A/N: This fic is a Gardenhead904 & happysmurpf collaboration for the ClubDoccubus auction. We don't own anything. Not even the plot, which was supplied by Bo-Anna.

We hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

Lauren stepped into her shoes and looked at herself in the mirror one more time. It had been a long time since she'd had an occasion to wear a cocktail dress. Nowadays she was more the lab-chic type. She rolled her eyes at her silly attempt at being witty and tried being objective instead. Lauren could admit she looked okay in her black dress, good even. Black definitely suited her. Her hair looked good too, she had put it up, meticulously arranged to flatter her long neck. Diamond earrings and a simple, but elegant, silver necklace set the ensemble off. She stared at herself in the mirror and straightened, no doubt an unconscious nod to her mother's countless lectures on good posture. Lauren sighed; yeah, she still knew how to do this.

Satisfied that she looked the part, her attention turned back to tonight's fundraiser, the culmination of just one short month of planning. Trying to secure a venue on such a short notice was, to say the least, a challenge. She had to get the most expensive invitations from the printer and send them out. This was followed by the drama over the dinner. Deciding on the menu would have been much easier if her mother hadn't called every other day with new demands disguised as suggestions. Then there was the trial of hiring the best caterer. She remembered that particular ordeal with abject horror and she still couldn't get the taste of tripe out of her mouth.

Lauren looked at the clock, afraid she had taken too long getting ready. She still had to call "Vinny's Ice Designs and Centerpieces" again about the stupid ice sculptures. They should have been here ages ago and unless the truck was just around the corner, it would be too late and they would have to do without. That was just not an option, not with this crowd. She dialed the number and was sent straight to voice mail. For a moment she couldn't decide if she wanted to cry or laugh hysterically. So she opted for something completely different, making idle threats and comparing Vinny and his staff to barnyard animals. Not that it would do much good, but at least it made her feel a little better. She smiled in surprise, holy Einstein; that was great. She should have done that the first time she called them.

She had spent her day dealing with far too many little details about this and that, things she knew should have been taken care of days or even weeks ago. The florist, the caterer, the entertainment, everyone had last minute changes and tiny issues they wanted her to have an opinion about. For a little while, it even seemed the damn "red" carpet would be a light turquoise one because there was some mix-up about measurements. The guy who called to tell her about it acted like it would be no big deal and it really was a lovely color. But for the red carpet, seriously?

On the other hand, that really would have pissed her mother off.

She was still mad that she had let her mother talk her into arranging this shindig. If it hadn't been for the sincere expression on her face when she told Lauren that it would be in benefit of the Canadian blue-grey tail dropper slug, she would have thought her mother was pulling her leg. Lauren had actually always suspected that little oddity might be an undocumented species of underfae. Still, couldn't it at least have been something big and non-creepy? Like the Okapi? She knew that one to be endangered in Congo. But oh no, the cream of Canada's elite wanted to save a damn blue mollusk, alrighty then.

"Just a few people," her mother had said, "nothing overly elaborate. I'm sure it will be nothing you can't manage, Lauren. I would do it myself but we have to get ready for the Garden club's annual charity auction. I couldn't possibly take any time away from that right now." Lauren scoffed, as if that woman ever did anything herself.

Everything is easy when you have someone else to do it for you, and Lauren's mother always had someone else to do everything for her. The woman never had to work a day in her life and understood very little of the concept of employment and wage. But she was excellent at putting other people to work. It was a family trait, as her dad was no better. Fortunately, Lauren hadn't been blessed with that lack of caring. Still, she supposed it had certainly served her family well ever since her great-grandfather Lewis had seen the potential of this new land called America and relocated from England. There were new resources to exploit and new people to bust their backs building someone else's fortunes. He had taken full advantage of this: buying land, building his industry, his empire.

Lauren looked at the clock again and sighed. People would start arriving soon. Her parents were probably here already, making her dread going downstairs. Lauren considered herself a competent, grown up woman but nevertheless, her mother could still bring out the insecure, snarky teenager in her full force. It was embarrassing.

