'Peep.'

"Shhh, did you hear that?"

"Yep. Do you think we should-"

"SHHH!"

Silence. Then...

'Peep.'

"It's in here! The sound came from that corner!" The leather clad brunette clutched the dagger in her fist tighter, the plush carpet making no sound under her bare feet as she stalked cautiously towards the kitchen, ears straining to pinpoint where the strange noises were coming from.

All and all it had been a quiet afternoon in the up-scale up apartment complex until a few minutes ago.

With their latest case finally settled the previous day, and an eternally grateful dryad rescued from the clutches of a jealous pixie and returned safely to her forest grove, Bo the unaligned succubus and her human best friend had trudged back to her girlfriends apartment after a hard day's shopping. It turned out that dryads had a fondness for shiny stones, and they had both received more than enough to cover their expenses and then some for at least the next few months in gratitude. As a result Bo was practically staggering through the front door under the weight of both their packages – having been relegated to pack-horse by the little Russian due to her status of 'supernatural bad-ass' (a phrase coined by Kenzi after Bo told her in no uncertain terms that her original description of 'genetic weirdness' wasn't really inspiring her to provide much help).

Muttering under her breath, Bo had dropped the parcels in a pile in the hallway before flopping down on the outrageously comfy white leather couch that she and the good doctor had christened thoroughly only a few weeks earlier. "Good god, remind me again how all of this crap is 'essentials'?"

She unzipped her trusty leather boots and pulled them off with a groan, setting them down carefully next to her rather than just tossing them across the room like she would if they were in the crackshack. "And did we really have to go to three different malls?"

"Yes, we really did – and I'll have you know that everything here was a total essential. Just look at these shoes!" The petite girl bounced excitedly around the pile of assorted goodies that she had dragged in from where Bo had left them, plucking a shoe-box off the top and waving it's contents at her.

"Careful with that, if you break something else in Lauren apartment she might actually strangle you."

"First of all, that microscope thing was totally not my fault..." Kenzi ignored the succubus as she snorted and arched an eyebrow at her. "-and secondly, we both know that hotpants would never hurt little old me. She's spent too much effort saving this fine ass to kill me herself."

"Lucky for you she took a Hippocratic oath, huh?" Bo teased, relaxing back into the ridiculously comfortable piece of furniture beneath her, loving the faint scent of her girlfriend that lingered in the apartment around her. An uncomfortable digging in her upper thigh prompted her to unbuckle the long dagger strapped to it as a familiar precaution, and she set it carefully down on the thick glass coffee table across from her.

She had been delighted when Lauren had invited her to bring Kenzi around with her for dinner tonight. Though the two seemed to have bonded recently, their friendship was still new and Bo wanted to encourage it's growth as much as possible. She hadn't even been bothered by the fact that her best friend would probably end up passing out and having to stay the night, as she knew for a fact that the walls of her girlfriend's new condo were a lot thicker than those at their place, and soundproofed to boot. The fact that they would both be able to enjoy the wonder that was Lauren Lewis's scientifically-guided cooking was just an added bonus.

Bo stretched languidly, ignoring her best friends continued gushing over her new purchases, and pulling her phone out of her pocket. She pouted slightly when she didn't find any new txts from Lauren, just the last one from an hour ago saying that she was finishing up something at the lab and that her and Kenzi should let themselves in if they got back before she did. The succubus smiled to herself as she read it over again, eyes lingering on the heart emoticon at the end as she subconscious twirled the key to Lauren's apartment in her fingers.

The key had been a delightful surprise that her girlfriend had given to her merely three weeks ago, at the end of a perfect day out together. They had spent the morning tangled together in the doctors sheets, and the afternoon taking advantage of the summer heatwave at the beach...just the two of them, warm sand, cool surf, a delicious picnic courteous of Lauren – the even more delicious sight of the blonde's toned body in a little red bikini...

Thump

Bo jerked in shock, relying on some serious last minute flailing to keep from tumbling of the couch and onto the floor as a (thankfully empty) shoe box smacked into her chest, taking her by surprise. "HEY! What the hell was that for?"

Kenzi narrowed her pale eyes at her, hands settling on slender hips. "I saw those eyes flash missy. Don't forget that you aren't the only one who was invited for dinner. No snacking on the doctor until I am either gone or out cold, you hear me?!"

