Lauren had little time to waste. She couldn't hang in the operating room she knew that would be the first place Taft, if he survived Dyson's attack, would look. She did pause for a moment as she thought this was supposed to be a great opportunity for her medically wise. She shook her head saying there was no time to pussyfoot around. She had to get out of there.
As she ran tears started to stream down her face. If she didn't hide quickly the Fae would certainly kill her seeing as she had left her Ash collar behind. She had no protection. She had barely patched Dyson up before he took off to check on Bo and the others. Before he left she did tell Dyson what she did to Taft all but making him vulnerable to attack. She didn't like to be involved in such a premeditated death. But an alive Taft would do the world no good at all. He was an arrogant loose cannon. Although she did understand his reasons for hating the Fae world, he would hurt others in his quest for even more power.
She managed to find an old shack to camp for the night. It was ragged in structure but luckily it still had running water and electricity. She had grabbed some food from Taft's compound and cooked a small meal before she settled in. Lauren the doctor was once again Lauren the baker. She measured the cooking time and ingredients as she had once did when she lived with Bo and Kenzi for a bit. She jumped from a noise she heard outside. Thinking she had been caught but it was only a raccoon also looking for a meal. Is this what her life would become? Jumping at every little sound. Being afraid of all the strangers and foes she would surely run into trying to find a safe place to rest her mind and soul. She knew her mind. It never stops and rest was just a word in her world.
After she had cleaned up from her dinner, she made a spot on the floor with old sheets the last tenants had left behind. Her time in the military prepared her for such accommodations. No she could not think about that time too. That was too painful because it was before she met Nadia and was tricked by the Ash into working for him all those years. A slave. Nothing about her life was free all those years. Not even love. She loved Nadia. The guilt of her love being sick in a pod all those years kept her from pursuing another love or even friends. Her only comfort was the bottles of wine she kept stocked at home. The days seemed a blur and the nights were long. Nobody to comfort her. Nobody to confide it. Just white walls, medical equipment, and treating all the injured Fae that was brought into the lab. Knowing her status. Nothing more than a dog. Come on Lewis she snapped. Your life has changed.
Bo.
Bo happened. Brave, beautiful, bold and fierce Bo. Bo in the beginning was just another Fae Lauren had been ordered to examine. Lauren knew the minute they touched, this was not the average Fae. A beautiful creature indeed, but not a monster. When their eyes met, Lauren was done for. She had to know more. She had to get to know Bo. Bo came along as a inner tube when Lauren felt like she was starting to drown under the pressures of her servitude to the Ash and finding a cure for Nadia so she could free them both. Bo had been aware of her true nature and all that came with it. Lauren felt for her. After years of research and attending to various Fae, Lauren knew she was in a position to help Bo and she would do just that whether the Ash knew about it or not. Lauren decided she needed to rest for the night. Turned out the rusty lamp and went to bed.
Early the next morning Lauren was up and trying to disguise herself as much as she could with her clothes and the clothes she found in one of the closets. She found some hiking boots, knowing they weren't her norm she tried them on. She also a large manly coat and wore that to cover her physique. She had a lot to do and headed out after packing up her belongings again. She walked and walked for hours until she found a public street. She hitchhiked with the first driver she spotted. An older gentlemen that was on his way into town. Lauren made as little conversation as possible with him but loved his old beat up truck. Once he reached his destination, Lauren thanked him for the ride and hopped out. Walking the sidewalks she saw a help wanted sign for waitresses. Knowing she was in no way dressed to impress in the clothes she was in, she ditched her bag, shoes and overcoat behind the restaurant. The manager seemed intolerable but she needed the job, money, and a hideout. She only had a few hundreds that she had swiped from Taft's safe. So tonight's rest and relaxation would be on him. She knew she needed a wig and went to shop for one. Red it was because she was known and being searched for as a blonde. She asked the clerk for directions to the cheapest motel in town. She gathered her stuff and was on her way again.
She checked in for a couple of nights. She knew it would be a good spot to rest but she would need to be smart about her comings and goings. For now she would work and come back to the motel. She also knew she needed to make as little as new friends as possible. The wait staff and regular customers seemed nice. Once she got a couple of days at work under her belt she would reach out to Dyson. Although Bo was always her first thought, she knew the damage she did with their last encounter and knew Dyson would keep Bo safe. Bo. Lauren started to cry again thinking of all that she said to Bo. Most of it was the truth and the loved, was a lie.
