Some details about this story that might be helpful: First, The Wanderer has a different purpose here than on the show. Two, I left out Tamsin's developing feelings for Bo because that plot line seemed a bit forced to me. Everything else matches the show up to the end of the Dawning, where this story begins.

1. A Slow Descent

"I'm tired,

cynical and broken, but wiser.

Heavy with a sense of resentment,

But I used to be so much different.

I used to have so much faith.

When I started,

You knew I always meant it"

Hands In The Sky (Big Shot) by Straylight Run

...

Lauren sat comfortably on the couch in her apartment, bottle of scotch on the coffee table and an empty glass in her hand. She had had three drinks in the last hour and was currently nursing her fourth. She hadn't actually planned on drinking tonight, but after coming home from the lab to her empty apartment, she had little else to do to distract herself from thinking about Bo and how she was most likely still with Dyson.

She had expected that, but Lauren had also expected Bo to at least acknowledge her existence. Bo hadn't even managed that, though. Not once. So when the image of a beaming Bo kneeling over a freshly revived Dyson had popped into her head and refused to fade, she gave in and broke out a bottle of scotch. She had been okay at work, losing herself in as much lab work as she could find.

But now that she was at home with nothing else that needed to be done, her brain had little to focus on other than the past couple of months and all of its ups and downs. She thought about Hale and his new role as the Ash. She had been relieved when he was given the position. Then he surprised her, stunned her really, with his cold treatment of her. He had acted just like the past Ash, speaking to her as if she were below him. It had hurt her more than it had angered her since she had thought them to be friends.

Apparently that wasn't the case. Then there was the way everyone treated her just because she happened to be a human. She was used to feeling like a freak, she had been treated like one for the majority of her life. But she thought that she had found a place with Bo and her little group. She wasn't anyone's best friend, but she had belonged.

That too had fallen apart like everything else seemed to these past few months. Even Trick, who Lauren had regarded as a sort of kindred spirit due to their shared passion for knowledge, had been putting less and less effort into keeping up the appearance that he had any sort of respect for her relationship with his granddaughter.

Bo's face flashed in her mind. She missed the succubus dearly. It felt like their relationship had fallen apart just as it had come together. Bo's hunger had began to grow more consuming by the day, Dyson had gotten his love back, Tamsin picked at every insecurity she had, and it felt like everyone within a fifty mile radius had something to say about fae-human relationships. Her short lifespan and inability to biologically sustain a succubus had been thrown in her face more times than she could count. She felt like a punching bag and Bo was never around anymore to ease any of the blows.

Finishing the glass in her hand, she sighed softly. There had been a time when Lauren had mastered the art of not feeling anything at all. Compartmentalizing was what she did best, other than her job. It had proven to be a vital skill for her. The first couple of years working for the Ash had been hard, if not brutal. She hadn't yet earned the minimal amount of respect that she had now, and her romantic feelings for Nadia had still been strong enough to render her heartbroken about her illness. And through it all, the fae never let her forget that she was far, far beneath them. The sheer disregard for her life was nauseating and the only way she could deal with it was to disassociate from it altogether.

The first person to get through to Lauren had been Bo. She had been enamored with Bo since their first meeting. She felt drawn to the succubus. When they had started officially dating, Lauren was happier than she had been in years. And it had gone great at first. They were happy. For just a moment, Lauren felt at peace.

Then the Dawning happened and everything gradually fell apart. Lauren couldn't help but smile slightly. As destructive to her life as the entire process had been, she was immeasurably proud of Bo. She had survived her Dawning despite being a mere baby in fae years, an accomplishment that was completely unprecedented. Despite the mess Bo had made of their relationship, she was still the most remarkable person Lauren had ever met, human or fae. Lauren sipped her scotch and relaxed into the couch. She leaned her head on the back of the couch and let her eyes drift shut. It wasn't even a minute later that her phone lit up and began vibrating on the far end of the coffee table, about a foot away from the scotch.

She sat up slightly and glanced at the screen.

Bo.

"Fuck," She swore.

Lauren just stared at it, unmoving. She really didn't want to answer it. She wasn't in the mood to talk to her girlfriend and pretend to be happy when she wasn't. She had done enough of that lately. The image of Bo and Dyson after the Dawning drifted through her brain again, subtly taunting her. Bo had looked so damn happy. Lauren never thought that Bo being happy could make her feel so hollow, but here she was.

