Note from the Author: The italicized words in the story represent unspoken thoughts. Things just going on inside their heads. I just wanted to make that more clear in case it was a bit confusing. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the ride. I appreciate your reviews.


In the Lab


Lauren closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She slowly set the phone down on her desk before the panic truly started to settle in her chest. What had she just gotten herself into? She never mixed business and pleasure with her patients. She didn't want to admit it, but with Bo those lines blurred a little too easily. If she were being honest with herself, she hadn't been able to keep her mind from having very unprofessional thoughts of the Succubus since the day they first met. Since then, she had seen Bo regularly for appointments, and each time, Lauren had the same unexpected, explicit response to the woman. She replayed their most recent conversation over in her mind.

"Hi Lauren, it's Bo. I could really use your help with something. Your medical opinion."

"Sure, of course. I'm listening." Lauren replied, her heart beating just a little faster at the sound of Bo's voice.

"It's…well, it's kind of personal. I…I don't really know how to start…" Bo's voice lowered.

"I understand. I promise Bo, I adhere to the strictest Doctor/Patient code of confidentiality. As your physician, you have my word," Lauren reassured her. Bo called to discuss something personal with her? This day just got a little more interesting. Now her heart was racing.

"Okay, well, see the thing is…" Bo wasn't sure how many details she felt comfortable revealing to the doctor. She decided being vague was a reasonable choice. "I don't think I'm getting enough rest. Well, I mean, I'm getting plenty of sleep, but I wake up needing three pots of coffee and two cold showers. I'm panting like some pathetic shelter dog, and everything seems…I don't know. Vivid? Brighter? It's really starting to screw with my emotions. The dreams are just so…THERE, and I wake up so hungry that I just want to…"

Lauren let out a sigh of relief. "Honestly Bo, that doesn't sound like anything to get too overly concerned about. It's completely normal for irregular sleep patterns to emerge when you are experiencing a high level of stress. Also, it's possible that the new injections I've been treating you with to help curb your hunger could be a contributing factor. I'll have to keep a close eye on that. Your hormones may just need more time to level out. How long have you been experiencing these episodes, these night terrors?"

"Oh, no, they aren't nightmares. They're unbelievably realistic though. Very, uh…intense. Sometimes it takes me a few minutes after I wake up to realize none of it actually happened. My body certainly seems to react as if it did."

Bo could feel her pulse quicken, and her eyes beginning to flash blue just thinking about it. "These episodes started back around the time we first met."

"Hmm, that was quite awhile before I started treating you with the injections.

"It's really starting to mess with my mind. The dreams have been happening more frequently, and lasting longer, " Bo explained.

"How long? How frequent are we talking?" Lauren questioned.

"A few hours at a time…"

"Hours? That does sound exhausting." The concern in Lauren's voice started to rise.

"…every night," Bo admitted.

"Bo, I think I'd better run a few tests just to be on the safe side. A few simple blood tests and a hormone panel should be able to help give us a better idea of what's going on. I'm about to finish up my work here at the lab and-"

"Oh, thank you, doc!" Bo interrupted. "Come by my house after work then. A house call, from the brilliant Dr. Lewis! I will fix us something to eat; you must be starving!" Lauren thought she could almost hear Bo smiling over the phone. Her voice sounded excited, giddy even.

Before she had a chance to gather her thoughts and respond, Bo had already hung up the phone.

Lauren grabbed Bo's medical file and a few supplies, stuffed them in her leather briefcase and locked up the lab. It was just a simple house call, right? She would simply draw some blood, run some basic tests - on an incredibly sleep deprived, insatiably hungry, and hormonal succubus – what could possibly go wrong? She was a consummate professional. Then why did her heart feel like it was doing cartwheels in her chest?

As she re-counted the test tubes she had grabbed, Lauren quietly wondered if she would be able to get valid results. Humans had to fast, to skip breakfast, so blood sugar and insulin numbers would give a more accurate physical profile. Should she make Bo forego a few days of feeding, in the name of science, for a reliable measurement? Or, since she was an expert in succubus physiology more in theory than in practice, maybe she was thinking about Bo's problem all wrong. Maybe the blood tests would only catch the problem if Bo were well fed. Lauren pondered her options, running through everything she knew about progesterone levels in adult succubi…sedimentation rates of blood cells…the swell of Bo's breasts above the tight corseted tops she wore…the sensations that sparked down between her legs when Bo flashed her an amused glance from those black-rimmed eyes…

Lauren cleared her throat, which suddenly had gone dry. In the interest of medicine, perhaps it would be best to collect two samples, one before a feeding and one after. Medically necessary, she told herself. She was only thinking of Bo. As a patient in need.

The doctor tried to ignore the need coursing through her own body.


The Crack Shack


There was a handwritten note taped to the door when Lauren arrived.

-If you are a certain blonde doctor, you may let yourself in.

Everyone else better fucking knock!-

Lauren smiled and let herself in. The room smelled like a mixture of pizza and candle wax.

"Bo? It's Dr. Lewis. I'm here."

