I Don't Need A Chapel; All I Need Is You
AN: I daydreamed, I sneezed, fic happened. Seriously, I have no idea where this came from. I'm still baby Fae in the Lost Girl fandom, so please forgive any and all OOC, especially in Tamsin's case.
It only makes sense to hold the ceremony at the Dal. Even more so to hold it in Trick's "Lair," as Kenzi will always call it, for that's where all of them have spent so much time – even Tamsin. And that's where the Valkyrie is now, kneeling nervously across from Bo as Trick stands before them, Kenzi and Hale looking on from the couch.
It is a strange group, to be sure. The officiate is a Light Fae who happens to be the Blood King; the participants are a Dark Valkyrie and an unaligned succubus; and the witnesses are the Ash and the succubus's sort-of-claimed human. But the Ash condones it and the new Morrigan couldn't care less, though he almost fell over laughing when he heard the news. Conspicuous by their absence are a certain shifter and doctor, neither of them wanting to reopen old wounds. But they are still happy for them.
Tamsin's eyes have yet to leave Bo's. The Valkyrie is anxious, but the succubus's smile is blinding and her eyes shine with the same overwhelming joy that fills Tamsin's heart. Tamsin can't help but smile in return, even as she still has trouble believing that all of this is real.
"Join your hands," comes Trick's soft voice, and the two women obey, reaching to each other and clasping their right hands between them. "We gather here in the sanctity of the Gods to proclaim the union of these Fae."
It was Tamsin, reborn and renewed, who saved Bo.
Dyson had been there when the Valkyrie's life cycle ended and the next began. He had pulled himself and Tamsin's body from the wreckage, laying her across the rocks and all but howling with despair. He later described to the others how her body started to crack, beams of light shining through each fissure that appeared. Pieces of her form fell away like an eggshell and vanished into smoke until only a swirling mass of light was left behind, writhing and twisting as it tried to take form. A thunderous crack of sound and blinding radiance forced Dyson to look away, and when he opened his eyes again, a naked Tamsin was glaring at him and asking him snarkily if he liked what he saw. Hale was kind enough to bring the Valkyrie a set of clothes when he came to their rescue.
Once Taft's compound was raided and Lauren's true involvement revealed, the Light Fae were outraged by the Morrigan's trickery at Hale's ceremony, nearly staging an attack against the Dark Fae. Hale was able to quell the revolt, but it still ended with Evony's death, and Vex of all people took her place. Despite his vicious personality and sick sense of humour (or perhaps because of it), he proved to be a fine man for the job.
Tamsin and Kenzi had been the ones to find the card containing both the Wanderer and Bo. Kenzi refused to let the card out of her sight, keeping it close to her heart in her jacket pocket. Even as she and Trick searched through his many books for a way to rescue the succubus, Kenzi would stop every few minutes to make sure the card was still there. In the meantime, Tamsin raided the Dark Archives while Dyson, Lauren, and Hale scoured the Light Archives in search of any information that would lead them to Bo. Their combined efforts led them to a spell that revealed Tarot Realms ("Dude, Tarot cards are realms?!" Kenzi had fallen over) and how to traverse them.
If Hale hadn't been sworn in as the Ash and had access to all his resources, they might not have been able to do it. With materials from both the Ash and Trick, the group was able to create a portal to the Wanderer's Realm. Tamsin had a longsword strapped to her side and was ready to kick ass when Dyson announced that he would be the one to enter the realm. He was just about to step into the portal that had been opened in the main room of the Dal before Tamsin kicked him aside and dove in herself.
The Valkyrie arrived on the cliff to find Bo having a knockdown drag-out with her father, striking out with her dagger as he swung with his walking stick. Distracted by Tamsin's sudden entrance, the succubus found her feet swept out from under her, the Wanderer's foot on her chest. He was about to bring the walking stick down on her head when he was parried by Tamsin's blade, the clash of steel echoing across the cliff top. When the Wanderer looked up, it was into the true face of a Valkyrie.
Tamsin barely felt it when the wings emerged from her back, even as they tore through the skin of her shoulders and extended to their full length. The Wanderer could only stare in horror as he was consumed by the fear projecting from the Valkyrie's skeletal visage. The last thing he saw was her vicious smile before she arced her sword through his neck.
Both women were silent as the body crumpled to the ground. Tamsin wiped her sword on the Wanderer's jacket before sheathing it, then offered her hand to Bo. The succubus took it, letting the Valkyrie help her to her feet. "I…" she tried. "I should've…" she gestured to the sword.
