Lauren sat in the lab, and for the first time was waiting on results from her project. In the last few weeks since the Garuda had been defeated, she had actually found herself less in the lab and more around Bo. The succubus had charmingly insisted that figuring out to stop Fae Armageddon meant no running tests on unknown samples, or investigating microbes, which would lead to skipped meals and using caffeine as a substitute for sleep.
There was still work that required her presence in the compound, but Lauren had noticed that her schedule had come to include far more time spent at the crack shack than any other singular location she visited. Bo had even invited her out twice in the last week to help with a case. It turned out mostly to be dead ends Bo dealing with Fae of questionable fealty when they were threatened by an angry succubus.
Even with getting some alone time with the succubus on the definitely not dates, physically things had not escalated much farther than lingering hugs, and she always went back to her apartment at night. Any time a moment came along where that might change Kenzi seemed to make an appearance. Last night had been no different, right as she got up the courage to pull Bo towards her, Kenzi inexplicably knocked all the pots out of the cupboard. That Hale and Dyson regularly used Bo's help with their cases in the last weeks also meant Bo spending more time with the wolf than Lauren preferred.
Despite the constant interruptions and the occasional awkward conversation, it was nice to enjoy a domestic home life, even though she really wasn't at her own place much. Though, with her lighter workload Lauren did regret not putting just a little more time towards her personal project. The possibility of time restraints in the future encouraged the idea that she should start as quickly as possible. If nothing else the results from the tests she ran on Bo's cellular structure would take weeks to analysis and if she ever had to run additional tests to confirm those would probably take weeks as well seeing as Bo was far from the world's most cooperative patient.
The succubus's efforts to get her to relax and leave the project for another day, which turned into another week and then three weeks, were very convincing. Plus Lauren didn't miss the uncomfortable body language from the Fae any time their conversation touched on what the tests could reveal. When the succubus finally asked her flat out to leave it alone Lauren didn't need any further convincing given such was a definite breakthrough in their communication barrier. The choice between long days in the lab, which admittedly could get very exciting, over the lazy days practically sitting in Bo's lap, which had the opportunity for a completely different type of excitement, was made the moment Bo looked terrified at being so open about her fears. Bo had always meant more to her than any experiment.
Today the succubus was out with Kenzi and she was taking some steps to better understanding Bo, well on a cellular level anyway. Running a simple test to compare the woman's basic cellular structure to other Fae known to have similarly diverse lineages was not likely to solve the mystery of Bo, in any sense, but the preliminary results showed more promise than she had theorized. With the rest of the day to adjust the other tests Lauren settled on taking a break and letting Bo know about the progress.
It wasn't until she reached the clinic that the noise level in the compound became more than background noise. When the guards moved around it sounded like a herd of elephants as they moved around, which wasn't surprising given most were Ogres, or Giants, and they liked to announce everything they were doing these days with an alert system.
Beneath the obvious noise, there was an almost frantic sound, and it already had attracted most her staff's attention. Before she could even reach the door, one of the guards pushed through followed by a flood of agony. Fae, some she knew, some she didn't, guards, civilians, old, young, poured in as others shouted orders over the clear sounds of distress.
To a random observer, simply caught in the chaos, the scene probably looked like hell, but as a doctor the screaming and bloodied bandages applied in haste were a good sign actually. It was only when those bring brought in were quiet and there was nothing come out of them that an emergency truly worried her.
"Doctor Lewis, please help."
Lauren moved around the doctors and nurses to where the panicked voice had echoed from. She didn't recognize the Fae that had called her over, but the guard on the bed was someone whom she spoke to almost daily. Karen, the new head of security, was one of the few Fae that genuinely cared about those outside their clan and to see her battered caused her professional manners to slip. "Karen, what happened to you?"
"There was a group of us coming back to the city with Elder Kauri, and suddenly we went from being stuck in traffic to being stuck in traffic the windows being smashed in. It was like everyone started reenacting the Great War in the streets, except, I've never seen humans fight like that before." The man looked more frightened than the injured harpy as the Fae explained what caused the cut across her forehead.
"Humans?"
"Dozens of them and they didn't stop until Elder Kauri got involved. Even then it didn't last."
