Chapter One
"100$ Bill"
December was a month of low temperatures and biting winds, and although this had never bothered Kenzi Balikov to any large extent, it was one of the things that made traveling even more draining that it already was. She had never cared much for traveling, or physical movement in general, but that was irrelevant because this year was unique to any other. This year, she was making her way to the grand city of New York to spend the remaining days of 1922 with her oldest and dearest friend in the world, Bo McCorrigan.
So she sat bundled up in layers of clothing approaching double digits, in a genuine New York City taxi with butterflies swarming in her stomach. Looking out of the frosty window, she took in the sights of the city with a subtle sense of wonder. She saw buildings and cars, stores and signs and so, so many lights. But the sheer number of people was what truly made her eyes sparkle and her smile widen. She had never, in her short twenty three years of life, seen so many people. There were men, women, children, and even a dog or two. Their faces all held the same look of tired contentment; as if they knew that they were more fortunate than the average person but were too apathetic to really acknowledge the fact. Kenzi, who had grown up poor in an orphanage just outside the city of Toronto, Canada, couldn't quite find it in herself to be sufficiently understanding of this reality. Her smile only faltered slightly as she silently wished, not for the first time, that people were less self-absorbed and willingly oblivious.
Flexing her double-gloved hands around a paper cup of coffee, Kenzi continued her people watching only vaguely aware of the talk radio coming from the front of the cab in low volumes. Her icy blue eyes swept across person after person. They appeared to her in the same way bricks in a wall did- individual parts of a larger overall creation. Granted, people were a lot more diverse than a bunch of cinderblocks, and so she was enjoying being witness to such a vast range of folks. Some clutched a funny number of shopping bags, some a cup of coffee or a wrinkled map, and others-and these people were her favorite to see-clutched the hand of a person deemed significant to their hearts.
Eventually, as the cab neared the address Kenzi had given the driver, the sights and sounds of the bustling city lessened and slowly transformed into something else entirely. Instead of people, her sight was filled to the brim with vast estates, properties so lavish looking that she felt out of place and even a tiny bit shortchanged at being subject to living in a run down orphanage for most of her life. House upon house appeared and faded away, leaving Kenzi the slightest bit overwhelmed.
She knew that Bo lived in a neighborhood of affluence; she just hadn't understood how affluent it really was.
"Miss?"
Kenzi tore her eyes away from the window, slightly startled by the cab driver's voice addressing her.
"Uh, yeah?" She asked nervously, realizing that the cab had stopped. She was suddenly feeling wary at the idea of exiting the warm safety of the yellow car. The driver, with kind but tired eyes, smiled tentatively at the girl.
"The address ya gave me, this is the place," he told her. Kenzi's eyes widened almost comically and she looked around for her wallet, which she knew to be in a pocket of one of the several jackets she had piled onto her small frame.
"How much do I owe ya, cabbie?" She breathed out once her hand wrapped around the familiar softness of her perpetually thin wallet. The man glanced at the meter and then back at Kenzi.
"Eleven dollars even," he answered. Nodding, Kenzi pulled out a ten and a five from her the billfold of the wallet and handed him the money.
"Keep the change, bud," she muttered. He smiled wider and tucked the bills away before speaking again.
"Do you need help with your bags, miss?" Shrugging, Kenzi found herself nodding.
"Thanks."
As she stood in front of the house with a great pile of bags next to her, only vaguely registering the fading roar of the cab's engine as it drove off, Kenzi couldn't seem to keep her jaw off of the ground. She gaped at what she assumed to be Bo's house. None of the words stored in her usually colorful vocabulary seemed sufficient in describing the place. It was...huge, yes, but in a way that seemed more for show than functionality. It seemed to be a common trait among the residents in this part of town. Although Kenzi couldn't be completely sure that she was still in said town, as this place felt like a different world entirely.
"Alright, you can do this," she affirmed to herself, nodding firmly. Making her way to the front door, she knocked firmly and then waited with bated breath. Only a few moments later did the door swing open and Kenzi was greeted with a colossal hug that warmed her to the bone.
"Kenzi!" She heard excitedly squealed into her ear. Smiling as widely as her face could manage, she squeezed the body in her arms tightly.
