Title: A Christmas Faeble
Authors: hbomba & lonejaguar
Rating: M
Summary: Lauren wrestles with an important decision while trapped with Bo and Kenzi at Christmas.

Navigating the stairs was the hardest. Truth be told, the whole exercise of vacating a succubus' bedroom without waking her up was one that required immense strategy, but it was the stairs that always posed the biggest hurdle. It was no secret that the condition of the building wouldn't have passed an inspection even twenty years ago. The plumbing and electrical were shaky at best and the structural integrity of what walls existed was questionable. The stairs were uneven, rickety, and any one of the thirteen steps could make or break her escape. The third, seventh and ninth were the noisiest. If you kept to the left on the eighth and tenth, you could avoid the clacking of the loose tread. Lauren made everything a science. From extracting herself from Bo's embrace, to moving through the bedroom and bathroom, to stepping gingerly down the ancient flight of stairs. Lauren planned, measured and executed each and every moment in her life. Now she found herself lost, without structure or direction and she couldn't figure out if she was happy to be free or not.

She stood in the large lower floor and looked over the empty space. She shivered against the cold. A building with no walls meant a building without insulation after all. Walking over to the couch, she picked up a discarded hoodie and slid her arms through the sleeves. She glanced toward the stairs and listened to the silence. Satisfied she had been successful, Lauren moved to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. It was about 5am, but you couldn't tell from inside these walls. She'd been staying with Bo and Kenzi for a couple of weeks, providing whatever assistance she could give to help them with their cases. Which wasn't much considering her access to the fae labs had gone along with her indefinite contract. Lauren stood in front of the coffee maker and sighed, hooking a finger around the handle of her empty mug.

Everyone always hopes for an extended vacation, a long weekend. Lauren only ever thought of her freedom, a time where she didn't to ask permission to take a walk and then be followed the entire way just to make sure she wasn't planning an escape. It impressed her that they thought of her in that way. But she wasn't one to make a rash decision and take off from her captors, running blindly through streets she wasn't familiar with. She had a plan, of course. Lauren smiled and poured fresh coffee into the mug. She never had a chance to use it, the situation needed never presenting itself without it being too obvious. It didn't matter anymore, anyway.

Taking her coffee to the front door, she pushed through the doors and squinted her eyes at the sun that just barely peeked over the freeway on the other side of the lot. Lauren filled her lungs with cold air and walked down the steps to the Camaro. These early mornings weren't a result of not sleeping well. Ever since her sentence had been lifted and she'd been staying at the clubhouse, she'd never slept better. Whether she attributed that to the stress being lifted, or spending almost all of her time with Bo, she wasn't quite ready to admit.

Lauren leaned against the front of the car and held the cup close to her chest. It was colder than she'd expected and she considered going back inside. Though the ground was bare, she could see a few snow flakes begin to fall. She looked at the sea of concrete and fencing in front of her, the whoosh of cars over the freeway overpasses just starting as the day's commuters tried to beat rush hour. Lauren sipped the coffee, feeling it's warmth against her throat. She should be freed by this, this new-found independence. But instead she came out to the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse to enjoy her morning coffee. She laughed at herself. The truth behind her meditation against an aged muscle car wasn't boredom or aimlessness.

"Hey."

Lauren turned quickly to see Bo descending the stairs, recognizing the t-shirt and sweater from the evening before. Bo's arms wrapped around her body, seemingly keeping the cardigan closed against the gusts of wind.

"Hi." Lauren smiled as Bo leaned against the car next to her. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I was awake before you left," Bo replied, looking at their feet. "I was just waiting until you made coffee."

Lauren's lips curled into another smile. "Ah." She handed her cup over. Bo sipped the coffee, regarding Lauren carefully, and handed it back.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah." Lauren smiled again. "I'm fine, I'm…great."

"Lauren, you're having coffee in front of broken and rusty industrial equipment and barbed wire. It's hardly scenic."

Lauren looked inside the cup in her hands and back to Bo. Lying had become a too often used tool to stop the questions and it wasn't something she wanted to do anymore. "It's not…" Lauren started and stopped again. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I started looking for a place to live," she said, setting the mug down.

Bo frowned and the expression in her eyes was exactly what Lauren was hoping to avoid. "I don't understand," she said. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Lauren moved the mug further away and turned to face Bo. "No, it's nothing, it's just, I can't keep interfering with you and Kenzi."

"You're not interfering."

Lauren smiled and put her hand on Bo's thigh. "You'd be too kind to say otherwise, Bo."