"Elder Kauri got involved in the conflict?" Elder Kauri was a sylph, which had made her involvement in politics a surprise to most Fae, and Lauren had never had she heard of one manipulate humans in such a direct manner.
"Yeah, weirdest thing I've ever seen, and I once had to watch a group of pups try to argue economics with a nixie. Good thing she did though as they didn't seem to care that we weren't humans, and every time we pushed them back more came running over to join in like it was a damn party."
"The Elder, was she hurt?" Even as Lauren worked on the young Fae on bed her mind was on the fallout if they lost the Elder because of human hands. The attack itself was provocation, but killing an Elder would be more than just a political issue for a lot of Light Fae and there would be a war no matter what the Council decided.
"She's fine. A little battered, but I had her moved to a safe house, and a medic will be there to treat the injuries. I'll get a status update once secure communications are established. There should be roadblocks set up by now and most of the others I saw were being taken to the medical center. We tried to get as many of the injured into the cars as we could and get them here, but some of the groups were huge and with Elder I didn't want to risk it."
The woman had done far more than most would have done, Fae or human, and she wasn't surprised when the Fae at her bedside looked more worried about the injuries than the harpy did.
"Doctor Lewis, is she going to be okay?"
"She's going to need stitches and bed rest until we know for certain there aren't any internal injuries, but if everything looks good in an hour I doubt there will even be a scar." Her patient seemed to only notice the positive end of the sentence as Karen pushed off the bed and glared as the Fae next to her quietly protested.
"I'm fine and Lauren needs to know some things. As head of security for the Compound it's my duty to inform the Chief Medical Officer of anything that involves the health of a council member." Lauren watched the large man shrink, though not literally, which could be entirely possible depending on the Fae, under the brief verbal lashing.
"Elder Kauri?"
"I don't know for sure, but the Elder I've been watching has been easily distracted and disoriented for someone selected to watch over a territory this size. Whatever she did it took a focus that had been there before. I never even saw another group coming around a corner until we were leaving and they had literally fallen over backwards trying to get a better look at the sky."
"Thank you Karen, I'll be sure to ask Elder Kauri about it later just to make sure." Giving the two Fae a few seconds of privacy Lauren pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the chaos. She didn't spare a thought at what those that attacked the group might have ended up looking like as she sought out a nurse to take care of the harpy. A Fae with the power to stop an entire group of people, and be better for it, sounded far too familiar. Before the thought could linger for long, the doors opened again and the already overcrowded clinic came on the verge of simply being overran.
It took hours for the clinic to settle down in response to the police measures going into place. Most of their patients had come in during those first fifteen minutes, but occasionally another Fae showed up after realizing they had fared worse in an attack than they wanted to admit. The ones that were sensitive about their injuries she left to the other doctors. After they had stabilized those needing to be monitored, and released the rest, she worked in her office on the reports for those they couldn't save.
The door had been left open on purpose and somewhere around the fifth hour after dinner was a forgotten concept Lauren felt someone staring at her. On the rare occasion it happened she usually just found the experience unnerving, but Lauren felt completely exposed as she found the source. The woman was dressed in her usual attire of a V-neck shirt and dark jeans as she spoke to one of the nurses, but her eyes never broke contact after Lauren found them.
When Fae looked at her it was usually because they were listening to her diagnosis and even then they never would have ignored another Fae unless the conservation held extreme importance. Yet, the brunette started towards her without even a glance towards anyone else in the room.
It was a moment of human weakness, but Lauren felt superior for just that instant. She had to look awful after everything that had happened and Julie was a redhead with a smile that often brought in patients complaining of injuries that in no way required medical assistance. Every time Bo talked to her Lauren figured there had to be a mistake in the universe. She was a ward of the Ash, well when a new one was selected anyway, a human. There was no reason she should attract any interest from the unaligned Fae, especially when the woman could practically have any Fae she wanted simply by walking by them.
"Hi, mind if I sit down? I promise not to touch anything." Bo had found some difficulty in reading the doctor even as Julie went over what the woman had and hadn't been doing. Lauren never seemed to realize just how fond her staff was of her and Bo had found that common ground very fertile when asking for updates on one of her favorite people. Getting closer hadn't helped much as the Lauren simply looked exhausted and even her energy seemed lacking in anything specific.