Tamsin shook her head. "No one should have to kill their own father."
Slowly, Bo nodded, looking back at the Wanderer's body one last time before turning her gaze to Tamsin. Though Bo had seen her true face before, Tamsin expected the succubus to be fearful of her with her spread wings and darkened features. Instead, Bo was looking at her like she was the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen. The succubus almost said as much, but the words caught in her throat, and she settled for pulling the Valkyrie into a tight embrace. Tamsin's face returned to normal and her wings retreated as she held Bo close. It scared her how relieved she felt having the succubus in her arms, but she forced herself not to dwell on it, instead cherishing the moment for what it was.
"Come on, succubus," the Valkyrie said as she threw an arm around Bo's shoulders, leading her to the portal. "Let's go home."
Bo's hand is warm in hers – warm and comforting as she gently rubs her thumb along Tamsin's skin. Tamsin's heart is pounding in her chest. She still can't believe she's here – still can't believe that everything she never knew she longed for is happening in that moment. Valkyries weren't meant for this, she had tried to explain to Bo, but Bo hadn't cared. She had told her that she wasn't just a Valkyrie; she was Tamsin. Tamsin believes her, now, unable to take her gaze away from the succubus.
Bo has never been a fan of white, and it just doesn't suit her the way dark colors do. So she kneels before Tamsin in a long black dress, the silken fabric pooling over her heels. The succubus had insisted that Tamsin dress as she always did, and so the Valkyrie is clad in her usual tight jeans and tank top, her leather jacket a deep red. She has left her hair down at Bo's insistence, and the succubus can't help but admire how the blonde waves shimmer in the firelight.
Despite the gravity of the ceremony, there is still a casual yet intimate air. Neither woman wanted a large fanfare or grand announcement. It's enough for them just to have their friends – their family – by their side.
Bo barely hears the traditional words her grandfather is reciting, even as every word brings her closer to everything she's ever wanted.
What had been months in the real world had only been minutes to Bo in the Wanderer's Realm, so she was a little startled when she stepped out of the portal and everyone tried to hug her at once. She pushed them all away – even Kenzi – but continued to let the Valkyrie support her, to Dyson and Lauren's particular chagrin. Bo had been the one to set fire to the Wanderer card, severing her connection to him forever. Fortune tellers around the world were extremely baffled when the figure of the Wanderer went missing from their Tarot cards.
Bo kept to herself after her ordeal, spending all her time at the crack shack/clubhouse in a state of morose listlessness. Dyson and Lauren had both tried to get her back, but whatever love Bo had felt for either of them was long gone, and she told them both as much. Kenzi was her constant through her confusion and grief, holding Bo tight every time she cried, listening to the rant about her time in the Tarot Realm as many times as Bo needed to rant about it, and bringing her best friend as much ice cream as she needed. When Bo grew weak from her refusal to feed, it was Tamsin Kenzi called first.
For the first time in her many lives, Tamsin let someone else take the lead. She let Bo throw her to the bed, let Bo kiss and bite and mark every inch of her skin, let Bo take her hard without a single sarcastic reply or taunt. She gave Bo what she needed until both women were exhausted, gasping for air in the aftershocks of their release. Stripped to their most vulnerable states, Bo had begun to cry, clinging to the Valkyrie as if never to let her go.
"It's ok, Bo," Tamsin murmured, stroking her hair. "I've got you."
Trick wraps the long strip of white silk around their wrists, tying a loose knot and letting the ends fall to each side. Bo can barely breathe, and Tamsin is having the same predicament. The blonde blurs in Bo's vision, and it takes the succubus a moment to realize that she's crying. Without a word, the Valkyrie gently wipes her tears away.
In public, Tamsin was as snarky and sarcastic as ever, kicking Dyson's ass at pool and spending quality time with her favorite vodka. Bo was just as indifferent, speaking to the Valkyrie in passing but otherwise ignoring her. In the privacy of Tamsin's apartment or the clubhouse, things were different. Each night together became less about frantic feeding and more about tender passion. Bo brought out the softer side of Tamsin and Tamsin brought out strength in Bo the succubus didn't realize she had. The first time they woke up cuddling in each other's arms, the Valkyrie made Bo swear on pain of death that she wouldn't tell a soul. Bo had just laughed and kissed her, making Tamsin forget why cuddling was such a bad thing.