The worst part was that she didn't even know anymore if Bo's feelings for the wolf were platonic or romantic. And she hated it. It made her chest feel heavy. Lauren wanted to believe with all of her heart that Bo was as invested in her as she herself was in Bo. But the last few months had been hard, and after years with the fae her sense of self-worth was minuscule at best. Bo had just been so absent lately, most notably from Lauren's award ceremony. She sipped her scotch.

Bo was always busy with someone else preparing for her Dawning. Always with Dyson or Trick. Or even Tamsin. And when she was around, Lauren felt like Bo was on a completely different wavelength.

Her chest felt heavy again.

She glanced back at her phone and saw that she had one missed call. She let out a relieved sigh. She didn't think she could handle talking to Bo. And definitely not while she was drinking. She had left her girlfriend at Dyson's bedside yesterday night and figured she was still there. It had taken everything in her not to break down right there at the looks of utter affection Bo had been giving the wolf. She hadn't let herself cry until she had gotten back to her apartment. She was pulled from her thoughts by her phone vibrating again. Bo's name flashed across the screen. Lauren reached across the coffee table to turn it off.

Bo was probably just calling to check on her. Whatever it was, Lauren didn't want to deal with it tonight. She sipped the last of her drink slowly for another ten minutes until the scotch had finally made her sleepy. She yawned, more than ready to collapse into her bed. Lauren moved to put the cap back on the scotch when she heard a soft knocking on her door. She looked up and cocked an eyebrow.

The knocking continued, growing a bit louder. It sounded hesitant, she noticed. Like whoever was behind the door was nervous. She was slowly making her way to the door to look through the peephole when she heard a muffled voice drift through the door.

"Lauren? It's...it's Bo."

Lauren stopped moving and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Fuck."

...

"Sup, Succubabe?"

Bo, who was sitting on the couch staring intently at her phone, looked up to see Kenzi standing at the bottom of the stairs freshly showered, hair still wet. She was in a simple black t-shirt and skull pajama pants.

"Hey." She smiled at her friend.

The two had gotten back to the crack shack a few hours ago after spending the entire night and most of the day with Dyson. Bo didn't really see the need for the extensive amount of bonding, but Kenzi had been adamant that they spend time with him after his close call.

"D-man almost got put down in that episode of The Twilight Zone we're calling 'Bo's Dawning'. Shots are mandatory."

Trick had disagreed however, gently advising them all to take it easy. Not wanting to leave the comfort of the Dal, the trio had foregone the alcohol, much to Kenzi's disappointment.

"I should be wasted right now," Kenzi complained. she plopped down on the end of the couch sighing dramatically. She lazily turned her head toward Bo.

"So whatcha doin'?" She asked Bo who looked up from her phone trying to look casual.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything." She coughed awkwardly. Kenzi narrowed her eyes at her.

"What are you hiding?" She asked, voice laced with suspicion. Bo considered lying.

It'd be better than having to admit that I'm fucking up my relationship, she thought.

"Nothing, mom." She tried to ease the tension. She smiled at Kenzi trying to reassure her.

"Okay, first of all, stop smiling at me like that. It's Jigsaw creepy. And second, tell me what's eatin' ya. Mama Kenz can help."

Bo briefly considered sticking to her guns, but decided that it was kind of pointless. She needed to talk about it sometime, and Kenzi could actually be really wise when she wanted to be. That is, if you could identify the good advice amongst the repeatedly inserted instructions to 'just get shitfaced'.

"It's Lauren. I've been kind of a...okay no. I've been a totally crappy girlfriend for the past couple of months. It's just with the Dawning and everything...I've been sort of...absent. I want to talk to her and apologize but I'm terrified. What if she's really pissed? Or what if she breaks up with me?" Bo spoke quickly and couldn't hide her anxiety if she tried.

I'm a succubus that can't even talk to her girlfriend. Nice. She chided herself. She looked at Kenzi who had a knowing look on her face.

"Aw, Bo Bo. Just talk to her. Tell her that you know you suck at coupledom and you know you've been sort of really self centered lately and that you literally CAN NOT keep it in your pants and-"

"Hey! Message received, okay? I suck." Bo looked a bit stricken by Kenzi's words, and the smaller girl noticed. She sighed.