"Hiya, Bo-Bo," she responded, joy clearly evident in her voice. The two women, each overcome with a rush of affection for the other, stood in the doorway for another moment before releasing one another, though they still stood close.
"I've missed you, Kenz. I can't believe you're here! How long has it been? Ten years? Fifteen? Thirty-five?" Bo asked playfully. Kenzi rolled her eyes but kept smiling brightly.
"Calm your perfect tits, Succubabe. It's only been a year and a half," she informed her friend. Her friend, who Kenzi couldn't help but notice, looked decidedly different than she had the last time they had been in physical contact. Bo looked just as beautiful as she ever did, which left Kenzi feeling not at all surprised. She also seemed to dress a bit more conservatively than she had in the past, and her overall demeanor held a sort of control that Kenzi was wholly unused to. Bo's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Well, it felt like more. Come on in, Kenz. I'll have Dyson get all your bags. I'm sure one of them is filled with nothing but shoes, right?" Bo spoke affectionately, happier than she had been a long time. Kenzi only smiled wickedly in response before entering the toasty warmth of the house.
"Your house is huge, BoBo. I got lost on the way back here," Kenzi announced to her friend dramatically before stopping in the living room where Bo was lounging. She had just finished setting her bags down in one of the many guest rooms, and had again felt just the slightest bit overwhelmed by the sprawling hallways and numerous heavy wooden doors. Looking around the living area, she couldn't help but feel a small twinge of repulsion at the sheer decadence. Every last thing in the house, from the paintings to the door hinges, appeared to cost more than her entire life savings. This room was no exception, with the fair amount of pricey furniture set up, some atop a lavish rug that Kenzi would guess to be from a country she had never heard of. The walls were painted different shades of deep red and creamy ivory, and the floors were made of the shiniest wood Kenzi had ever seen. She fleetingly thought of her own small home back in Canada, missing the comfort just a tiny bit.
Bo, seeing the look of hesitance on Kenzi's face, patted the space on the couch next to her.
"Come here, I want the rundown on all things Kenzi," the brunette requested genuinely. Kenzi in turn smiled, her face warm, and plopped down next to her dear friend.
"Okay, lay it on me, drunken adventures and all," Bo teased.
"Are you sure you can handle it? It's a tale of glitz and glam, I'm tellin' ya," the smaller woman answered, her tone as mirthful as a street magician fooling a drunkard. Bo only punched her shoulder playfully before gesturing for Kenzi to go on. Clearing her throat in a theatrical fashion, Kenzi proceeded to relay the last eighteen months of her life to the other brunette.
"Well, after you moved away to this land of riches with dogboy, I found a cheap little place near St. Mary's. You should've seen me, Bo-buddy. I actually had a straight job at a diner for a few months," she recalled. Bo looked slightly perturbed at that, if not a bit impressed. Kenzi smirked and went on.
"Then, one day, I met this guy, Vex, and he started telling me about that Prohibition thing you guys have got going here in the States. So now, me and him sell liquor to wee little Americans who can't find their good friend Jack Daniels in the old grocery stores anymore," she told Bo proudly. Alcohol had always been a vice near and dear to her heart, and though she saw Prohibition as the world's biggest joke, she couldn't squelch the satisfaction she would feel after selling a few dozen bottles on the black market. It was a risky way to make a living, but she did what she had to.
"Wow. You're the same tiny little criminal I grew up with, you know that?" Bo spoke with a grin. Kenzi only smiled smugly in response.
"So, how's the love life? Are you still with Nate?" Bo asked curiously. For the first time since the start of the conversation, the younger woman's smile dimmed. Hearing her ex's name stung her heart. She and Nate had been childhood sweethearts. Only two years Kenzi's senior, he had grown up with her and Bo in St. Mary's, a home for troubled youth, and as the three entered their teens, the two had developed sizable crushes on each other. After a drunken confession at a birthday party Bo had thrown for her when she turned seventeen, the two had finally gotten together. And they had stayed that way happily, up until about eight months after Bo left for New York.
"Uh, no. We're not," she revealed in a tone that was simultaneously accepting and morose. Bo furrowed her brow in total confusion.
"What? What the hell happened?" She asked, surprise coloring every syllable.