Her father had no clue what went on between them. Or maybe he just didn't care? Neither of her parents were the nurturing kind, but he seemed the more elusive of the two. His role in her life had been to hand her an envelope with money in it on the celebration of some milestone or holiday. He did hug her once, at her graduation from Yale, she even had the proof captured on film.

This night just had to be perfect. She absolutely did not want her mother or anyone else to be able to put a finger on one single flaw, real or perceived.

Lauren didn't know why she should care. As far as she knew, nothing she'd ever done had pleased her parents. She did exceptionally well in school but never received much acknowledgement. She went to Yale at fifteen, graduated top of her class in both her undergrad and med school. She even spent a year as a volunteer doctor with the Red Cross in Afghanistan, and still nothing. After that, her father, seeing that this doctor business wasn't just a phase, offered to buy her a partnership in one of New York City's premier plastic surgery practices. So instead of her continuing with her relief work, he had basically wanted to render her life meaningless, sucking the fat and lifting the boobs of every trophy wife in Manhattan.

Lauren had said thanks, but no thanks, and joined Doctors Without Borders instead. By doing so, she had practically turned her back on everything her parents had wanted for her, including some well-bred suitors they thought would be just perfect for her. And though they hadn't exactly given her an ultimatum when she left for Congo with 'that Nadia,' it was more or less understood that she couldn't count on their support anymore, should she ever need it.

She still wondered why her mother had called her after all these years. Lauren had been surprised and happy that they wanted to extend their condolences with Nadia's death, to ask how she was and why she hadn't gone to the funeral. Maybe they had finally moved on and accepted that Lauren did not want the same life they wanted for her? Yeah right, that was funny; she hadn't been that naïve in a long time. Maybe they felt old and hoped she could give them some grandchildren? Maybe one of them needed a kidney? But whatever the reason was, she hadn't asked and her parents hadn't brought it up yet. Nor had they mentioned the years of no contact, thank god. As long as they didn't talk about it, she wouldn't have to explain anything. For all she cared at the moment, they could think it was her choice. It's not like she could tell them about the fae anyway. Or about Bo, not that she could think about her either right now.

Lauren took a deep breath to calm herself. She really had to go down now; she was the hostess after all. With one last look in the mirror, she left her room and descended the stairs very carefully. Heels were not her forte, and the last thing she wanted was to start the night off somersaulting down the big curved staircase and landing in the punchbowl. It was time to get this mess over with.

Meanwhile, across town…

"Come on Bo Bo, let's show some enthusiasm." Kenzi flitted behind the succubus, grabbing her by the shoulders and giving a firm shake. "You've been moping around for weeks that Lauren won't see you, talk to you, do your laundry or whatever it is you kids get up too that required I buy industrial strength, noise reducing headphones. Well, tonight, here's your chance."

Bo sighed heavily, taking one last glance at herself in her bedroom mirror before turning around to face her overly excited bestie. "I do want to see Lauren. I need to see Lauren, but this," she gestured down at her outfit, "is not exactly what I had planned." Bo fidgeted with the buttons on her waistcoat as Kenzi leaned in to straighten her bowtie. She offered a tight smile, this was so fucking stupid. And yet, here she was, posing as a server at Lauren's snooty party for people with more money than God. All just to get a little facetime with her girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, or whatever the fuck they actually were that she apparently wasn't privy to since Lauren refused to talk to her. Granted the woman had asked for space, but this was getting ridiculous. It was going on six damn weeks since their 'break' and the last three had been complete radio silence. Not even a lousy, "Yes, I am still alive," text had Bo at her limit.

Kenzi snapped her fingers, her patience wearing thin, "Look here, I've gone to an awful lot of trouble to set this gig up."

"Kenzi, you made two phone calls."

Ignoring her, Kenzi continued, "Calling in favor upon favor, tracking down your wayward girlfriend, and now I totes be putting my new shoes on the line in this over starched monkey suit to work this entire evening with you so you aren't stuck in Snobsville all alone."