"Look, Bo, I get it. You've been distracted by this whole Dawning shindig. But that doesn't make the way you've treated us- I mean her, okay. It's gonna take more than your puppy dog eyes and some bangin' to fix this." Kenzi hadn't meant to insert her own feelings into the conversation, but she was on a roll and it felt good to have an actual conversation with Bo after so much time. She just hoped Bo didn't notice her slip up. She had no such luck.

"You said 'us'. I've messed up with you too, haven't I?"

So much for that, Kenzi thought.

Bo looked more vulnerable than Kenzi had ever seen her.

Sighing gently, she tried to ease her friend's guilt.

"Bo...I love you, okay? But I'm hurt and it sucks that you kinda forgot about me because you almost Fae-volved into Pikachu's cousin or whatever-"

Bo cut in with a small smile on her face,

"I'm not a Pokemon, Kenz." Kenzi ignored her.

"-but I get it. You just lost yourself for a minute."

Bo blinked a few times to try to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes.

I really, really suck. She thought to herself.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you. It's been hard and I've been busy but you're right. It doesn't make any of it okay. I've been pretty shitty to you and Lauren. You totally have the right to be mad at me," Bo stopped and wiped a stray tear from her face.

"Crap, Kenzi. I'm just...I'm really, really sorry."

Kenzi's eyes softened a bit at Bo's heartfelt apology. She sniffled a bit and punched Bo on the shoulder half heartedly.

"It's okay, ya Succubum. You'll just have to buy me a lot of shots to make up for this, I hope you know. Oh, and next time I get my identity stolen Fae style, try to notice a wee bit sooner."

Bo felt even worse after being reminded of that. The genuine smile on Kenzi's face helped a little, though. Bo leaned over and kissed Kenzi's head.

"Definitely." She confirmed.

Kenzi dabbed at her eyes quickly.

"Okay! Enough mushy stuff. Lets talk about the Doc."

Bo's smile faded at that. She really was terrified.

"I need to apologize," Bo tentatively said.

Kenzi nodded.

"And?" She prodded.

Bo looked at her, helplessness all over her face. Sighing dramatically, Kenzi helped fill in the blanks.

"Duh, you've gotta apologize. But you also need to talk to her. Like really talk. Let her tell you how she feels. I'm not saying this to make you feel like shit, but you need to get that this relationship isn't just about you. Lauren has just as many girly ass emotions as you do. You just gotta make sure she knows that you care about them, that's all."

Bo blinked and furrowed her brow. In a slightly defeated tone, she asked, "What if she doesn't believe me? I mean, I'd have trouble believing me."

Kenzi smiled encouragingly and patted Bo's hand.

"Then you make her believe you. Whether she forgives you tonight or a month from now, just make sure she does. She friggin' loves your nympho ass. It'll all work out. As long as you really hear what she says."

A tentative but genuine smile formed on Bo's face. Granted, she was still a little nervous about talking to Lauren, but Kenzi was doing her job as her best friend and making everything a little clearer.

"You know, you could be a therapist. Who knew that much wisdom could fit into such a little person?"

Kenzi grinned cockily and retorted.

"Doctor Phil's got nothin' on me."

Bo gave her another smile and then pulled herself off of the couch. She grabbed her car keys from the coffee table and turned back to her best friend.

"I'm gonna go see Lauren."

Kenzi got a confused look on her face.

"Right now? It's kinda late."

Bo shook her head and replied, "it's only eight thirty. Besides, its Lauren. She's probably doing sciency stuff and doesn't even know what time it is. I just," Bo paused to reign herself in.

"I really want things to be okay again. With us."

Kenzi gave her a fist pump and shouted, "Godspeed, then! Remember my awesome advice!"

Bo nodded.

"Wish me luck." With that, Bo leaned down to give Kenzi a quick peck on the cheek before heading for the door. Kenzi shouted after her.

"Remember, talk first. Succubang later!"

Bo rolled her eyes.

"Got it!"

...

Kenzi was fast asleep. She had stayed up for a few hours playing her robot hooker game and eating anything she could find after Bo left to go see Lauren. Hundreds of dead hookers and three bowls of cereal later she had collapsed into her bed, vowing to wake up no earlier than noon the next morning.