"There were some…complications…with one of my buyers. One of the bigger, crazier ones. A lot of shit went down, and he decided that he couldn't handle my job. He said he wanted me to get out of the biz and stay at home, or he was gonna leave. So…I let him. I love him, I do. But I don't take orders from anybody, boyfriend or not," she explained with a shrug. It still hurt to think of the man, and she suspected that it always would to a certain degree. But Kenzi had been a sort of free spirit since birth, full of mischief and rebellion. She figured that it was one of the reasons she and Nate had always fit so well.
Where she was loud and unapologetic, he was quiet and careful. The two were opposites in the best ways, and she would be lying if she said she missed him with anything less than her entire being. But she wasn't built to be submissive, and when he had given her that fateful ultimatum, she didn't think on it for even one minute. She had let him go, and though it still hurt like a son of a bitch, she took comfort in knowing that she had done the right thing for herself.
"I'm sorry. When did you guys…you know," Bo asked, a bit glum. Nate and Kenzi had always been a source of optimism for her, especially while growing up at the group home.
"About eight months after you left," the smaller woman answered softly. Bo only clenched her jaw and nodded, knowing that Kenzi didn't want to be coddled, just listened to. She watched as Kenzi quickly gathered herself to smile slyly at her.
"So, enough of the weepy stuff. How are you? I see you're still with Dyson, though I will never understand why," she remarked with a roll of her eyes. Bo shot her a vaguely disapproving look before answering.
"I'm great. Me and Dyson…we're great," she informed Kenzi, who couldn't help noticing a lack of enthusiasm in her friend's words.
"He's such a pill, though," Kenzi muttered. It was Bo's turn to roll her eyes.
"Why do you say things like that about him? He doesn't say anything about you, you know," Bo admonished the smaller woman. Kenzi huffed slightly.
"I know he doesn't, not directly anyway. But you can't deny that he's an ass about me being human. He walks around like he deserves a friggin' medal for tolerating my presence. It's condescending, Bo," she fumed. Upon first meeting the wolf shifter, Kenzi had picked up on the subtle arrogance oozing from every pore of the man's body. While he was never outright rude to her, he always treated her as if she was more of a novelty than a person. It grated on her nerves terribly.
"He's just…he's old fae, Kenz. Sometimes it gets to his head, that's all," Bo half-heartedly defended the wolf. She was well aware that Kenzi was right about Dyson's attitude, but she had long since given up on trying to change his view. Nothing ever resulted from her efforts other than loud arguments and angry glares.
"Yeah, whatever. Where is the flea bag, anyway?" Kenzi asked, not having seen him since he retrieved her bags upon her arrival an hour or so ago. Bo simply shrugged.
"He had a case. Something important for the Ash, I think," she supplied. The truth was, she had only been half-listening to him when he had told her where he was heading off to. She was too excited about having Kenzi to spend time with.
"He still works for that guy?" Kenzi asked.
"Sometimes, now he's mostly working for Trick," Bo answered.
"So how did you guys pay for this swanky mansion, then? I mean, I feel like I'm in a palace, Bo-bear," Kenzi asked, winking playfully. Bo smiled, though it was laced with something Kenzi couldn't quite identify.
"Trick is the Blood King, remember? He has Dyson working as his right hand man now," she answered. Kenzi snorted.
"And the position means big money apparently, eh?" She guessed. Bo nodded.
"Gramps is pretty generous with us," she admitted. Kenzi sighed internally, feeling a slight disconnect from both her surroundings and her friend. The Bo she had grown up with would probably find this entire neighborhood to be over the top and downright pretentious. Upon the thought, she felt her dislike for Dyson grow.
"So, how long are you staying? I'd prefer forever, but I know how much you love Toronto," Bo spoke, hope underlying her every word. She had really missed Kenzi, and she wasn't even trying to downplay the fact.
"You're stuck with me until the new year, succubum. I uh, I was actually thinking of looking around, seeing if I could find a small place to move into. Toronto is great, but I need a change," Kenzi confessed, eager to see Bo's reaction. The other brunette did not disappoint. Her eyes widened and a smile so wide it looked painful graced her features. She looked radiant.
"Really?! That's great! But why the sudden change?" Bo asked, knowing that there must be a reason behind Kenzi's wish to relocate. Kenzi simply shrugged and looked at her hands.
