, it was nothing major, just a scratch." He shrugs, wiping his hands off on a towel that Bo sees Lauren cringing at.
"Was it the first time he called you to fix it?"
"Are you asking if she broke down often?"
"Did it?" Bo asks.
He narrows his eyes, "not really. Bill takes real great care of that yacht. There's nothing he loves more. Other than little Clere of course and sometimes Bernie. So sad what happened."
"Really sad." Bo nods. "Are you close with the Adams?"
"I'm the only one Bill trusts with Clere, the yacht I mean and I've known Wendy most of my life, so yeah. I guess you could say that."
"The death must have been hard on them."
"Naturally." He nods, throwing his greased towel and picking a can of beer from the cooler and doesn't offer them one. "We spent the whole night searching for little Clere. Immidiately after Bill called me I rallied troops and we went searching. Never found her. Not till the police did anyway."
"You said Bill called and you guys went searching. Where was Mrs. Adams in all these. Or is she part of the we?" Lauren asks, finally joining the conversation.
"Wendy?" The dealer looks amused. "God no. She never could stand the smell of the beach. Makes her sick to her stomach. Bill finds it funny as hell. That's why the yacht was so special to him and Clere. It was their thing. Look ladies, as much as I want to help, I really do have work to get back to."
"That's okay." Lauren smiles and they thank him before they leave.
...
"Mrs. Adams lied to us." Lauren says as Bo drives the car back to her place. "When Dyson asked about the day Clere went missing, I heard her say she spent the whole night searching for her."
"Which she clearly couldn't have seeing as she has servere sea seakness."
"God." She runs her hands through her hair, "we need to talk to her again. And seeing as Evony forbade it-"
"Lauren."
"No, Bo. No more rule breaking."
"How about stalking?" Bo asks with a smile.
"No."
"Yes. We need this Lauren. We only have four days left. We have to take loopholes where we find them. We won't go searching for Mrs. Adams. But what if we bump into her and happen to just have a conversation. That's not against the rules."
Lauren groans.
II
"This is weird." Lauren announces unnecessarily as they sit in Bo's car. Listening to ABBA and waiting for Mrs. Adams to leave her house.
"This is doing what we have to." Bo says as she taps the steering wheel in tim to 'Dancing Queen' she loves this song.
There's silence in the car for a minute until she turns to find Lauren looking at her with an amused look. "What?" She chuckles out.
"Didn't know you're the 'Dancing Queen' kinda girl."
"There's a lot you don't know about me, Lewis." She doesn't know if her voice is that low because they're keeping things quiet or if it's because the fond yet something else look in Lauren's eyes is confusing her.
The blonde bites her lip. "Is that so?"
"Uh huh," she moves closer, "so much."
"Wanna show me?"
"Depends. Do you want me to?"
"Do you want me to want you to?"
Bo laughs and shakes her head. It makes Lauren chuckle but before they can take things any further, Mrs. Adams leaves her house. Hastily locking her door behind her. "Show time."
...
They end up stoping at a small botique and Bo laughs when Lauren scrunches her nose in annoyance.
"You're not the shopping kind of girl?" She asks opening the door for the blonde, saving her a sanitizing episode.
"Too many people in too little a space." She walks in, Bo close behind her.
"Funny. I really would have pegged you to be into this kind of thing."
"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, Dennis." Lauren throws back at her, her eyes shining with mirth.
Bo laughs and grabs a scarf and slowly wraps it around the blonde. Lauren just stands there, breathing hard as Bo takes her time with the scarf, "the colour suits you." She says when she has it around the blonde's neck. Tucking a strand of hair behind Lauren's ear.
The blonde blushes behind a curtain of blonde hair. "Thanks."
Bo has never in her life had a more urgent need to kiss someone. And she's ready to when again, Mrs. Adams ruins the moment.
"Detectives?"
The both startle and turn to her. "Mrs. Adams." Bo gasps.
"So funny running into you here." Lauren supplies like the woman isn't the main reason they're in this store in the first place.
"Yes." She looks around uncomfortably, she clearly didn't expect this at all. "So- are you two shopping."
"Yeah. We're checking out scarves." Lauren lies. Rather badly to be honest.
Mrs. Adams smiles at her softly, "that's a nice one you have on."
"Oh, Bo chose it. She has great taste." Lauren looks at her as she says this and the brunette can't help but smile.
Mrs. Adams's smile grows more genuine. "You two together?"
Lauren looks stumped. Bo chuckles and takes the blonde's hand. "Not yet."
Lauren blushes like she always does and Bo has to hold back a laugh. She really is too cute.
"Well. Happy shopping. Nice seeing you around."
"You too, Mrs. Adams." Lauren says as the woman goes the opposit direction before Bo stops her by calling for her attention.