She was so deep in sleep that at first, the soft thuds coming from downstairs went unnoticed by her. It wasn't until the floor creaked audibly that her ears picked up on the sounds coming from downstairs. Sitting up, Kenzi groaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Balls." She mumbled to herself, trying to listen for any other sounds. Hearing nothing but silence, she rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed.

She had almost fallen back asleep when her ears picked up on the noises again, still coming from the floor below her. Sitting up again, Kenzi called out,

"Bo? If that's you, what the shitballs are you doing down there?"

Receiving no answer and hearing no more noise, she furrowed her brow and continued, "Kenzi needs her beauty slee-"

Thud.

She went quiet.

What the fuck? She thought to herself.

The thudding continued, slow and steady. She listened closer. It seemed to be coming from the living room. Kenzi's eyes widened when she noticed that it would gradually grow louder, as if it was getting closer to the stairs. She swallowed nervously and reached for her phone that was resting on a stack of crates that she used as a nightstand. Slipping it into the pocket of her pajama bottoms, she climbed out of bed and inched towards her door to listen. The thudding was incessant, like a slow heartbeat.

After quickly grabbing a wooden baseball bat from under her bed, Kenzi grasped the door handle and was about to turn it when she noticed that the thudding had moved away from the bottom of the stairs. As far as she could tell, it seemed to be circling around the living room. She pressed her ear to the door to listen.

She could hear small, almost in audible sounds between the thudding steps that were starting to make her nauseous.

It sounded like...scratching? Or scraping? What the fuck is that? She wondered. Kenzi briefly debated with herself about whether or not to just call Bo or Dyson to come check it out. But it was late, and she didn't want to interrupt Bo's night with Lauren or Dyson's sleep over something that could easily be a stray animal or a random homeless guy that snuck into the house.

Maybe it's Blossom the Possum! Last time I saw that little shit, he had revenge in his eyes. Probably because I doused him with Windex until he got the hell out. Or because I named him Blossom, she reasoned with herself.

She gripped the bat in her hands tightly, ready to scare the shit out of the aforementioned animal and get back to sleep. Opening the door quietly so she wouldn't alert him to her presence, Kenzi's deftly walked down the short hallway and stopped at the top of the stairs. She peered into the darkened living space. The only light in the house was coming from a nightlight that Bo had placed for her by the front door. She had been a bit indignant at first, hearing Bo's reasoning.

"I don't want you to break your neck when you trip over the coffee table drunk again, Kenz. You'll thank me later." She had explained. Kenzi would never admit it, but that had made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She shook her head to focus. She sighed quietly, a bit annoyed. The thudding and the scratching was starting to piss her off more than anything at this point. Lowering herself down a few steps to get a better view, Kenzi's eyes adjusted to the darkness.

When her eyes reached the far corner of the living room, she almost dropped the bat she was holding. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped.

There was someone standing there.

She was frozen in her spot, stuck gaping at the figure standing perfectly still in the corner of the living room.

It didn't seem to have any tangible matter, or facial features, or anything distinguishing. It was just a black silhouette that looked to be about seven feet tall with unusually long arms and long, razor-sharp fingers. The figure seemed to be something similar to a thick mist or maybe even a type of black matter. Either way, the thing was so black that it made Kenzi think of oblivion.

She swallowed thickly and noticed that since she had laid eyes on the figure, the scratching and thuds had ceased. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mind started racing.

On shit. I think it sees me. It doesn't have eyes but it totally sees me. Fuck fuck fuck!

She breathed harshly through her nose, trying to make as little noise as possible. Trying to keep her eyes on the figure, Kenzi slowly began to ease her way back backwards, to move up the few stairs she had descended earlier. Just one stair into her escape, one of her feet slipped and she grabbed at the wall to steady herself. She quickly returned her attention to the corner of her living room.

It wasn't there.

Kenzi's eyes frantically moved, trying to spot the black figure. a few milliseconds later, her eyes finally landed on it. It was at the bottom of the stairs, standing, once again, perfectly still. The thing looked downright menacing, and her brain swiftly noted that it appeared even taller than before now that it was closer to her.

Kenzi couldn't stop herself from screaming.