"I wouldn't!" Bo covered Lauren's hand, her fingers curling underneath. "I'm not that nice, I'd tell you for sure."

"I need a place of my own, Bo." Lauren looked out over the graveyard of machinery beyond the chain link fence. "I've lived under other people's roofs for too long." She watched Bo nod in surrender, glancing at their hands. "We're fine," Lauren said softly. "I need to do this." She pulled at Bo's hand until she leaned forward. Lauren kissed Bo gently, their lips barely touching. It was a promise more than anything. That Lauren wasn't trying to get out or get away, just that she needed her own space after not having any for so long. Bo's fingers pushed carefully into Lauren's hair.

"Seriously." The exclamation from Kenzi broke the women apart. "Can you guys keep your hands off each other for two seconds?" She stomped down the stairs, clad in pajamas and rubber boots. Lauren smirked and looked at the hood of the car, unable to look at Kenzi. "Jesus," Kenzi sighed, shoving Bo's cell phone at her. "It's Dyson, he needs to talk to you."

Bo pushed herself off the hood and took the phone, wandering a few feet away. Lauren could feel the car shift as Kenzi took Bo's place, making sure to jostle it a little more than necessary.

"Morning, Kenzi," Lauren said.

"Try something new last night, Doc? I heard you went into extra innings."

"Hold on a sec," Bo said into her phone before lowering it and swatted at Kenzi. Bo pointed a finger at her.

Lauren stood, then, looking into her coffee cup before walking toward the clubhouse. "Too early, Kenzi."

"Too early?" she called after Lauren. "I'm just getting warmed up." Kenzi threw up her hands.

Lauren retreated to the interior which was scarcely warmer than the outdoors. She refilled her mug and settled onto the couch. She lifted a book from the table and put her feet up. Bo and Kenzi came in noisily, heading for the coffee maker.

"What did Dyson want?" Kenzi asked eagerly.

"Oh, nothing," Bo replied, pouring coffee into the mug Kenzi held out in front of her. "Someone broke into this store on Light Fae territory." She filled her own mug and sipped it carefully. "Wanted to know if we knew anything about it."

Kenzi snatched the remote from the coffee table before depositing herself in the middle of couch, next to Lauren. She brought the television to life, Scooby Doo and the gang filling the clubhouse with noise. Lauren rolled her eyes at the book in her hands and looked up at Bo who waved Kenzi off the couch and into the chair.

"And do you know anything?" Lauren said.

"Nah." Bo flopped onto the cushions. "I'm trying to lay low. It's almost Christmas."

It was two days to Christmas in fact and the clubhouse was decked out with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that Kenzi and Bo had rescued from a dumpster a few days earlier. There were a few presents beneath the sad, little tree, heavy with ornaments and Garland was strewn around the television.

"Ah, Christmas, nothing but a holiday to stimulate commerce. Bah humbug, I say!"

"Actually," Lauren interjected. "Christmas has a long and storied history. Did you know it was Charles Dickens who is responsible for reviving the spirit of Christmas and portraying Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion?"

"Good grief, Linus," Kenzi said. "You managed to suck the joy right out of that, Doc."

Bo rolled her eyes at Kenzi and elbowed her. "Anyway," Bo continued. "I just want to chill out for the holidays this year."

"I've been meaning to ask you Bo-Bo, what's shaking for New Year's Eve? Drinks at the Dal? Pub crawl?"

"I, uh-" She looked at Lauren. "I don't know."

"What's the matter?" Kenzi sipped her coffee and peered over her cup at Bo. "Gotta check with mom?"

Bo looked at Lauren and then back at her. "Kenz-"

Kenzi had been needling Lauren for about as long as she had been staying there. She had ignored most of it but some days Lauren found it maddening. Kenzi had become more adversarial once she started noticing that Lauren was taking more of Bo's time. When they were in the same room, Lauren was on edge, an air of competition surrounded them.

"Does the television always have to be on?" Lauren grumped.

Kenzi feigned surprise. "A healthy diet of cartoons and MTV has shown to-"

"Decrease one's IQ?"

"No-" Kenzi defended, "It increases your imagination."

"I bet you couldn't go twenty-four hours without your Scooby fix."

"You're on, Doc." Kenzi stood, pointed the remote at the television dramatically and clicked it off. "Here." She said handing Lauren the remote. "Do what you must. I'll be in my room."

Kenzi disappeared around the corner leaving Lauren holding the remote in the air. She sighed and put it on the table, returning to the book in her lap. It wasn't that she didn't like Kenzi - Kenzi was sharp, fiercely loyal and compassionate - it was the amount of energy needed to interact with her. Lauren still wasn't used to it yet.