"I just…you're gone, and me and Nate didn't work out. I need a clean slate, you know? Plus, I have a job lined up down here with one of mine and Vex's buddies. Have you ever had moonshine, dollface?" Kenzi waggled her eyebrows in mock suggestion. Bo laughed and leaned over to hug her tightly.
"Just don't get caught, Kenz. You're too little for the big house," she joked. Kenzi feigned offense, puffing up her chest comically.
"I'd be the big cheese and you know it," she played along. The two dissolved into giggles.
"Come on, tough guy. Let's get you fed," Bo decided, rising from the couch to show Kenzi to the kitchen.
"If you insist," Kenzi teased, suddenly feeling famished. She may have been feeling a bit conflicted about Bo's new digs, but rich people food? Now that was one thing she definitely didn't have a problem with.
"I should've guessed that you two own a boat," Kenzi mumbled lowly, gaping at a pristine ivory sailboat floating gently at the end of the dock that her, Bo, Dyson, and Trick were standing on. After spending the rest of the previous day catching up and enjoying some bootleg wine that Kenzi had smuggled into her baggage, the small woman had been woken up this fine morning by an excited Bo. Bo, who had apparently developed a fondness for sailing super fancy boats, wanted to take her out on the water. Kenzi had actually been quite excited about it, and even Dyson's frustrating presence couldn't knock her mood down too much.
"It's fun, I promise," Bo swore, gently bumping Kenzi's shoulder with her own. Kenzi opened her mouth to respond, but a deep voice cut her off before she could utter a sound.
"Bo, are you and your friend ready?" Kenzi rolled her eyes and turned to Dyson, who had walked up behind Bo to wrap an arm around her waist. She smiled tightly at the man.
"I do have a name, dog boy. And I'm pretty sure you know what that name is," she drawled sarcastically, barely able to keep the venom from her voice. Dyson arched an eyebrow and smiled calmly.
"I didn't mean anything by it," he told her. The wolf truly hadn't meant to offend the young human, but he didn't feel the need to differentiate between her and any other human he had ever encountered. As far as he was concerned, they were inferior to the fae, and so he put no real value on them at all. Although, he did pride himself on not actively hating them as most fae did.
"How about we hop on the boat? Babe, where's Trick?" Bo cut in, intent on diffusing the situation. She knew Kenzi, and she knew Dyson. An argument between the two would get out of hand and she didn't want today to turn into a verbal smackdown.
"He's parking the car," Dyson responded, still using that same calm and sure tone that made Kenzi want to slap him across the face.
"Well, me and Kenzi," Bo emphasized the name, "are going to hop on the boat," she announced before kissing the wolf's cheek and leading Kenzi to the end of the dock.
"He's such a jerk," Kenzi complained, making sure to speak loudly enough for the source of her irritation to hear her. Bo sighed before stepping carefully off of the dock and into the boat. Offering her hand to help the other woman climb in, she spoke gruffly.
"I know you two don't get along. But you're both important to me, okay? So just…I don't know, ignore him or something," Bo requested, almost desperately. Kenzi clenched her jaw and swallowed a sarcastic retort.
"Fine, just buy him a muzzle or something," she conceded. Bo smiled at her gratefully. The two sat in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, until Trick and Dyson joined them on the boat.
"Kenzi! How are you?" Trick greeted the woman warmly. She gave him a small but genuine smile. She wasn't a huge fan of Trick, but he was miles better than Dyson. The small man was old fae, but he was also kind. And while he was on par with the typical fae belief that humans were inferior to fae, he didn't let it dictate his everyday interactions. Simply put, he was an okay man to be around, human or otherwise. Kenzi still wouldn't trust him as far as she could throw him, however.
The fact was, she was living in a time of shitty attitudes and class divisions. The fae were an entire race separate from humans, and they held no qualms about treating that fact as a beacon of pride. They were magical, powerful, wondrous, and totally elitist. Humans as a whole had no knowledge of the fae, with the extremely rare exceptions such as herself. The only reason she wasn't killed after discovering their existence was Bo and her direct blood relation to Trick, who was one of the most powerful fae alive. She loved Bo to bits, but as far as Kenzi was concerned, the succubus was one in a billion. The fae, Light or Dark, were cruel, whether explicitly or subtly, that much she was sure of.