The succubus pouted, not particularly happy about being rudely disrupted from what had been working out to be a very pleasant high definition replay of her girlfriend wading out of the ocean in her swimwear, water glistening in the radiant sun as it rushed off her long limbs. "I promise to keep my hands off Lauren until we have gone to bed."

The goth looked at her skeptically.

"Well mostly off. In PG-13 zones only. When you're in the room."

Her best friend sighed."That's the best offer I'm going to get isn't it?"

"She is my girlfriend Kenz. My gorgeous, brilliant girlfriend. And it's been a month!"

"Two and a half weeks Bo. It's been just under two and a half WEEKS. During which you talked to her almost every day. For goodness sake woman, control yourself before you embarrass yourself!"

"Talking to her over the phone is nothing compared to spending time with her in person! I can't see her smiling and gesturing as she geeks out, or see her beautiful eyes and the emotion in them. I can't hold her or-"

"All right, all right! I get the point. She'll be here soon hon, so just try to contain yourself, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll...wait, did you hear that?"

Kenzi frowned. "Hear what?"

"There was a noise, a squeaking sound. Then a banging...like something got knocked over."

"Are you sure? 'Cause I didn't hear any-"

"Shhh! There it is again!"

Bo pulled herself up smoothly and silently from the couch, reaching for the dagger she had left on the coffee table. "Stay here."

"Uh, yeah. That aint happening." Scoffing, Kenzi bounded lithely to her feet and took up the rear guard behind the suddenly very focused looking succubus.

Bo sniffed, nose winkling as she scented the air."Does it smell smoky in here to you? Like something's burning?"

"A little. Don't see any actual smoke though."

"No, me either. Keep an eye out."

"Well duh."

The duo moved into the hallway, ears straining to pick up the slightest sound. The human was just beginning to wonder if they had been overreacting when...

'Meep.'

"Shhh, did you hear that?" Bo's head turned rapidly, scanning the area.

"Yep. Do you think we should-"

"SHHH!"

Silence. Then..

'Peep.'

"It's in here! The sound came from that corner!" The leather clad brunette clutched the dagger in her fist tighter, the plush carpet making no sound under her bare feet as she stalked cautiously towards the kitchen, ears straining to pinpoint if it was where the strange noises were coming from.

That mystery was abruptly cleared up when loud crash of shattering glass came from the open-plan room, making Kenzi jump and Bo snarl, diving in the direction of the disturbance. Rounding the corner in a flash of leather and aggression, the succubus paused when she skidded to a halt in the apparently empty kitchen. The base of her skull was tingling however, a warning that she had learnt the hard way to pay attention to, and so she dropped into a defensive crouch, anticipating trouble. Whatever was going on, it had a fae feel to it, and that was never good. She couldn't help but notice a strong, fishy aroma on the air and as her eyes scanned the room for clues they quickly fell upon a broken jar of anchovies next to the tall cupboard to the right of the fridge – clearly the source of the smell.

'But what,' Bo wondered, 'caused it to fall from where it usually was, in line with three other brightly colored jars of preserved Mediterranean foods.'

Squaring her shoulders and making sure Kenzi was a safe distance behind her (she would never live down the time she had accidentally elbowed the poor girl in the face during a fight), she moved towards the stack of box cupboards, alert eyes scanning for any clues that might be found. There was nothing too obvious, but she noticed that another one of the decorative bottles was slightly out of line – something that her very particular girlfriend would never tolerate.

Quietly, and without removing her eyes from the spot, Bo grabbed one of the chairs from the kitchen bar and used it to peer over the top.

She was utterly unprepared for what she found.

Removing the jar eliminated the hiding place of a very strange looking bird. It was small, roughly half the size of a pigeon, and had the most beautiful plumage Bo had ever seen. Soft, almost fluffy seeming feathers covered it in layers of crimson, gold and fiery orange – almost appearing to glitter in the thin beams of sunlight that reached the previously darkened corner. It's tail was nearly as long as the creature itself, and the same burnished copper color of it's two spindly little legs. It's eyes, she noticed curiously, were a glistening sapphire – a lot like her own whenever her inner succubus emerged – and they seemed to hold an almost frighting level of intelligence.