Kenzi figured it out first, cornering Tamsin one morning as she was leaving the clubhouse. "Bitch, if you break her heart, I will break your body," she growled at the Valkyrie. Rather than snap back at the human, Tamsin stunned the Russian girl by smiling at her and promising she wouldn't. The moment the blonde had closed the door behind her, Kenzi clomped up the stairs to Bo's bedroom and laid on the Spanish Inquisition. Bo was just as surprised by the Valkyrie's reaction and in turn cornered her at the Dal later for an explanation.
"Who are you and what have you done with Tamsin?"
Tamsin smirked as she lined up her pool cue, knowing exactly what Bo was referring to. "What can I say? Your pet brings out the worst in me. Now move, succubitch, you're blocking my shot." Bo's delighted grin at this response made Dyson wonder if she was suffering some sort of PTSD. Kenzi almost fell off her barstool trying not to laugh.
"If there are any words you might speak in the presence of the Gods, let them be heard."
Bo was the one who said it first.
She and Tamsin had just trudged into the Valkyrie's apartment after a particularly vicious fight with a pair of morags. Both women were absolutely furious with each other.
"Dammit, Bo, you do not just jump in front of me when all you have is that shitty little dagger of yours! I was perfectly capable of handling myself!" Tamsin shouted as she discarded her sword, not caring where it landed or what it hit.
"Ex-cuse me, but that bitch was about to take your head off before I deflected her!" Bo snapped back, shoving said dagger back in its sheath.
"I was fine, dammit! I could've parried perfectly well by myself!"
"Oh? And what about the one about to jump on you from behind, huh? What about that one?!"
"If I wasn't busy saving your ass, she wouldn't have gotten the jump on me!"
"Well, I'm sorry for wanting to protect you!" Bo spread her arms in mock supplication.
"You should be! Worry about yourself, dammit! Why should you even bother worrying about me?"
"Because I love you, Tamsin! I am always going to worry about you and always protect you no matter what!"
Silence didn't fall as much as it crashed. Both women stood frozen, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at each other as the vehement sincerity behind Bo's declaration sank in. Tamsin moved first, taking shaky steps forward until she could cradle the succubus's face in her hands.
"God, Bo, don't you get it? I love you, too. I wasn't angry that you jumped in front of me; I was scared. I don't know what I would've done if you… I will always protect you."
The tension broke as both women did, dropping their guards and crying into each other's shoulders with exhaustion and relief. They said the words over and over again, between sobs and kisses and touches and gasps and waves of bliss.
Hours later, tangled in each other's embrace, Bo lay her hand over Tamsin's heart. "My Tamsin," she whispered.
The Valkyrie mirrored the gesture, her palm soothing against the succubus's skin. "My Bo."
Grasping their right hands more tightly beneath the silken cloth, smiles widening, Tamsin and Bo lift their left hands and press their palms over their own hearts. "Yours," they murmur at the same time before reaching out and laying their hands over each other's hearts. "Mine." Diamonds sparkle on both their ring fingers.
Tamsin had tried to propose first, she had. But Bo had beaten her to the punch, dropping on one knee before the Valkyrie and holding up a diamond ring. Trick had given it to her, saying it was her grandmother's. Bo had tried to decline, but Trick had insisted that Isabeau would have wanted her to have it and would've approved of Tamsin as much as he did. The admission and her grandfather's accompanying smile had stunned Bo, and the succubus told him how honored she felt and how she hoped she would make her grandparents proud. Both Trick and Bo had claimed dust when they had to wipe their eyes.
The Valkyrie gaped at the kneeling succubus, who was becoming more and more uncomfortable and worried by the second. "…Tamsin?"
It was the blonde's turn to wipe her eyes. "Dammit, Bo," she choked. Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out a ring box and slid to her knees before the woman she loved. "You couldn't have let the warrior Fae do it?" she asked as she opened the box to reveal a simple but gorgeous engagement ring.
Bo couldn't believe what she was seeing. "So…that's a yes, then?"
The Valkyrie laughed through tears she would never admit to having shed. "Yes, you idiot! Yes!"
They laughed and cried and rolled over and over on the floor in each other's embrace before finally sliding the rings onto each other's fingers. Kenzi walked through the clubhouse door to find them lying side by side admiring their new jewelry. The human's shriek of excitement could have woken the dead.
"Tone it down, short-stack!" Tamsin complained.
"I can't! This is just too good! OMG I love you guys I can't believe this this is amazing holy shit there's gonna be a WEDDING!" the girl flailed, bouncing up and down.
"Whoa, hold your horses, Kenz. This isn't gonna be all frills and flowers," Bo tried to calm her, getting up from the floor.
