A) this is my first Lost Girl fic. Apologies in advance if it sucks, but we all have to start somewhere, right? 2) this plot bunny would not leave me alone. the little bastard kept hopping belligerently around my brain and would even slap me in the face from time to time. this is set kind of between the events of Fae-de To Black and Fae-ge Against The Machine...it's all in that time frame. And D) I spent time writing this when I was supposed to be writing my SVU Alex/Olivia fic. Please don't tell anyone I cheated on them.

"Bo, are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah! Yeah, sure. You were saying something about...cells."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Yes, I was talking about cells, but specifically about how long distance cell migration is an important feature of embryonic development and adult morphogenesis, but the mechanisms that drive subpopulations of cells to distinct targets are poorly understood. If I could just isolate the-"

Bo stood up quickly and stomped to the kitchen. "Ugh! This is all I've been hearing about since you started this experiment!"

"This is important, Bo! If I get this right, it could help you and thousands of other Fae!"

"Can Doctor Lewis go on vacation for a bit and can Lauren come out to play? I just want to cuddle on the couch with my girlfriend."

"I can't help it. I'm just really excited. This could be huge! I might even get an award!"

Throwing her hands up in anger, Bo shouted, "I just wanted to spend time with you and not be scienced to death! Just this once I thought maybe we could not talk about petri dishes and centrifuges and beakers and...and...lab shit!"

Lauren went to stand next to Bo. "I'm a scientist, Bo. All that 'lab shit' makes me happy. And helping the Fae is my job. I love you, Bo, but as a human in the Fae employ, I've gotta earn my keep."

"I'm a Succubus, Lauren," Bo countered. "You know what makes me happy? My girlfriend."

"God, I just wish for once you would show some kind of interest in what I'm saying!" Lauren growled as she walked over to where she had hung her jacket.

Bo's anger escalated. "Well, I guess I'm just too dumb for you."

Taking her jacket from its hook and spinning around to face her girlfriend, Lauren fixed Bo with a hardened look. "No, Bo, you're not too dumb for me, but you really know how to be selfish sometimes." She turned back to the door and made sure to slam it behind her.

Kenzi crept slowly around to the kitchen island and hip bumped Bo. "You and Doctor Hotpants having a spat?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah. About the same old things too," the Succubus explained.

"I heard. I was coming downstairs and stopped when I heard you guys."

Bo closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. "We always fight about the same things. I'm not smart enough for her and she's insecure about being human around all these Fae."

"Aw, sweetness, you know I love you and I'm gonna love you 'til the end of time...and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm gonna side with Doctor Hotpants on this one."

"What?!" Bo whipped her head around to look at Kenzi.

Putting her hands up in a placating gesture, Kenzi continued. "I know, right? But let me explain, OK? Now, I'm in the unique position of being the other human in your life, so I can kinda see where the Doc's coming from. You're Fae. Dyson's Fae. Trick's Fae. Hale- well, you see where I'm going with this. You all have this Fae thing where you live for bazillions of years and have wicked Fae abilities and to some extent, feed off humans. Lauren and I are gonna be pushing up daisies long before all you guys, and as humans we're second class in your world. I mean, I'm technically your pet!"

"Kenz-" Bo tried to refute, but Kenzi cut her off.

"I know you don't see me that way, but the rest of the Fae do. But Lauren's another story. She was tricked into her slavery. And as OK with that as she seems, I think it gets to her more than she admits. Her girlfriend was in a coma and suddenly she was someone's property. Now that's enough to make anyone depressed, but to find out that Nadia was deliberately put in a coma so the Light Fae can use that big, science lovin' brain she's got any time they want, that's even worse. And even worse than that is the fact that she fell in love with a Succubus who has to feed on others so you don't drain the life outta your main squeeze."

Bo nodded slightly as she took in Kenzi's words. "You're absolutely right."

"Should I even mention the fact that Dyson's always around and looking like a kicked puppy when he sees you and the Doc together?"

"Only if you wanna make me feel worse," Bo frowned.

"OK. I won't then," Kenzi finished lamely.

They stood next to each other in silence for a moment more. Bo fidgeted with her hands while Kenzi looked sympathetically at her best friend.

"She's always accepted me for who and what I am, and I haven't been returning the favour. She's done so much to help me figure things out with her knowledge and I'm being a total jerk about it. My girlfriend's a nerd. I'm in love with a nerd. A hot nerd. And I need to let her geek out and show her that I do love when she talks about geek stuff," Bo stated emphatically.

"Well, whattaya doing staring at me right now?! GO TELL THAT TO YOUR GIRL! And if that doesn't work, just take your top off. Seriously, that shirt says it's Boobs O'Clock. No lady lover could resist those."

Bo laughed and shoved Kenzi playfully. "How did you get so wise?"

"I watched a lot of Oprah," Kenzi offered with a satisfied smile.

###

Bo walked to Lauren's door with a purpose. She'd spent the entire drive over practising what she was going to say and now she just needed to get it out and hopefully make up with the woman she loved. She knocked on the door and waited for a response. There wasn't one.

"Lauren? It's Bo." Still no answer. The door was unlocked so she let herself in. "Lauren?" The smell of pipe tobacco hit her hard. "Ewwwww!" She walked to the sink in the kitchen and saw a broken mug on the floor with what looked to be tea spilled around it. Something wasn't right. "Lauren?" Panic was setting in. Where the hell was Lauren? Was she OK? She took her phone out and dialled the doctor's number. The sound of it ringing came from between the sofa cushions. Running up the stairs and finding no sign of her girlfriend, Bo sprinted back to her car and headed to the Dal to see if anyone knew where Lauren was. She burst through the doors and looked around to see if Lauren was there. She wasn't.

Trick was behind the bar polishing glasses and looked up when he heard his granddaughter storm in. "Something wrong, Bo?"

"Have you seen Lauren today?"

"No, I haven't. Did something happen?"

Bo took a seat at the bar and put her head in her hands for a moment before looking up at Trick. "We had a fight and I went by her place to beg for forgiveness, but she wasn't there."

"Maybe she went for a walk," Trick reasoned as he picked up another glass to polish.

Shaking her head, Bo looked at him pleadingly. "My gut's telling me something's wrong. There was a broken mug and tea spilled in the kitchen and the place reeked of tobacco. Lauren doesn't smoke, Trick. Something happened. I just know it."

"Did you call her phone?" the Blood King asked, sounding almost disinterested.

Bo couldn't figure out why Trick was being so nonchalant about Lauren's disappearance. "Yeah. I did. And it was on the couch." She fixed him with a questioning glare. "Why don't you seem interested in finding Lauren?"

Trick put the glass and cloth down on the bar and leaned toward Bo. "Everyone in a relationship fights once in a while. It's to be expected. She probably just needed some space. I'm sure she'll be back soon enough and you'll feel silly for being so worked up over nothing."

Not believing that for a second, Bo slid off the bar stool. "Sure. Whatever." She needed to get Kenzi and head to Lauren's to look for clues.