"Would you happen to know any home remedies for sea sickness?" She asks as innocently as she possibly can.
She tries to hide it as fast as she can, but Mrs. Adams's body tenses for a moment. "Sea sickness?"
"Yes." Lauren joins in. "Bo has a very bad case of it. And I noticed from your photos that you never were present when your daughter and husband went to the beach. We just assumed that's the reason."
"I-"
"And if it is," Bo cuts her off. "It would be so odd that you spent the whole night searching for Clere at the beach the day she went missing. That must have been hard for you."
"There's nothing I wouldn't do for my child." She answers them, her eyes hard.
Bo nods and holds Lauren's hand even tigher. "Of course. Sorry for keeping you. We'll just go pay for this. Have a great day Mrs. Adams."
She doesn't return the pleasantries.
...
Bo drives Lauren home and the blonde invites her in for coffee which turns into Lauren drinking more Dr. Pepper than Bo thinks is normal and developing the most adorable sugar high in all of existance and it has her laughing and talking more words than Bo thought she was capable of doing.
"You're really beautiful you know? Even for a succubus." She says, her hand tracing Bo's cheek.
The brunette takes her hand and kisses it. "Thank you."
Lauren sighs and slumps on the bed. Laying her head on Bo's lap.
"What?" The brunette asks around a chuckle. Her fingers threading through blonde hair.
"We can't even try to date. We're partners and it's against the rules."
"We've been breaking rules left, right and center." Bo reminds her, her tone full of amusement. "Besides, we'll only be partners for three more days. After that anything's fair game."
Lauren sits up. "So you'd date me?"
"I guess." Bo shrugs.
Lauren shoves her arm playfully. "Jerk." She makes as if to get up but Bo grabs her hand and pulls her back on the bed.
"Yes. I'd totally date you. Even though you use that god awful sanitizer that gives me actual migraines."
"Shut up." Lauren laughs. "Don't think I didn't see you sniffing it."
"I was making sure it really smells as awful as I remember it."
"And that's why you closed your eyes in bliss?"
"You're confusing bliss with pain." Bo deadpans and Lauren laughs. After her laughter dies down she just stares at Bo. All fond and shining eyes.
"I can't wait for this week to end."
Day 5
Lauren wakes up to find Bo's limbs entangled with hers, the brunette's arms holding her tightly. And her brother at her door, looking in with wide eyes.
"Ryan." She hisses. Thanking the heavens that she and Bo are covered and didn't sleep in the nude.
"Why is there a hot hot female in your bed?"
"Why are you in my room? Leave!"
"Is she single?"
"Ryan!"
"Well is she?"
"She's in my bed, does she look single?"
"How should I know?"He shrugs, seemingly losing all interest now that he knows the brunette is probably with his baby sister, "females are naturally touchy. You guys touch each other all the time."
Lauren sighs and counts her toes under her sheets. "What do you want, Ryan?"
"Oh, mom said to come tell you breakfast is ready and she'd like to eat with you today. Apparently she misses you or something. I don't even know why I mean you're-"
"Leave!" She throws a pillow at him and he closes the door to block it.
She's still plotting ways to get back at him when she feels someone shake with laughter beside her. "So that's what it's like to have siblings." Bo says in a sleep laced sexy voice.
Lauren rolls her eyes although a smile is tagging on her lips. "Shut up, Dennis."
.II
All through breakfast, Ryan stares at Bo and Lauren counts her toes in her head to keep from killing him.
Mrs. Lewis makes her famous omlette and asks Bo motherly questions as Ryan and Lauren glare at each other from across the table.
"You and my sister are going to make some fine ass lady babies. You know that, right?"
"Oh my god! Mom, tell him to stop!"
"It's a compliment." Ryan defends himself.
Bo looks at her food, clearly holding back a laugh. Mrs. Lewis isn't even hiding her amusement and Lauren's face is just burning right now.
"Keep your compliments to yourself." She says picking grapes from a bowl and throwing them at him.
"Real mature, Lauren."
"You're one to talk."
"Both of you, stop. You're making our guest uncomfortable."
"Actually, I'm really liking this. It's awesome." Bo offers unhelpfully and Lauren glares at her. She had been considering giving Bo some of her bacon but that's totally not happening anymore.
Ryan stretches his fist out and Bo bumps it like they're best friends or something. "I don't think I like you anymore." Lauren grumbles.
Bo smiles and kisses her cheek.
Her mom awws. Ryan gags. Lauren blushes.
...
Lauren's mom leaves before they finish breakfast. She tells Bo she hopes she'll be seeing her around more often and the brunette assures her that she definitley will before winking at Lauren.