"You want to sit down?" The only time she could recall Bo spending enough time in the compound to the point she wanted to sit down was during her treatments.
"Yes, I do that sometimes when I'm not standing."
"Right, of course, please sit." At the smirk on the Fae's face Lauren realized she probably sounded like an idiot, but the woman took the chair across from her all the same.
"Rumor has it that several Light Fae were attacked all over the city and it was their miracle worker doctor that helped keep things calm when it was needed the most." The Dark Fae she had been threatening for information about some vase worth more than her car might not have been that specific about Lauren's involvement, but walking into the compound it seemed clear that was exactly what happened.
Lauren offered the Fae a small smile at the woman's exaggeration. "28 Fae injured to the extent of receiving medical care. There were three official fatalities, with a fourth being indeterminate until I can do an autopsy tomorrow morning." Lauren felt the weight of the deaths crush whatever joy she held from Bo's presence. Four Fae killed by humans in a span of mere hours. Yes similar incidents had happened in the past, but that was centuries ago when humans simply reacted out of fear. Even then the attacks were clumsy and they killed far more of each other than they ever did Fae.
"I don't understand, why would the Morrigan do this now?" Sure the Light was without an Ash, but getting most Fae to fight just one battle to save the world wasn't going to happen and on the whole they seemed more inclined to settle matters with a drinking contest instead of a war.
"This wasn't the Morrigan. They were attacked by humans." Though if the Dark Fae leader had manipulated the humans into carrying out the attack that would change things completely and not necessarily for the better.
"Humans put 28 Fae in the hospital? But isn't human on Fae violence sort of suicide for the human?" Naturally Bo posed the question to the human doctor instead of waiting to ask Trick and immediately regretted it. "Sorry, I didn't mean humans aren't capable of beating a Fae. I personally find some humans to be even more clever and sexy than any Fae." Someone really should stop her from talking around Lauren.
"Bo, it's okay. As a doctor I'm trained to analyze the statistical data on violent encounters in an area to determine the most likely manner of attack along with any variables that could be attributed to the damage inflicted during the attack, such as weapons or time of day." Lauren knew the odds and in theory there was no reason for so many Fae to have been injured. Though she had no theory as to why Bo was smiling at her as if the rant had been some form of erotic poetry or her own fervent reaction to it.
"So if all of that meant human versus Fae is bad for the human why didn't the attackers figure that out immediately? Dragging an angry Giant out of a car when he's dragging half the car with him seems a bit hard to overlook."
"I don't understand that myself. According to those coherent enough to remember the incidents they all seemed to have almost no warning before the attacks or the humans' complete disregard for clear evidence that their victims weren't human." Lauren had put her hands on the desk, intending to use them as a pillow for a five minute nap, when Bo picked them instead.
Bo placed a kiss on Lauren's hands, lingering against the soft skin as she spoke. "You look exhausted. Why don't we go somewhere private where you can sleep for a few hours?"
"I know you want to help Bo, but I'm behind on my report to the Elders as it is." Lauren could feel her entire body wanting to lean forward into the soothing sensation. It was undeniable that sleeping next to the succubus would be restful, but she had already ordered most of the staff to go home and if something went wrong she needed to be close by.
"You need to sleep Lauren and I'm not letting go." Bo interlocked their fingers and squeezed lightly to make sure Lauren understood she wasn't exaggerating.
"Bo." It was extremely thoughtful that the succubus was that concerned for her, but it didn't change that she had a responsibility to her patients.
"If you don't leave with me I'm just going to sit here the whole time in this awful chair and you still won't get any work done."
"Really? Isn't that a bit childish Bo?" Even with the admonishment Lauren couldn't help but smile and roll eyes at the behavior.
"What I had in mind was far from childish." The comment definitely sparked the doctor's interest and Bo leaned forward slightly to offer a demonstration of one of the ways she could ensure Lauren wouldn't be able to focus.