She ran back into her room and slammed the door shut. After locking it, she ran to the closet and hid herself inside, pressing her back against the far wall, trying to be as far from the door as she possibly could. She fished her phone out of her pocket and snapped it open. She was scrolling quickly through her contact list for Dyson's name while listening to the thudding slowly come up the stairs. Then came a soft noise from what sounded like the other side of the bedroom door.

Her head snapped up. She forced herself to open the closet door a fraction of an inch. Gazing at the empty bedroom, she turned her attention to the bedroom door. The noises were definitely coming from the other side. The thuds and that damn scratching were now coming from just outside her room. The scratching was relentless, moving up and down the door slowly. Kenzi felt like she was going to have a heart attack when the creature started whispering harshly. It was low and gravelly, and it sounded angry. She tried to listen closely but couldn't make out what it was saying other than a short strangled phrase.

"Want...it I...I WANT IT!"

Whimpering, she shut the door and crawled back to the back wall of the closet. Seconds later, Kenzi had the phone pressed up to her ear tightly.

"Come on, come on. Answer your phone, Fido..." She whispered harshly.

"Hello?" Dyson's gruff voice came through the phone. Her eyes widened.

"Dyson?! Dyson! Help me! There's something in here in the house with me. It's fucking in here!" Her voice was a strained whisper.

"Kenzi? Where are you?" Dyson was awake and alert quickly, concern flooding his senses.

"I'm at home! At the clubhouse!" She whispered frantically.

"Okay. Just stay calm and hide somewhere, now. And don't come out. I'm on my way."

Kenzi focused on Dyson's voice to try and ignore the relentless noises at the door. She pleaded into the phone,

"It knows where I am! It's right outside the door! Oh god oh god oh god... Hurry Cujo! Before I get fucking murdered!"

She heard Dyson mutter something under his breath, then a car horn.

"Don't hang up on me." She begged.

"I won't. Just stay hidden and try to breathe. I'm coming for you."

She almost sighed in relief when she heard Dyson turn on the siren of his car.

"Just hurry." She whispered.

She sat shaking in the closet with her phone clutched desperately in her palm. The scraping had gotten faster and had started moving in circles at the bottom of the door. She whimpered and tried to concentrate on listening to Dyson who was quietly reassuring her while driving. What felt like hours but was actually minutes passed until she heard his squad car pull up to the clubhouse.

She stayed still and listened to Dyson open the front door open and move throughout the house. With his gun drawn and his eyes glowing their wolfish yellow, he walked up the stairs and swiftly checked every room for intruders. Once he had made sure that whoever or whatever had been there was gone, he holstered his gun and made his way back downstairs and called out for Kenzi.

"Kenzi! Where are you?"

She breathed deeply and yelled back,

"I'm in here! I'm in my room!"

She heard him make his way quickly back up the stairs to her room door and pull it open. She burst out of the closet at lightening speed and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Oh thank Jesus. Oh fuck."

Dyson gently gripped her shoulders and looked at her, assessing her physical condition.

"What happened?" His voice was steady and full of concern.

She shook her head vehemently,"Just get me the fuck out of here!" She demanded.

Dyson thought better than to argue. Whatever it was that was in the house, it had scared her senseless. He nodded and his eyes shifted to yellow.

"Stay close." The two walked toward the front door as quickly as they could. Dyson gripped the already open door and motioned for Kenzi to go through it. She didn't hesitate to speed walk straight to Dyson's squad car. Standing in the doorway , Dyson took one last look around the living room of the club house.

Something on the far wall opposite him caught his eye. Through the wooden boards, he saw what looked like the shadowy figure of a person standing perfectly still right outside the window. He sniffed the air. It smelled like Fae, but that's all he could detect. He growled softly and was just beginning to wolf out when the shrill sound of a car alarm down the street stole his attention. He quickly looked back at the window and saw that whatever was standing there before was gone. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air again, this time smelling nothing.

Deciding to not call back up since this was obviously not a human break in, and wanting to get Kenzi somewhere safe as soon as possible, Dyson shut the door and jogged to his car.

"Did you see it? Was it in there?" Kenzi asked immediately.

Dyson didn't answer. He started the car and cranked the heat to combat the nighttime winter weather. He then turned to her and spoke in a low, worried voice.

"We're going to the Dal."