She kisses her daughter's temple and whispers that she'll have to get her blushing under control then she tells her son that if he doesn't hurry he'll be late for work.
"Wait," Lauren's fork pauses midway towards her mouth, "work? You got a job?"
"Don't act so surprised."
"This is not surprised, this is happy." She gets up and hugs him. "I knew you could do it! Let's try not to mess this one up, yeah?"
"Shut up." He pushes her away although he's clearly happy with his achievement and her praise. "It's just a small time thing in some filthy rich people dog leash thing. It's no big deal."
"It is too. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks short stuff."
"I'm not short."
"You'll always be short to me." He ruffles her hair like she's six before picking an apple and rushing out. He stops at the kitchen door, "Hey, Hottie McHotstuff."
Lauren chuckles, "that's you." She says to Bo. The brunette turns to Ryan with wide eyes.
"Treat my baby sister right. She's hands down the most amazing person you'll ever have the fortune of meeting in your life."
Bo nods but doesn't say a word.
"Later losers."
Then he's gone.
III
Lauren doesn't know what they're supposed to do now. They have all these puzzle pieces but don't know how they fit together. Mostly because some vital pieces are still missing.
"I need a break." Bo groans after they've only been going through what they have for a few hours.
Lauren has learnt Bo doesn't really have that high of a tolerance for hard work.
"What do you wan to do then?" She asks, her hands running up and down the brunette's thigh.
"I could think of a couple of things."
"Like what?"
"Why don't you come up here and let me show you."
"Why don't you come down here and show me."
Bo gives her a sexy smile. "Don't tempt me."
"I would never." Lauren says in a low voice and Bo is clearly ready to come down when the door opens and closes and the mood is gone.
Bo groans loudly and slumps back on the couch. "Someone up there hates me."
Lauren giggles and kisses her temple before getting up. "Ry? Is that you?"
"Yeah."
"Why are you home so early?"
"First day. Half day." He explains carelessly. "What's for lunch."
"Anything you're capable of making for yourself." She throws at him and he flips her the bird. She sees the marks on his arms and her mind immidiately flashes back to the days ago.
They look just like them.
"What's that?" She asks, walking to him and grabbing his hand.
"What's what?" He's clearly irritated.
"These marks. Where did you get them?"
"From some guys at work. We were playing the muscle game and they tied on the leashes around my arm. God. You need to chill."
She doesn't even hear that last part, her mind is already working on overdrive. "You said that leash company you work for is exclusive for the filthy rich."
"I guess."
"Don't guess, Ry. Be certain."
"Yes. Okay?"
"And it's the only one of it's kind?"
"It's a new company. They just started."
She nods. "I'm going to need you to write the name of the company and the adress down for me. Bo." She calls walking to the living room. "Let's go."
"New lead?" The brunette asks, already getting up.
"I hope so."
...
Again, Bo's skill comes to use when they have to thrall one of the company's employees so they can get to the files that Lauren needs.
"What are we looking for?"
Bo asks, leaning at the back of Lauren's seat.
"Leashes sold somewhere between June and August. The marks on Ry's arm today and the ones on Clere's neck are exactly the same. It can't be a coincidence."
She quickly opens files as Bo hears footsteps and goes to the door, thralling the guard who just arrived. "Could you hurry it up? They'll send another soon and I can only keep them in this state of adoring me for so long."
"Got it." Lauren smiles when she sees the Adams's adress. They had a package delivered on Thirtieth June. She's never been more glad for her sharp memory.
She prints out the page and folds it before closing all the tabs she was using and getting up. In a bout of pure joy and adrenaline, she hugs Bo and gives her a happy kiss on the cheek. The brunette laughs. "What was that for?"
"For being amazing? Say, do you feel like going to the beach?"
"Right now?"
"No time like the present."
...
"What exactly are we looking for here?"
Bo asks as they slowly walk in the sand.
"We'll know when we find it. Besides, why are you complaining. This is romantic, right?"
"I don't like the sand in my toes."
Lauren srunches her nose, "why?"
"It's annoying."
"You really are odd." She says fondly. Wondering how she went from not wanting to work wiht this girl to loving every second of it.
"I wear my oddness with pride." Bo jokes before turning serious. "You taking me sailing, Lewis?"
"Is that your thing?" Lauren asks as they head to the boats."
Bo shrugs, "with you, it could be."
Lauren's heart does a cute little flip. "Well, I don't know how to sail. But I'm sure it isn't that hard and I'm willing to learn for you."
Bo smiles and holds her hand tighter. "I'll hold you to that. Really though, why are we here?"
"To ask a few questions." Lauren says, heading to the guy she sees there. "Hi."
He looks up, his eyes lighting up like a christmas tree when he sees two incredibly hot girls. "Hey. He licks his lips. "You ladies interested in sailing?"