All and all, it was most certainly not the kind of creature she had been expecting to discover.

Temporarily stunned, Bo merely blinked. The bird blinked back.

Snapping out of her daze, Bo made a grab for the creature. It was damn fast, she realized a little too late, but fortunately for her it didn't really have anywhere to go – and when it rebounded off the wall it had reflexively bounced for, she was able to capture it and keep a hold of it as she jumped back down to the ground. The bird didn't take kindly to this, screeching surprisingly loudly and squirming desperately in her grip, and this was the scene of chaos that greeted Lauren when she finally arrived home and followed the alarming sounds into her kitchen.

"BO! What are you doing? Be careful!" Shocked as she was, the doctor quickly snapped out of it, surprise turning instantly to concern.

"It's okay babe, look at the thing. It's no going to hurt me, I've got it." Bo waved the struggling animal in front of her, stilling when her girlfriend made a choked sound and waved her arms at her in alarm.

"I meant be careful with IT!" Lauren rushed forward, carefully scooping the disgruntled little bird out of the brunette's grip.

Bo blinked in shock as she watched the doctor cup the strange creature gently in her hands and lift it up to her face, turning it slowly from side to side as if inspecting it for damage. Apparently finding none, she smoothed down the rumpled feathers on it's neck and pulled the now much calmer looking bird into her chest as it finally went silent.

She narrowed her eyes accusingly at the succubus and her human companion. "What were you doing?! You could have hurt him!"

"We heard it making a noise, we thought someone had broken in!" Bo watched the creature settle down in it's new perch in her girlfriends hands, tucking its beak into the crook of one of her fingers and shutting those unnerving blue eyes. "I'm...um, sorry?"

Lauren sighed, turning and walking back into the lounge, where she pulled open one of the drawers in her desk. She lifted an ordinary looking stereo remote from it, pressing six of the buttons in rapid succession and the two women behind her let out simultaneous gasps of shock as the panel of leafy greenery slid slowly to one side with a soft hiss, revealing a well-lit staircase leading downwards.

Unsurprisingly, Kenzi was the first to comment. "Holy James Bond villain! What's with the secret lair Dr Evilpants?"

The blonde bit back a chuckle, looking past her to the succubus whose jaw was still nearly on the floor. "It's my home research lab. I've told you about this Bo, remember?"

"Well yeah, but I never thought...I mean I assumed you just meant your desk and equipment and stuff! This is...this is..."

"Totally. Bitchin'."

Lauren simply rolled her eyes, tilting her head to silently indicate for the duo to follow her as she made her way down the short, narrow staircase into the room below. About 12 by 12 feet and full of hi-tech looking computers, it was lit brightly by a series of fluorescent panels on the ceiling and smelt faintly of disinfectant. On a solid stainless steel bench set along the right side of the room, a strange looking iron cage sat next to a deep sink, beneath a trio of powerful heat lamps.

Which, Bo mused to herself, were probably the reason for the wall of blistering heat that had slapped them in the face when they stepped off the last stair and passed through a sliding glass door.

"Urgh, what's with the sauna? Do you sit around naked in here or something?" Kenzi fanned herself frantically, eyes widening as she took in the temperature displayed in large glowing numbers on a screen of one of the computers.

Bo's eyes flashed electric for a moment at the thought of her girlfriend lounging amongst all this sciency equipment with nothing covering her soft skin but sweat and possibly a lab coat. She shook herself slightly to regain control before turning her attention back to the aforementioned blonde, who thankfully had been too distracted by her strange new pet to notice.

"Sorry, the place is normally a lot cooler, but this little guy needs to be kept in a much more constant and hot environment, so the heating has to be set right up."

Lauren crossed the room, placing the bird down on the bench next to the cage while she turned the ancient looking lock mechanism in her hands, aligning the symbols in the correct combination, eventually releasing it with a click and causing the front of it to swing open.

Bo and Kenzi both shuffled forward, peering into the structure with fascination as the doctor picked up the creature again and deposited him gently into a thick nest of wool and wood-chips, being careful not to brush her bare skin against the heated metal bars. She checked the thin tube on the other side of the cage that was dripping a constant stream of water onto a piece of free draining mesh before puling her hands out, the interior too hot for her to leave them in long without beginning to blister.