"I'm doing pretty darn well, actually. Thank you. Especially for using my name," she responded, muttering the last part under her breath.
"Let's get this show on the road, shall we? Or on the water, I guess," Bo joked. Dyson smiled and went about getting the boat moving, all the while Kenzi tried to launch him into the water with her stare alone.
The quartet ended up sailing for a solid five hours, most of which Kenzi actually enjoyed. Between enjoying some bestie time, soaking in the sun, and smoking some super fancy cigars that Trick had thoughtfully brought, she found herself as relaxed as a hippie in a field of flowers. She also spent a good deal of her time quietly observing the other three people in her company. A psychic she wasn't, but Kenzi had always prided herself on being substantially more perceptive than most people, and this day was no different. She had noticed several things that, though not intensely scandalous, were interesting nonetheless.
Having watched Bo and Dyson throughout the day, she had come to the conclusion that they weren't quite as put together as they seemed. The signs were subtle, and even as perceptive as Kenzi was, she knew she wouldn't have picked up on anything at all had she not known Bo all her life. There was just something about the way Bo looked at the guy. Something about the way she managed to lean into him and away from him at the same time. Kenzi had no idea how the succubus even managed that one, but she noticed it either way.
It had been about two and a half years since Kenzi had first met Dyson, who had been temporarily working for another police department in Toronto at the time. She remembered the day well. She had been napping contently at home, which had been a tiny but decent house that she shared with Bo. She had heard laughing from outside the front door, and upon checking it out, had found Bo and Dyson flirting on the rickety porch. Apparently, the wolf had been looking for a certain house in the neighborhood and upon asking Bo for directions, had struck up a conversation. Things apparently went well, and a year later, he had asked Bo to return with him back to the States. She had agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly, and had been shacking up with him ever since.
If Kenzi were honest with herself, she would admit that she had been a little hurt at the time. But she had wanted her best friend to be happy, and since it was apparently a cop that smelled like wet dog that did it for her, she had dealt with it. That didn't mean she had to like the man, though. And that was good, because she definitely didn't.
Looking at the two today, though, had been different than back then in Toronto. Where as Bo used to look at Dyson with a lot more lust and genuine affection (though Kenzi was never wholly convinced it was love), her face now held more of a resigned look. Kenzi didn't even know if that was the right word, but it was as accurate as she could manage. Bo just didn't burn as brightly as she used to. It both confused and concerned her, and she silently vowed to herself that she would get to the bottom of whatever was happening with her best friend.
"That was actually pretty fun, babes. Although, now all I wanna do is nap for like, twenty three hours," Kenzi spoke gleefully from her place on the living room couch. The four had arrived back at the house about half an hour ago and the two women were left alone. Dyson and Trick hadn't stayed even ten minutes, before announcing that they had some "business" to take care of within the city. In all honesty, Kenzi hadn't cared enough to listen. She couldn't suppress the small smile she had worn when she noticed that Bo hadn't either.
"Not twenty four? Is all that hooch rotting your brain, Kenz?" Bo called from the kitchen where she was haphazardly throwing together a couple sandwiches.
"Gotta have an hour to eat, you feel?" The smaller woman quipped. She heard Bo chuckling and snapped an eye open to see a sandwich being held in front of her. Sitting up excitedly, she wasted no time in biting into the food.
"So, I was thinking of looking around at some places tomorrow, what d'ya say? Care to be my favorite egg?" She asked around the large bit of food in her mouth. Bo perked up at the question and nodded affirmatively.
"You got it," she agreed, happy to be reminded that her dear friend was gearing up to be around a hell of a lot more.
"Atta girl," Kenzi beamed. After scarfing down another large bite of her sandwich, she turned to sit cross-legged on the couch, facing Bo directly. Her expression turned curious as she spoke carefully.
"So…" she trailed off, gathering the scarce bits of tact that she possessed. Bo arched an eyebrow.
"So?" she prodded.
"What's eating ya these days? Dyson still not house trained?" Kenzi quipped, genuine concern lacing her mirthful words. Bo rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the amused smile from gracing her features.