"Hey there, doc! Thank you for coming on such short notice. I know you stay very busy. I hope you like pizza? I thought that it was a safe choice since almost everyone eats pizza. I ordered cheese because honestly I didn't know if you were a vegetarian. Maybe you're a carnivore. I don't know. Then I realized, I really don't know much of anything about you, other than you're obviously very intelligent. You are actually kind of mysterious." And stunningly beautiful, and oh my god, I can't stop thinking about you. "I'm rambling aren't I? I think I am. I do that sometimes, especially when I'm over tired." Bo offered up the most charming smile, and took a deep breath.

Lauren thought she caught Bo blushing. What was that about? It was cute. Almost as cute as that smile she was trying not to openly stare at too long. Usually she was the one to act like a total nerd and ramble when she was nervous.

"I do like it. Pizza. I like pizza. Thank you." She smiled back.

Lauren was almost never at a loss for words, but the way Bo was devouring her with her eyes was beyond distracting. She couldn't actually be expected to concentrate on forming coherent sentences. Pizza good. Me like. Good grief, Lauren, pull yourself together. She finally broke eye contact before she got completely lost in that gaze, and looked around for a place to set her briefcase down.

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry, how rude of me. You can put your stuff on the sofa over there." Bo waved her hand in the general direction of the living room.

"Actually, I should take blood samples before you eat anything. Better test results and all that." Lauren almost believed herself.

"Right. Of course." Bo reached over and placed her hand on Lauren's forearm. "Where do you want me?" she winked.

The sudden, unexpected contact sent a heat flash down the blonde's spine. She could feel her face flush. Words, Lauren. Use your words. Was Bo flirting with her? It's probably just what succubi naturally do without even realizing it.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Lauren made herself busy, quickly gathering the supplies she needed. She was a doctor, here to help a patient. She needed to push any other thoughts, like where she wanted Bo, for instance, out of her mind. Her senses were actively on overdrive around the brunette, making that a difficult task to do. She pulled on a pair of latex gloves, snapping them loudly to break up the awkward silence. Bo's eyes were intensely locked on her, following every move.

"Do you always use protection?" Bo asked, grinning at her double entendre.

Lauren snorted and winced. Now you're snorting? Pull it together, Lewis. "Of course. I don't leave home without my latex," she quipped.

Sitting down on the sofa, Lauren wrapped a plastic tourniquet band around Bo's upper arm. She managed to avoid the brunette's intense gaze by busying herself searching for the best vein to draw from. She cleaned Bo's arm with antiseptic, stuck the needle in gently, drew two vials of blood, and sealed them up in a plastic bag.

"There, all done." Lauren applied a piece of gauze and covered it with a band-aid.

"Hey, you're pretty good at that, doc. Such steady hands. I didn't feel a thing."

"You should hear what some of the Ash's bodyguards say about my sticks. Well, really, there's not a lot of talking. They scream 'Oh, God' a lot," Lauren commented without thinking.

Bo's right eyebrow twitched upward. "Screaming? Really. Now I feel cheated."

Now it was Lauren's turn to blush. "I just meant…usually people…I mean fae…complain that I'm too rough."

"Rough is good," Bo teased.

Lauren was certain she was now a dark shade of purple. "Okay, very funny," she said weakly.

Bo shifted so she was facing the doctor directly. "Are you done with me, doctor?" she murmured.

"Oh. Yes. Wait. I mean, no. I need to draw another two vials after you've fed. On chi, not pizza." Lauren gestured vaguely to the kitchen. "But that doesn't need to be tonight. I'll have more than enough to do with the samples I have already."

"So you'll come back tomorrow?" Bo asked hopefully.

Lauren tried not to read excitement in the succubus's eyes. "Sure. Tomorrow, or whenever," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Just let me know after you've, you know, done your thing, and I can bring my trusty gloves."

Bo's delighted laugh echoed through the apartment. "You must have the weirdest patients in the whole world, Dr. Lauren."

The conversation flowed much easier between them as the evening carried on. Lauren, now feeling more comfortable, took the opportunity to share stories of some of the more unusual fae she had treated in the last week. There was Titus, the shy Trowe who had snuck into the lab one night, and wouldn't come out from underneath the exam table until Lauren promised to play Guns and Roses. And Corianna, the beautiful raven haired Ciguapa, who kept trying to lure her into the medical supply closet. "She said she wanted to show me how her blue skin glowed in the dark, but really she just wanted to try and feel me up under my lab coat."

Lauren enjoyed how easy it was to make Bo laugh. It made her feel at ease.

They ate salad and pizza while Bo talked about her many wacky adventures with Kenzi. It was obvious how much she cared for her young friend. Lauren secretly wished she had someone that close to her. All her endless hours of research in the lab, and treating patients did not leave her much time to make friends. She didn't fully realize how much she needed a friend until now.

"You know, it's getting late," Lauren lamented. "I should be getting home."

"I was really hoping you had more fae medical mystery bedtime stories to tell me." Bo said, trying to convey her disappointment.

"How about a rain check? I promise to tell you more stories next time." Lauren suggested, silently thankful that she had a reason for there to be a next time.

"I look forward to it." Bo flashed a grin that instantly melted Lauren's cool exterior.