"I don't think hiding out in the kitchen and eating all of the food on your serving tray counts as work."

"That happened one time and you are never going to let me forget it, rude." Kenzi huffed with mock indignation, "If you are going to be so ungrateful I can just go to the Dal where my charms will be appreciated."

"Okay Kenzi, I'm sorry." Bo shook her head, was this really what she had been reduced to? They couldn't even get a cooler cover than fucking tray holding, fake-smiling, "Would you like some more champagne, sir?" servers, ugh. At a charity event, no less, which meant no tips. And what the fuck was a Canadian blue-grey tail dropper slug anyway, and why the fuck were these Richie McRichersons trying to save something that looked like a wannabe Smurf penis? This was, of course, not the point of the evening, the point was Lauren. She needed to remember that above all else, it was Lauren and this may be her last chance. She smiled at her bestie, "Thank you for tonight, alright? I really do appreciate you setting it up and the sacrifice." And Bo really meant it.

Kenzi puffed out her chest, satisfied, "Well it's about time." She looked over her bestie, her mood turning serious, "Now on to the important stuff, what are you going to say when you see the ever so elusive doc tonight?"

Bo shrugged, "Hello or hi, that's as far as I have gotten."

"Babe, I know it's been rough, but it's just Lauren."

"Yeah, Lauren looking perfect and poised in some crazy expensive cocktail dress while I'm hanging with the caterers." Bo motioned towards her reflection, "No wonder she can't take me seriously, I wouldn't take me seriously."

"You really think Lauren cares about that stuff?" Kenzi and Lauren had always had their differences, but recently Kenzi had turned a corner with the doc and though she still considered her a frost crotch with a stick up her ass on occasion, she had come to understand that Lauren was not terrible. And the woman really did love Bo, so there's that.

"She comes from money, Kenz, like libraries named after you, old-world money." Bo sighed, visibly frustrated. She didn't know why the money aspect bothered her so much, but it made her feel inadequate, like she wasn't good enough. Like she was the kind of girl Lauren would have a fling with one summer to piss off her parents before she goes back to the ivy leagues, ditching her in the gutter. "And besides, it's not just Lauren; her parents are going to be there, too."

"My sources couldn't confirm that."

Bo scoffed, "Kenzi, those people have the same last name and the woman looks exactly like Lauren only older, who else would they be?"

"I dunno, distant cousins, maybe?"

"Kenzi, be serious."

"Okay, so what if they are her parents?" Kenzi was blunt and in this moment Bo needed her to be. It was 30 minutes to zero hour, she needed Bo to get her shit together and stop letting Lauren call all of the shots. "The point of this little adventure is to get you and Lauren in the same place so you can hash out your relationship woes."

"And how are we exactly supposed to do that if Lauren is hosting this gala?"

Kenzi took a breath; this second guessing herself Bo was doing really needed to stop. "Oh please, you know how these things work. Everyone will be wandering around doing the meet and greet, no one will notice if you and Lauren slip away to a back room. Well, as long as you two keep the moaning and groaning to a minimum."

"I can't even think about sex right now." That was a lie; Bo had been picturing unzipping Lauren from her cocktail dress ever since she had thought about it earlier. Sadly, now was not the time for that.

"No, you're probably right. Lauren is going to be so pissed at you for crashing her party and making a scene, sex will be the last thing on her mind. Murder maybe, well probably, but definitely not bumping uglies."

"Kenzi!" Bo threw her hands up, what the fuck had she gotten herself into? This was all going to end badly, she just knew it. "See, I told you this was a dumb idea, Lauren is going to be livid."

Kenzi shrugged, it didn't matter now anyway. Time was up and they needed to get going, "So let her be angry, at least you will be talking and that's more than you've got now."

Bo just shook her head and sighed, there was nothing really to say. Kenzi was right, an angry Lauren was better than no Lauren. And Bo was really not ready to live a life with no Lauren. She took a second to make sure her hair was in place, then followed Kenzi out of the room. Resigned, she knew there was no turning back now.