"What do you mean? I'm ducky, can't you tell?" Bo retorted, her tone sharper than she had intended, causing Kenzi to look at her sideways.
"Nice line, but I'm not blind, Bo," she answered, tone gentle but firm. She knew Bo, and so she knew when things in the woman's busy head were off. Bo's clenched jaw only solidified her suspicions.
"It's nothing, Kenz. I'm just a bit balled up because…well…" Bo fell silent, looking conflicted. Kenzi just tilted her head, signaling that she was listening. With a sigh, Bo spoke.
"Dyson asked me to marry him," she confessed, causing Kenzi to slap a hand over her mouth in shock.
"WHAT?!" she half yelled, the word muffled behind her fingers. Tearing her hands from her face, Kenzi gripped Bo's shoulders and looked her in the eye.
"When?! Why didn't you tell me?! Please tell me you didn't say yes to that sap!" she pleaded. She was vaguely aware that her reaction was a lot less supportive than it maybe should've been, but at this point all of her filters were long gone.
"He asked me a couple months ago. I wanted to write you or something but…" she stopped, shrugging helplessly. Kenzi softened her gaze.
"Well? Did you say yes?" She questioned. Bo only nodded, a half smile on her face.
"Yeah, I did," she confirmed softly. Kenzi simply stared at Bo, trying her damndest to look neutral. Nodding slowly, she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"That's, um. That's wonderful, Bo," she stuttered, almost rolling her eyes at her own transparency. She honestly didn't know what to say in that moment, torn between yelling every swear word she knew or shaking Bo until her defective brain fell out.
"Yeah," Bo agreed weakly. Kenzi furrowed her brow, not liking anything about the situation.
"So why do you look so grummy right now?" she asked bluntly. Bo shook her head.
"I'm not, Kenz. I'm just stressed about having to plan a wedding, I guess," she answered rather lamely. Kenzi waved a dismissive hand at her.
"You and Dyson are stacked. Just hire someone to do it for you," she suggested, only half heartedly trying to sound less horrified at the idea of Bo marrying Dyson.
"Yeah, maybe," Bo agreed. Kenzi sighed softly before taking Bo's hands in her own.
"Look, I know I'm not exactly being a live wire about this, but if this is what you really want, then I'm behind you a hundred percent. You're my best friend, and I just want you to be happy," she admitted genuinely. Noticing the lack of jewelry on Bo's hands, she arched a brow.
"Where's the ring?" she asked curiously. Bo smiled slyly, knowing just how to push Kenzi's buttons.
"It's being custom made in Paris," she shrugged nonchalantly, smiling internally at the other woman's painfully dramatic eye roll.
"Of course it is."
Hours later, at the cusp of sunset, the two women had parted ways, Kenzi craving a nap and Bo a hot shower. Wrapped snugly in a soft ivory bathrobe, the succubus padded quietly into the large bedroom she shared with Dyson. Opening one of the many drawers of the solid mahogany dresser that sat against the far wall, she pulled out and slipped into a simple but flattering black night gown and absently ran a comb through her wet locks of hair. Knowing from experience that Dyson wasn't going to be back anytime soon, she padded leisurely back into the living room, picking up Kenzi's abandoned plate from their earlier lunch.
Dropping it into the sink, she turned and made her way to the guest room where she could almost hear Kenzi snoring like a train. She smiled when she quietly eased open the door and saw the human fully dressed and face down on top of the covers. Snickering, she softly closed the door and left the girl to her unorthodox nap.
Before she could think too hard about what she was doing, Bo found herself in the small cellar of her home. Running her eyes over the several crates of expensive liquors that she had stashed before the Prohibition laws had taken effect, she grasped a bottle of simple red wine and headed back into the main area of the house. Moments later, she sat comfortably in a plush chair in one of the rooms that Dyson tended to avoid – a basic study with a large window facing the lush foliage of the back yard.
Pouring herself a generous glassful of the smooth alcohol, Bo leaned over and eased her hand underneath the chair she was seated on. Feeling around expertly, she carefully pulled out a single piece of folded paper that had been lightly taped to the wooden bottom. Taking a long pull from her glass, she held the letter in her free hand gingerly, as if the sheet were something inherently precious. It was fairly worn from frequent folding and unfolding, and the script handwriting, while not the fanciest, was decidedly beautiful to her. She set down her glass and ran a shaky hand through her drying hair before beginning to read intently; taking in each and every word as if she'd never looked upon them before.