"Oh, thank God," Tamsin sighed, staying where she was. Bo gave her a faux-glare and Tamsin scrunched her nose in response.
"You too are so sweet it's almost disgusting," Kenzi noted, and Bo playfully smacked her on the arm. "Why can't it be frills and flowers?" the Russian girl continued in a whine. "Can we at least have drinks at the Dal?"
"We always have drinks at the Dal," Tamsin replied, having relocated to the couch. Bo sat down next to her and the Valkyrie instinctively wrapped an arm around the succubus's shoulders. Kenzi almost squealed with delight at the display.
"What are you thinking, Valkyrie?" Bo asked her now-fiancée. "How does this Fae marriage thing work?"
Tamsin shrugged. "Fae usually get married by handfasting. Don't get me wrong, a lot of them still hold their weddings in big-ass cathedrals and invite a small army, but it's usually a handfasting."
"Handfasting it is, then," Bo decided, snuggling closer to the Valkyrie, who held her tighter in response.
"Can we at least celebrate this shit?" Kenzi pleaded. "Come on, Tamsin, you know this calls for shots!"
Tamsin and Bo looked at each other and let out resigned but amused sighs. "To the Dal?"
"To the Dal."
Kenzi watches Bo and Tamsin's simple confirmation of love with a giddy grin on her face. She had been wary of the Valkyrie at first, but she'd had her suspicions about the blonde's feelings ever since she dove through the portal to save Bo. Now, watching the way the two women gaze at each other, Kenzi knows it's for real – sees that their love runs deep and unstoppable. She knows these two women will live and die for each other, and she couldn't be happier for them.
"Speak now your binding vows," Trick continues the ceremony, trying not to grin as broadly as Kenzi is. Bo speaks first.
"I, Isabeau McCorrigan, hereby vow before the Gods…"
Her voice never wavers. She has never been more confident in her life.
Despite Tamsin and Bo's desire to keep their engagement quiet, Kenzi couldn't help but sprint into the Dal, practically jump on the bar, and shriek the news to Trick. She was a little put out to find that Trick already knew Bo was planning to propose, but Hale, Lauren, and Dyson, who heard Kenzi's announcement thanks to her lack of volume control, actually dropped their pool cues in surprise. Hale was all grins and congratulations. Lauren and Dyson looked at each other before grabbing a full bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses and finding a table where they could drown their sorrows. It was only when the two were three sheets to the wind that they could admit their actual feelings to the couple: Lauren knew it was never going to work with the succubus (which made Bo feel worse and better at the same time) and Dyson was jealous of Tamsin but said she'd still always be his partner (which made the Valkyrie feel much as Bo did). As if things weren't already confusing enough, both of Bo's exes stumbled home together.
"That is gonna be so awkward tomorrow," Kenzi noted as she sipped her cocktail.
"This is supposed to be a happy occasion," Bo groaned, dropping her head to the bar.
"It still is, succulette," Tamsin reassured her. "They are happy for you. They just need some time to admit it to themselves."
"When did you get so wise?"
Tamsin snorted. "You're forgetting how long I've lived."
"Oh yeah."
"So when's this wedding going to happen, anyway?" Hale asked. "Were you thinking a summer ceremony? Maybe on the solstice?"
The couple looked at each other as they pondered the question. "Saturday?" Tamsin offered.
Bo nodded her agreement. "Saturday sounds good. Does that work for everybody?" she asked the group. Kenzi and Hale stared at her like she'd grown a second head, but Trick just smiled and shrugged. "Works for me."
"…to have and to hold, to love and to cherish in both this world and the next," Bo finishes, beaming at Tamsin.
Tamsin takes a shaky breath. Part of her is still terrified, still wants to raise all the emotional walls that Bo has so effortlessly torn down. Part of her still feels that the very notion of love makes her weak and vulnerable. But then she looks into Bo's eyes and the adoration she sees there makes Tamsin feel like she could take on armies in her love's name. Her voice is clear and unwavering.
"I, Tamsin Sigrúnsdatter, hereby vow before the Gods…"
"This is really happening," Bo breathed, staring at herself in the mirror. She had never been one for white, and Tamsin had hinted at how much she liked Bo's sleeveless black dress. So there the succubus stood in that very dress, dark hair cascading around her shoulders. Kenzi stood beside her, smiling proudly at her best friend.
"Bo-Bo, you have nothing to be nervous about." She wrapped her arms around the taller woman. "This is your big day, girl! Own it!"
"Who said I was nervous?" Bo defended.