"Kenzi, can you please grab me the round container from the second to top self in the fridge over there?"

The girl obeyed quickly, only too happy to stick her head in anything cooled, even if only for a moment. She was glad that though the other racks were full of various gross and sciency looking things there was only one round container on the second to top one and picked it up, pulling a face at the red meaty looking substance inside.

"Eww, what is this stuff?" Kenzi wrinkled her nose as she set the offending plastic capsule into Lauren's waiting palm, taking a wary step back as she opened it.

"It's a blend of puréed raw fish, beef and goat's meat. An unusual mix, I'll admit, but it's what is best for him at this stage of his development."

She scooped a tablespoon of the stuff from the container and plopped it down in a little glass bowl next to the water dropper, causing the bird to lift it's head instantly. He clambered out of his nest and hopped over to the meat, pecking at it greedily.

"And, um, what exactly IS he?" Bo's eyes were flicking between the bird and the bold, ancient looking letters set into a solid sheet of iron just beneath the door.

Φοίνιξ phóinīx

Strange. She wondered what it meant.

Lauren swallowed thickly, drawing the two other women's attention back to her. "Um, I...you have to understand how important it is that this remains a secret."

Bo and Kenzi both nodded at the doctor, but she shook her head. "No, I really mean it. No-one can know, not Hale, not Dyson or Tamsin. No-one. We can't risk news of it spreading around the fae." She narrowed her eyes slightly at the Russian who winced sheepishly.

"Okay. I promise. Pinky-swear and all."

Lauren sighed, hand coming up to trail through her hair. She turned back to the cage, the worry on her face slipping away slightly as the little bird hopped over the sawdust lining on the floor towards her.

"You remember the fire in The Morrigan's mansion two weeks ago?"

Bo shuddered. "Oh yeah, everyone is still expecting her to swoop down and melt a bunch of people for that. I can't believe they still haven't caught who did it, would have thought she'd be on the warpath."

A smile twitched at the corner of Lauren's lips, blonde locks tousling slightly as she shook her head. "They haven't caught who did it because there wasn't anybody. The blaze started in one of The Morrigan's own secure collection vaults, and she knew immediately what it was. After all, what else but the contents could melt straight through a foot of re-enforced steel from the inside out and set an unbelievably hot fire ripping through an entire wing only for it to stop as abruptly as it started?"

Kenzi whistled. "Damn, what kind of weapon was in the vault? Some kind of super fae napalm? Another one of those ugly volcano rock monsters?"

"You mean a Cherufe, and no, nothing like that. It was an egg actually - more specifically, it was this little guy."

"Wait wait wait, you're telling me that the pretty little chicken over there burnt down half of one of the most secure buildings in Toronto?!" Kenzi's disbelief was obvious, skepticism morphing into confusion when she realized that Lauren didn't appear to be joking.

All three of them turned to stare at the bird again, who had started scratching at the now blackened pile of thicker wood chips in one of the corners, all but the doctor jumping a little as a previously unnoticed extraction fan sitting in the wall above the cage switched itself on with a metallic whir when thin wisps of smoke began to rise.

"That 'pretty little chicken' as you so eloquently put it, is one of the most ancient and revered magical creatures of all time. It's a phoenix – well," the doctor broke off and returned her gaze to the small creature who had grown bored of what was now little more than a glowing patch of embers and was instead running in excited circles around the dripping water, "he's just a baby, but still incredibly powerful."

"A baby who attacked The Morrigan. I don't get it. Why target her?" Bo was confused.

"Oh no, he didn't attack her. All he did was hatch. The egg was a priceless relic that had been passed through the greatest of Dark fae royalty and leaders for over three millennia and was currently in secure holding under Evony's care."

"Woah, three millennia? And it took that long to hatch? Without rotting? Heh, I would have turned it into an omelet by now."

Lauren shook her head and gave the young Russian a chastising look. "That would be both extremely unwise and impossible to actually accomplish, given that phoenix eggs are almost indestructible. They also do not age or decay, but rather stay in a form of dormancy for however long it takes for them to sense a suitable guardian to latch onto – at which point they resume their development and hatch at a temperature of almost 600 degrees Celsius. Hence the fire."