The next day a customer came in and stayed for hours. None of the staff had seen him before but a waitress by the name of Crystal waited on him and had been given a large tip and a note that he would be in contact with her soon. Lauren seemed so wary of him that she kept her distance and didn't look in his direction much over the next few weeks.
The day had come. On one of her breaks Lauren called Dyson to ask about his stitches and Bo. She told him she wanted to come home, but he told her it was still not safe and that she would be on her own. She was a smart woman and she could handle herself. When she asked about Bo, Dyson wasn't very communicative. Lauren told him to take care of her and hung up. The manager of the diner told Lauren to answer the phone because he was tired of answering it when he had a staff to do it. He noted they had been calling for a Karen, and he didn't have a Karen on his staff. Lauren was alarmed. She excused herself to the rest room, came back out and immediately busied herself to prepping for the day. A customer became ill from his food. Lauren treated him as Crystal taped it. She tried to remove it but Crystal caught her. Crystal had been very flirty and seemed interested in Lauren. Lauren knew her old life was still out there and she couldn't risk putting anyone else in danger. Crystal worked her over to the point where she agreed to meet up with her that night.
Lauren what are you doing? This is dangerous. You know you are still in love with Bo and you are not into playing with anyone's feelings or using them as a substitution-She muttered to herself as she had stopped for pizza and beer along the way.
After almost one too many beers, Lauren almost gave always her whole life story. Crystal's story sounded like that of her own, so Lauren was sympathetic and needed the distraction. Both giving into their passion, they slept together. Although Lauren seemed to enjoy it, it was almost nothing compared to her times with Bo. Feeling uneasy about it, Lauren left the next day. She was hitchhiking again when she spotted a car coming down the road. She approached from the driver's side and noticed it was Crystal. Laughing to herself, she accepted the ride. Once she got into the car, Crystal oddly apologized and Lauren was grabbed from the back. A car passed as Lauren struggled to avoid passing out. She screamed as much as she could but it wasn't enough to be heard as the other car drove on.
Crystal slowly peeled off to avoid suspicion. Lauren finally passed out as they drove. When she woke up she was in a dark, musty and dirty room. Her hands had been chained. Crystal was laying next to her chained herself. She called out to Crystal but her mouth was so dry she could only muster the slightest whisper. Maybe it was all for the best because she was livid and had she been louder she would have alerted her captors. Still groggy she decided she needed to rest again but this time she would do it while sitting up with her back against the wall. Lauren was used to this. Having her back against the wall fighting to regain her place in the world. Even with she was with the Fae. She was brilliant so she could almost talk or get her way out of anything. Except her ties to the Ash. Her temper flared. She thought she had been smart about her comings and goings since leaving Taft's. Her only mistake was asleep next to her. Lauren would be asleep anymore. She got up after a minute of rest and tried to familiarize herself with their holding room. She walked around and flicked few light switches but decided against flipping them. She heard Crystal mumble behind her. Biting her tongue she kept moving around the room rather than addressing her then.
Once Crystal was awake, she wondered what had happened to her since she was the one that gave them Lauren but she was chained too. She asked Lauren and Lauren said they were being watched. Crystal dipped her head in shame. She felt sorry about what she'd done to Lauren. She told her they just wanted her to keep tabs on Lauren. Sounding way too convenient Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled at the irony.
Lauren had a past. A past she was nor happy or proud about. She told Crystal about her brother. Their plans to try and change the world but one mistake and Lauren was a murderer. She had no choice but to change her name and run. Although the guilt was always keep pace in her race to run away. Now here she was. Karen Beattie aka Lauren Lewis. Dr. Slave. Murderer. But she would no longer be anyone's pushover. Time with Kenzi showed her how to free herself from her handcuffs. Time with Bo gave her the courage to stand up for herself and she would never be the same again. Her captors mocked her telling her they needed her to find out what was wrong with an Elder Fae within an hour or Crystal was dead.
After diagnosing the Fae, Lauren taunted them back saying they were idiots. She threw the folder to the ground and uncuffed herself. She thought she was being held by Hale but when the door opened she knew she had been wrong.