Kenzi gave her a look that said 'oh, please.' "Honey, you're shaking in your heels. Don't think I don't see it. Stop worrying," she shook her friend, hugging her tighter. "Tam-Tam loves you to pieces and she is really gonna love you in that dress."
"Don't let her catch you calling her that," Bo smirked.
"Whatevs. Point is, woman de-bitched herself for you. She sacrificed her stone-cold badass reputation for you. If that ain't love, I dunno what is."
Bo turned so she could embrace her friend fully. "I love you, Kenzi. I dunno what I'd do without you."
"Bitch, you'd be dead. And I love you, too, Bo," the girl replied, rubbing her best friend's back. "Now come on – let's get your ass married."
"Tamsin's still a badass, you know."
"I said reputation, not the badassery itself," Kenzi retorted as she dragged Bo from her room and down the stairs.
Tamsin, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth in the Dal while Trick looked on in amusement. "Please don't wear a hole in my floor," the Blood King bartender teased. The Valkyrie only shot him a glare in response.
Bo had told Tamsin flat-out to wear the succubus's favorite outfit. When Tamsin asked whether she meant favorite to look at or favorite to tear off, the succubus had answered, "Both." So Tamsin wore her skinny jeans and a black tank top, completing the outfit with her trademark leather jacket – this one in deep red. Her blonde hair fell in waves that ended just past her shoulders, also per Bo's request.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Tamsin muttered for the nth time. "Valkyries don't do this! They don't settle down! They don't get married!"
"The last thing you and Bo will ever do is settle down," Trick pointed out. "And Valkyries do bind themselves to warriors and vow to protect them with their lives." His voice and expression grew serious. "Would you die for Bo?"
Tamsin stopped pacing and turned to look the Blood King dead in the eye. "Without hesitation."
Trick's smile returned. "Well, there you have it, then."
The Valkyrie shifted uncomfortably. "I know this probably isn't what you imagined for your granddaughter…"
"No, it isn't," Trick admitted. "It's much better than I ever could have imagined."
Tamsin gaped at him for a moment before her lips turned up in a shaky but elated smile. "Thank you."
"Just don't tell anyone I said that," Trick replied, and they both chuckled.
Barely a minute later, the door to the Dal opened and Kenzi and Hale walked in arm-in-arm. Disengaging, they stood on opposite sides of the entrance and gestured to the center in presentation. Bo stepped between them a moment later with a slightly embarrassed smile. When she saw the way Tamsin's face lit up at the sight of her, all embarrassment vanished as she moved to stand before her fiancée.
"You look beautiful," Tamsin breathed.
"So do you," Bo replied, breathless at the sight of her.
Tamsin looked away, her turn to be embarrassed. "I just look like me."
Bo lifted the Valkyrie's chin with her fingertip to look her in the eyes again. "Exactly."
The smiling pair leaned in for a kiss before Kenzi broke the moment by clearing her throat. "Save it for the ceremony, lovebirds."
"The Ash commands that said ceremony begins," Hale teased, causing the three women to roll their eyes. Trick just chuckled again before leading them all down the stairs.
It was a strange group, to be sure. The officiate was a Light Fae who happened to be the Blood King; the participants were a Dark Valkyrie and an unaligned succubus; and the witnesses were the Ash and the succubus's sort-of-claimed human. But they were family, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
"…to have and to hold, to love and to cherish in both this world and the next," Tamsin speaks, her smile widening and breath quickening with every word.
"Then here in the sight of the Gods, I now proclaim thee bound in marriage," Trick finishes, filled with pride and happiness for his granddaughter and her beloved.
Kenzi and Hale applaud as Bo and Tamsin let out a single disbelieving laugh before falling into each other's embrace and meeting in a fierce but tender kiss. They wrap their arms tightly around each other as if to never let go, not even registering that they can only do so because the binding silk has disappeared in a shimmer of gold.
"Holy magical matrimony!" Kenzi exclaims. "Have you ever seen that happen, Trickster?"
"Not in over a hundred years," Trick replies, just as awed as the human. "When the binding cloth disappears it means that the binding is threefold: mind, heart, and soul. They've literally become soulmates. They'll know when the other is near and be able to feel each other's emotions. Some of the older legends say that threefold-bound couples can 'speak without speaking,' and when one dies, so does the other."
Tamsin and Bo don't need to know any of this. They can already feel when the other is near, already sense how the other is feeling, already say so much in a single, shared gaze. Each is more than willing to die for the other.
More importantly, though, they will live for each other.