"Holy shitballs, and you touched that thing?!"

"He wouldn't hurt me." The doctor looked indignant. "He would never hurt me. Not intentionally."

Bo growled a little, a suspicious frown settling like a cloud over her features. "Just how sure of that are you? Because in my experience, you should never trust anything fae – not completely. What makes you think that this thing won't turn around and bite the hand that feeds it?"

"Gotta go with suckyface on this one."

"No, you don't understand, I'm...how much do you know about phoenix?"

The succubus's face scrunched a little in thought. "Nothing really, only what is common mythology, like in books and stuff."

Lauren nodded in understanding. "Right. Well there is a lot more to them than that. Phoenix aren't fae, as such, but rather magical creatures – the oldest and strongest of all, none the less. According to fae mythology, the first phoenix was born from the heart of the sun when the first of it's rays touched earth. They are the very embodiment of light and fire, seen as protectors and beacons of hope capable of great acts of healing, but also powerful and forces of unmatched destruction. They never truly die, but rather collapse in on themselves - not unlike stars – and revert back to an unhatched egg awaiting their time to rise again. They are also unbelievably rare, in fact it is said that there can only ever be three in existence around the world at any time."

"Okay, and the dark fae got their hands on one...how?"

Slim shoulders shrugged. "That I don't know. Presumably somebody must have been nearby when one died, close enough to be able to find the egg but not so close as to be consumed by the resulting inferno. Phoenix eggs are impossible to trace by human means or magic, and neither them nor the creatures themselves have any kind of discernible scent to be followed. Either way, this one has been in dark fae possession for so long that – while it certainly wasn't forgotten – nobody was actually expecting it to hatch."

"So why did it? The Morrigan's charmingly abrasive personality finally drive it to break out and set all her shit on fire?"

Lauren sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as the two dark haired women in front of her giggled and snorted at what they appeared to consider the height of humor. This was not helping with what was going to be the harder part of her revelation. The part that would change everything. 'Best to just go for it,' she reasoned, 'rip the band-aid off rather than a delayed pull.'

"He hatched because I was nearby."

Blank stares. Confusion. Then...

"What?" It was Bo who spoke – probably a good thing as Kenzi was squinting at her as though trying to figure out her angle. She didn't let it phase her.

"You remember what I just said Bo? About how the eggs would remain dormant until they are found by their guardians? Well apparently that is me, and my presence in Evony's vaults was close enough for him to recognize this and imprint, which in turn set his development in motion again."

"WHAT?" Lauren jumped at the outburst, unable to contain a reflexive flinch before reaching for the cage, knowing full well what was about to happen. She wasn't fast enough.

In a flash the phoenix had phased from inside the bared enclosure to appear standing on the cold tile between the two of them. There it spread it's glittering wings, appearing to shimmer around the edges for a few long moments before the heat seemed to consume it from the inside out and it erupted into a ball of flame.

"DON'T!" The doctor yelled a warning to Bo, who had snarled and reached for the dagger on her thigh, before stepping forward for the agitated little bird. "Why did you do that? You scared him!"

"I SCARED HIM? THAT THING IS A WALKING FIREBALL - don't pick it up."

Lauren ignored her. The flames licked warmly along her arms, heating her skin without burning her, and as she scooped the creature into her hands they receded entirely until all that was left was a puffed up bundle of feathers. She petted the fuming animal gently, soothing it's protective rage while it glowered at the succubus over her fingers – a look that was definitely being returned.

"Like I said before Bo, he won't hurt me. I'm his guardian, his guide, and as such I am bound to him." She took a deep breath. "Forever."

"Forever? He's claimed you? No. No! We can fix this, I will fix this."

"Sweetheart, there's nothing to fix." Bo opened her mouth and she shook her head, holding up her hand to silence the protest. "Listen to me, okay? This is a good thing. Do you know how much of an honor this is? There isn't a fae alive that wouldn't do anything to be chosen by a phoenix – the fact that it was me, a human, is amazing. You have to understand, he may be a baby now but he will grow. As the guardian of a phoenix nobody will harm me, they wouldn't dare even if it wasn't totally against their code to do so. Do you know how long it's been since a phoenix has been seen by anybody, fae or human? Their power, both destructive and healing, there is so much to be gained – to be learned from it! And there are other benefits too."