After several embarrassing seconds of not being able to move her head, or close her mouth, Lauren found her only defense was to close her eyes. "That's cheating." Doing her best to ignore images of what her desk could be used for if it was cleared of her paperwork she finally settled on a compromise. "Three hours, at my apartment, and I keep my cell on."
"No cell phone."
"Bo, I can't just turn off the phone and ignore an emergency."
Bo thought about it for a second and added an amendment to the deal. "Okay, but we have breakfast out at the nearest diner before you come back in and I'm paying."
Her office next to a room full of injured Fae was definitely not the place to show how grateful she was to the succubus. Instead she used Bo's early action as inspiration by placing a kiss on each of the woman's incredible fingers before releasing her hands and tidying up her desk, which regrettably would likely never be cleared enough for any of the activities that had crossed her mind.
Bo smiled at Lauren's little OCD moments and retrieved the woman's actual coat and made sure her car keys were handy before heading out with Lauren close behind her. Lauren's apartment wasn't far, but Bo was already concerned the woman might pass out and the short walk was an even shorter drive.
With the distraction of a long list of ways her imagination was going through on how Bo would get out of her ridiculously tight jeans and some better use of their time than simply lying next to the succubus Lauren almost missed the presence of two other Light Fae arrivals. Actually if it hadn't been for the sudden spike in activity around them Lauren knew that she would have walked right pass them. Fortunately at least the succubus hadn't been touching her directly as they left and it allowed her allowed some clarity as to what was just about to happen.
Bo felt the sudden break in Laruen's eyes from her hips before the woman's energy shifted almost completely away from her. It wasn't until she spotted a completely unwelcomed sight that she guessed what had changed. "I don't suppose you two are here delivering flowers and candy?"
"No, we just came to escort the doc so she could give an update to the Elders. These pinstripes are not meant for hospital visits." Hale had his hands on the suit in a gesture of confidence, but that quickly changed when he noticed the death glare from the succubus didn't stop.
Bo didn't like the siren much at the moment, but it was the shifter next to him that was bothering her though. According to some of the nurses his presence around the lab and clinic in the last few weeks was far too common given Dyson never let doctors within a few feet of him, even when he needed help. Added to the fact the wolf seemed to make it a point to avoid her when they weren't working and his sudden timing just seemed too perfect. "I'm sure that Lauren is more than capable of finding her own way back to the council chambers. Last time I checked it wasn't that a large building and there were plenty of assholes to ask direction from if she got lost."
Lauren did her best not to show any signs that the conversation interested her, but the façade almost slipped after hearing the unaligned Fae defend her. Unfortunately Bo didn't understand what the attack would truly mean. "Dyson, you're early. The Elders said I would have the night to work on the report and they would convene in the morning."
"They changed their mind."
"Did they now? Was that decided by flipping a coin or is it that the Light Fae simply can't keep their word?" Bo wasn't sure why, but Lauren had tensed the moment she saw the two men and she wasn't in a hurry to see Lauren leave with them in her current state.
"Bo." Lauren kept her tone soft as she pulled the succubus away from the others. Obviously the woman thought she was helping and the misguided effort was very sweet, but Fae politics and Bo didn't mix well. "If the Elders want the report early it is with good reason." And that reason was not the fault of the messengers. "The council would have had someone call my cell with the request if I wasn't here."
"I don't like this. You need sleep, not to stand around for the next couple hours answering questions when these Elders are perfectly capable of reading it tomorrow or coming to see what is going on with their own eyes if they want more details."
"I'll be fine Bo. Most of the Elders are in safe houses right now, and it is best if I inform them of what is going on before the city begins to panic." Lauren offered a small smile to Bo before moving ahead of the Light Fae duo, choosing to ignore Dyson's childish huffing as if the delay had caused some insult to his honor, even then she could feel Bo watching her until they entered a restricted area where the succubus couldn't follow.
Author's Note: First of all, thank you for reading the story - hoped you enjoyed it. I have actually been wanting to write a story for this pairing since Season 2 ended, but couldn't settle on a plot I liked until a couple days ago. Since then about 10,000 words have flooded my screen and this was the first part I could make any sense out of. I have no beta :( so any mistakes are entirely my fault.