"She grows on you." Bo's voice pulled her from the book's pages.

Lauren looked at her and then back to the pages again, staring at random words, hoping for some of them to form an appropriate response. She hummed, classic Lauren. "I know," she added. She closed her eyes, disappointed in herself. "It's just…" Her voice lowered, conscious of Kenzi in the next room. "She's just a bit much, sometimes."

"Tell me about it." Bo took the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her legs. It felt like the temperature had dropped from the time they'd walked in a few moments earlier. She rubbed her hands together.

"This is what I mean, Bo." Lauren held the book in one hand, her finger keeping the page as she gestured at the television. She sighed. "I need space, I have to be able to retreat somewhere and relax without inconveniencing anyone."

Bo's expression was stoic, but her eyes were hurt when she nodded and smiled. "I understand." She pulled the blanket off her lap and offered the space next to her. "After Christmas," she said as Lauren scooted closer and leaned into Bo's side. "I'll help you look."

Lauren pulled the rest of the blanket over her legs and opened the book again, happy for the peace and quiet, but not feeling quite as relaxed as she could be. Why wasn't she happier about living on her own again? She fantasized about it constantly, but was suddenly second guessing the long held desire. Truth was, she was a little daunted by all of the changes happening in her life. She had been dependent on a supporting cast of guards and co-workers before she met Bo. Now, Lauren found herself surrounded by drafty walls that probably contained some percentage of asbestos and the warm embrace of a succubus. She wasn't sure if she was settling or if this was an upgrade to the dream she had held.

"Oh my Gooood." Kenzi stretched her arms over her head as she emerged from her bedroom and shuffled into the kitchen. Bo watched her from a stool at the bar, wine glass in hand. "Is it morning yet?" She sobbed dramatically.

"We can end this now, Kenzi." Lauren placed a tray of muffins on the stove and slid another inside before closing the oven door again.

Kenzi narrowed her eyes. "Hi-larious, Doctor." Lauren smirked and shrugged, taking a sip from her own wine glass. Score one for the doctor. "Booooo," Kenzi whined, her arms dangling uselessly as she shuffled over to her friend. "I'm so bored."

"Kenzi, you've been asleep for ten hours." Bo gestured to the sea of Chinese take-out on the other half of the bar. "You missed dinner."

"Ooh!" Kenzi sorted through the boxes. "Any mooshu?" She picked out a couple and tucked them under her arm.

"See you for Saturday morning cartoons, Kenz." Lauren said from behind her glass.

"Lauren," Kenzi started with a warning tone. She reached over the Chinese food and grabbed a muffin from the pan. She took a bite and her eyes closed, a faint moan escaped her. "If you didn't make… the most delicious muffins and cupcakes I have ever had in my life…" Kenzi pointed at Lauren and spun on her heels, marching back to her bedroom.

Lauren jerked awake aware of someone standing over her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She blinked and met the four eyes of Kenzi's bunny slippers.

"Whadidya do to the TV, Doc?" Kenzi whispered menacingly.

Lauren groaned and pulled the sheet up to her neck. "Kenzi it's five in the morning."

"Bet's over. I'm missing Frosty the Snowman. I repeat: What did you do to the TV?"

"What? Nothing." Lauren furrowed her brow. Once she looked, Lauren didn't notice any lights in the bedroom. There was always a lamp on in the corner or a light in the bathroom. Not today. "Is the power on?"

"What?" Kenzi tapped her bunny slipper on the floor impatiently, adjusting her ear muffs and blowing into her mittens. "I don't know."

Lauren looked over her shoulder at Bo, who remained asleep despite the cartoon addict's ranting. "Go check." Lauren stuck an arm out from under the sheet and shooed her away.

"What did she want?" Bo grumbled.

"The television isn't working, apparently."

"You didn't…?"

"Why does everybody think that I would do that?" Lauren spoke to the ceiling.

"You can't be nice all the time, Lauren." Bo smiled sleepily.

Kenzi came bounding up the stairs. "They must have figured out that we hard-wired into their grid."

"What?" Lauren asked.

"She means we must have forgotten to pay the bill," Bo clarified, narrowing her eyes at Kenzi.

"Hey Bo-Bo, fancy a snuggle? I'm f-f-freezing out here." Kenzi's teeth chattered. "Scoot over, Doc." Kenzi grabbed the sheet and Lauren gathered it up around herself.

"Uh…" Bo caught the horrified look in Lauren's eye. "You're really not going to want to do that, Kenz."