"Like what? Tax rebates? Quick, easy barbeque dinners?" Kenzi had found her voice again, and though she had previously hovered defensively behind her best friend, her natural curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"So much. More than I could have ever hoped to achieve, no matter how my status with the fae had improved. You see the bond between magical creatures and their guardians or companions is more than just moral, more than just written in law. It's physical too, mystical even. My natural inclination as a doctor, a healer, is no doubt a result of it, and is something that only will grow stronger as he does. Other abilities could develop as well, the texts on the matter are ancient and sketchy, but all support a transformation of some kind, a binding of spirits that changes both entities for the better."

Bo's eyes widened, her jaw going slack as she finally began to process what her girlfriend was telling her. "So...are you saying you are fae now?"

"No, not fae. I wasn't born fae, and I could therefore never truly be fae. I would be something else entirely. But that isn't the only thing, isn't the part that will have the most effect. Bo, for as long as the phoenix lives, so will I."

Her words hit the succubus like a ton of bricks, and she was barely able to get her next words out. "Forever. You-you could live forever?"

"Well no, not forever. No creature on earth lives forever. But hundreds, thousands of years? Yes. Easily."

"Oh god. Oh my god, are you saying...are you sure?"

A soft, radiant smile seemed to light up her girlfriend from the very core. "Yes Bo, I'm sure."

"This is huge. Oh my god Lauren this is massive! How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to be certain before I got your hopes up. What I knew of phoenix was only from brief study, out of curiosity. I had never imagined I would even encounter one, let alone be destined to be bound to it. When it happened I was in shock, honestly if it hadn't been for The Morrigan's adeptness to unusual situations and rapid seeking of information I don't know what I would have done. She handled the situation amazingly well, as soon as she realized what had happened she called me in and explained. I thought she was manipulating me, or testing me, or something...but as soon as she brought me to him I knew. I could feel it Bo."

Lauren stroked her fingers lovingly over the bird's back, remembering the undeniable pull that had drawn her forward the second she had laid eyes on him, tiny and featherless amongst a cordoned off pile of still burning rubble. Remembering the warmth that had grown in her chest and suffused her entire being as she picked him up and looked deep into those soulful eyes for the very first time.

"She put me on lock-down and gathered all the information she could. I was still in shock, I asked her why she was doing this for a human that wasn't even hers and she laughed, told me that I would never be owned by either side ever again. This changes everything Bo, and not just for me, but for the fae as well. I needed time to process it, and time to bond with this little guy. I didn't want to keep it a secret from you, and that wasn't my intention. That's why I asked you here tonight, I wanted to discuss what it meant. I wanted you to be the first to know."

Bo could see the honesty shining from Lauren's eyes, and nodded. She felt stunned, unable to fully understand all that this one change truly meant, and sympathized at once with what she must have been feeling the past week. She was right, this was huge, and it was going to take some time to come to terms with. "Okay."

"Okay?"

The vulnerability in the doctor's voice made her wince, had she truly expected her not to understand? To fly off the handle and stomp and rage? She had to admit that it was probably a fair assumption – only a few months ago she most likely would have done exactly that. But that was in the past, she had changed, and had no intention of letting her ego or anything else get in the way of their relationship again. "Okay. I understand. Well, I'm still confused as hell about some things, but I look forward to learning about them with you."

The two shared a long, loaded gaze, which was only broken when Kenzi began to make fake gagging noises. "Um, not to interrupt the love fest or anything, but sparky just disappeared."

Lauren tore her focus away from Bo immediately, looking quickly around the private lab for the missing phoenix before glancing at her silver wristwatch, swearing under her breath. "Oh shit, the evening chorus."

Both of the other women stared blankly at her as she made a mad dash for the stairs. "He heard the local birds singing at dusk through my window a few days ago, and has since been fascinated with them. Funnily, they don't seem to share his enthusiasm, especially when it's accompanied with flame. Excuse me, if you head back into the lounge I'll be back in a minute to start on dinner."


A/N - Well, there we go, chapter one. Stay tuned for the next one, with sex, snuggling and more fluffy cuteness! Please let me know what you think!