Hours later, around half past three, still face down and fully dressed on a ridiculously soft bed, Kenzi groggily opened her eyes. As per usual, she had been jostled from the grips of sleep by her growling stomach. The thought of food was the only thing motivating enough to get her up, so she slowly dragged herself in what she hoped was the general direction of the kitchen. A wide and sleepy smile stretched across her face when she set her eyes upon the fridge and the pantry. Rubbing her hands together wickedly, she dove in.
After fixing herself an obscenely think sandwich, Kenzi began hobbling back toward her designated room. She stopped suddenly however, when a dim light from the end of one of the several hallways caught her eye. Changing direction, she made her way as silently as she could toward the light. Upon reaching the doorway, she peered into what she recognized as a study. Looking around, she smiled fondly at Bo, who was sound asleep in a comfy looking chair. She took note of the nearly half empty bottle of wine sitting on a small table next to the succubus and made a mental note about high fiving the other brunette tomorrow.
She furrowed her brow curiously when she noticed the piece of paper resting on Bo's lap. Setting her plate down with more care than she knew she had, Kenzi approached Bo's sleeping form and gently pulled what she guessed to be a letter from Bo's limp fingers.
And so she stood there, trying not to breathe too loudly, utterly conflicted about whether or not to read it, whatever it was. She was painfully nosy; she could and would admit that. But she knew that it would be a violation her best friend's privacy if she were to go on and run her eyes over the contents of the paper. So with a silent and petulant sigh, Kenzi folded the letter and slipped it underneath the bottle of wine still sitting on the table.
Knowing how much mornings sucked after sleeping in anything that wasn't a bed, Kenzi grasped Bo's shoulder and shook her. Bo was slow to come to, but eventually her sleepy brain registered Kenzi's presence.
"Wha? What'd I do?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her fists.
"Nothing, ya lush. I just thought you'd rather sleep in your own bed for the rest of the night," Kenzi responded quietly but kindly. She hadn't initially planned to wake the slumbering fae, but she figured Dyson wouldn't be too keen on finding his fiancé passed out drunk in a chair, wine bottle still open next to her. So to save her bestie an argument and thus a headache, she decided to put Bo to bed herself.
She arched a brow, which was something she felt she was doing a lot lately, when Bo glanced at her lap and then around the room with a panicked look on her face.
"It's under the wine, Bo Bo," she offered. Bo's gaze landed on the paper and she visibly relaxed. Then she turned and glanced at Kenzi, about to speak.
"I didn't read it, whatever it is. Now come on, succubum. Sleep calls for me," Kenzi assured her before Bo could ask anything.
"Okay, I'm just gonna put this wine back before Dyson sees it and has a coronary," Bo yawned in response. Kenzi just nodded and kissed Bo's cheek fondly before retrieving her food and heading back to her own bed. Once she was gone, Bo carefully put the letter back under the chair, smoothing her fingertips over small pieces of tape.
After disposing of the wine and shutting off the dim light, Bo settled into a scarcely used bed in one of the guest bedrooms. She burrowed herself into the warmth of the blankets, folding in on herself. Had she not been quite as drunk as she was, she might've allowed herself to notice the ease in which she could breathe when in a bed that wasn't the one she shared with her fiancé. She fell asleep quickly, the words in the letter bouncing around the confines of her brain. It had been exactly fifty-one days since she had received it in the post, and even after all that time, Bo could not (or maybe would not) figure out what to do.
On the opposite side of the spacious house, now dressed comfortably in shorts and a raggedy old t-shirt and with a pleasantly full stomach, Kenzi relaxed and sank deeper into bed. She stumbled towards unconsciousness quickly, but not before a question fleetingly racked her brain.
Although she hadn't read the letter at all, her eyes had nonetheless caught a single name signed carefully at the bottom of the paper. It had only been a split second while she had been folding it up, but it had been enough.
And so, as she was falling asleep in her best friend's New York mansion in the cold and early hours of December 3rd, 1922, she couldn't help but wonder.
Who the hell is Lauren?