"Why? Wait." Kenzi gestured wildly. "Are you naked under there?" She scrunched her face. "What is wrong with you? Do you know how cold it is in here?"

"My nipples do," Bo said with a straight face.

"Bo!" Kenzi exclaimed. Lauren pulled the sheet over her head as Kenzi turned and walked to the stairs. "I'm going back to bed… Try to keep it down."

Bo smiled lopsidedly as Kenzi disappeared from sight. Lauren threw her legs over the edge of the bed, her feet landing on the icy-cold wood floor. Grabbing the t-shirt and hoodie within arm's reach, she dressed quickly, eager to retain as much body heat as she could. She pulled on a pair of jeans and thick wool socks and sighed. She looked over at Bo who had forgone her usual kimono for a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. She pulled a sweater around her shoulders.

"This better just be a breaker." Bo walked in front of Lauren and led the way down stairs. She checked the coffee maker on the main floor to find it without power. Grabbing the flashlight from a kitchen drawer, she headed down the other set of stairs to the breaker box in the basement. Lauren shined the flashlight over Bo's shoulder as she tried each switch. Nothing. They trudged back up the stairs and out the front door. Bo was only meaning to look at the highway to see if the lights were out but instead found the reason for the outage.

Three feet of snow blanketed the city and the city was dark. Bo looked for the Camaro, but could only see a large hump in the snow where she usually parked it. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon. The wind blew through her, chilling Bo to her bones.

"Brrr. Let's get inside."

"Jesus, did someone open a window?" Kenzi walked into the room, pulling the third sweater around her body. "Why is it so cold in here? What's with all the candles?"

"Electricity, Kenzi," Lauren reminded her from the kitchen. "Or did you forget this morning?"

Kenzi held up a hand. "Oh please, I can't unsee that."

"Gimme a hand, Kenz." Bo's voice floated in from the vestibule outside the front door. She handed a few logs of wood to Kenzi who walked them over to the fireplace.

Lauren walked over to the back of the couch, rubbing her arms. "Does that thing even work?"

Bo brushed off her pants and got to her feet. "We had it fixed up last year just in case, but never used it." She started with an old newspaper from the table and started taking it apart, crumpling and twisting the pages.

"If we have no power," Kenzi started, her hands on her hips, "why don't we just go to the Dal?"

"We're snowed in, Kenzi." Bo nestled a few logs on the pile of paper. "We can't go anywhere."

"Are you kidding?" Kenzi disappeared out the door and returned in less than a minute. "Are there no snowplows in this city?" She began to pace to and from the kitchen. "I can't believe we're stuck here. What are we going to do? What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink?"

"Take it easy, Kenzi," Lauren said, watching the drama unfold. "I'm sure this is just temporary, they'll have the power on soon enough. Besides, we have plenty to eat."

"I have to call Dyson." Kenzi picked up her phone and dialed hastily. She tapped her foot. "Dyson? It's Kenzi. I need and evac asap." Kenzi cradled her phone and paced in front of Bo and Lauren. "Uh huh." Kenzi shook her head. "I understand that but can't you call in a favor and get me the hell out of here? I have an appointment at the Dal with a bottle of buckthorne. Please-" Kenzi dropped her arms to her sides and groaned.

"What no airlift?" Lauren deadpanned.

"You," Kenzi strode up to Lauren. "If I could have watched TV last night, we would have known this was coming."

"Kenzi," Bo warned.

"We could have gone to get flashlights and food and… booze."

"You're actually blaming me for this?" Lauren repeated.

"Yes I'm blaming you and your… experiments." Kenzi's arms waved in the air. "I'm freezing my ass off!"

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest. "And I'm not?"

"Oh please," Kenzi rolled her eyes. "I bet rolling around naked with Bo makes it better."

"Kenzi!" Bo barked.

Lauren scoffed and looked to the ceiling for assistance. "You're looking a little green, Kenzi, are you feeling okay?"

Bo's eyes widened. "Lauren!" she admonished.

Kenzi adjusted her earmuffs and stomped up to the doctor. "I'm fine," she snarled. "But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't want you to look after me. I can't afford to over pay you for your services, anyway."

"In that case, maybe we should settle the tab from the last three times I've saved your ass."

"Hey!" Bo yelled. Lauren and Kenzi jumped at the sound and turned to Bo who stood in front of a smoldering fireplace, her hands black from newsprint. "Everybody… just calm down." Bo picked up the fireplace poker and adjusted the logs which had begun to crackle. The fire shimmered against Bo's face. When she was satisfied the fire had enough to go on its own, Bo dropped the poker by the hearth and disappeared up the stairs without another word.