"We might be." Lauren says with a smile. Hoping Bo will catch on and play along, which she does.
"Are there any rentals here?" The brunette asks looking around.
"Of course. We have lots of rentals."
"What about that one?" Lauren points at 'Clere'
"Clere? Nah, she's private property."
"Pity," Bo pouts a little, "she's a beauty."
"Sure is."
"When's the last time she sailed?"
"Uh," he seems to be thinking, "she left the docks for a while first week of August. Hasn't left since then. Not that that's surprising given the hard times the Adams are going through."
"Yeah. Really hard times." Lauren nods. Then gives it a second before she asks. "Was it on the fourth? That last day when she left the docks."
"Probably. Yeah." He nods. "Why so many questions about Clere though?"
"No reason. She's just beautiful and we were trying to learn about her. We'll be leaving now. We'll contact you about that rental later on." Bo excuses them. Pulling Lauren away. "So?" She asks when they're out of earshot.
"I think we just found the last piece of the puzzle."
IV
Mrs. Adams is just leaving the house with parked bags when Lauren jumps out of the car ad Bo is finishing her phonecall.
"It's over, Mrs. Adams." She says softly. Not wanting to spook her.
"You again." The woman says with wide eyes. "Out of my way. I don't have time for you today."
"I'm afraid you can't leave." Bo appeares. Blocking her way.
Mrs. Adams sighs. "What do you want?"
"We know your husband killed your daughter. He found out she wasn't his, when she needed that transfusion or maybe later? Or even earlier."
"And he got angry-" Bo adds. "Because he loved her. He loved her enough to name his most prized possesion after her."
"So that day after she'd left her friends to hang out with strangers, she saw him, and because he's her father, she went to him."
"He hid her. For weeks and he tortured her, then he killed her."
"You can't prove this." The woman says, cutting Bo off.
"We couldn't, at first, we found this," Lauren removes the copy of the document that proves Mrs. Adams bought the new expensive leash. "You bought one of this exclusive leashes for your husband. The marks on Clere's body have a pattern similar to those that belong exclusively to these leashes."
"You knew he killed her the moment you saw the body." It's Bo who cut in. Her voice almost sympathetic.
"The leash that you'd bought him was tied around her neck. The fact that whoever did it was left handed, judging by the wounds and how the knots were tied."
"How do you-" she starts to ask but Lauren cuts her off.
"From the photos." The blonde offers a sad smile. "It's really easy to tell he favours his left hand."
"Well then-" she suddenly seems to regain her composure. "Go find him. Arrest him."
"We would-"
"If you hadn't killed him."
"I didn't-"
"Yes you did." Lauren doesn't know why she doesn't want to be doing this. It doesn't feel as good as she thought it would. "You killed him the moment you found out what he'd done."
"He killed my child." She says finally. "He killed my Clere."
"Mrs. Adams." Bo tries to make her voice gentle but she steps back.
"And I'd do it again. I wish I'd made him suffer as much as he made my Clere suffer. I should have tortured him for weeks for what he did. I was too merciful."
Both Bo and Lauren don't know what to say as the woman in front of them finally breaks down.
Day 6
Evony is hella surprised that they managed to solve the case, much less in such little time.
Bo doesn't get it. She and Lauren are fucking brilliant. How dare The Dean expect anything less?
Lauren smiles at the 'A' that she gets and Bo thinks it's just the most adorable thing how real and extreme Lauren's fear for 'F' is.
They still don't know if they'll ever talk of Wendy Adams. Neither of them know what they would have done had they been in her shoes. Lauren has confessed that she doesn't feel any pride in solving the case. She's only glad the truth about Clere was found out. But she doesn't know if she's ready to condem Wendy yet.
Bo feels exactly the same.
"About our date." She says, both to steer them from the Adams talk and because she wants to talk about it.
Apparently Lauren decided that she doesn't kiss before she's been dined and now everytime Bo so much as looks at her lips she feels like she's going crazy.
"What about it?" Lauren asks with faux innocence.
"How do you want it to be?"
"Whatever do you mean?" She says with a Victorian era voice and it makes Bo's heart flip and her voice come out in a fond laugh.
Lauren smiles and caresses her cheek.
"I'm serious, Lauren. Do you want it to be formal or casual or-" she doesn't get to finish her sentence because suddenly soft lips are on hers and Lauren's tongue is asking for entrance which Bo gives gladly. She pulls away a bit, a smile making it's way to her lips. "I thought you didn't kiss before the first date." She teases.
Lauren cups her cheeks. "For you, I'll make an exception."
...
Fin.
...
I can't believe I completed this challenge. Lord! This was hard. If it sucked..I don't even know. I just hope it didn't.