Episode 2: Longing
Chapter 1
Undisclosed location
Taylor was back, he was running in front of her, laughing, playing, throwing his baseball up and catching it. Judy, the family dog was there too. It was a perfect day. Balmy, a sunny 25 degrees, a late summer afternoon spent in the grass and the trees. Nothing but smiles and laughs. She was 11 again and would follow her brother blindly to the next adventure. The water at her feet was warm and refreshing, Taylor was already halfway, beckoning her to come.
"Come on in, Liv" "I'll race you!"
The Dal Riada upstaiars apartments
Lauren's roving hands stroked Bo's back then clasped the succubus" waist in a loving embrace as Bo hips rocked against her. Droplets of sweat fell from the lovers in their slow, seductive dance. Swirling kisses meandered through sighs, moans and whimpers, until at last Bo's fingertips found their rightful place between Lauren's thighs. Lauren arched her back in one loud final cry and then fell into Bo's arms. The brunette grinned widely and kissed the top of Lauren's head. Three breaths later Bo felt Lauren's lips traced a sultry path from her collarbone to her neck, up to her ear. "Your turn" she whispered heavily, and then pinned Bo down for their second round.
Thirty minutes later the lovers fell back into their respective pillows. "Oh boy!" they said in unison, then laughed and smiled at one another. Bo reached over, cupping Lauren's cheek with her palm.
"We should get up" "It's almost 9am"
Lauren tilted her head and kissed the inside of Bo's hand. "You have somewhere to be?"
Bo shook her head smiling. "No, I could stay here forever, but you need food" she said grinning. "Why don't you let me buy you breakfast?"
"Buy me breakfast, you say" "Fancy"
Bo laughed again "Well, Denny's is a fancy place, I might even take you to IHOP"
"I love Denny's and IHOP"
"That makes two of us"
"I'm taking a shower" "Want to join me?" Lauren wiggled her brows.
Bo pulled Lauren into her. "Mmm, if I join you, we are not going to be able to do breakfast"
"Good point" Lauren smirked. "I'll be quick"
Ten minutes later Lauren walked back into the room and wrapped her arms around Bo who was staring at a picture on the wall. The blonde nuzzled her neck.
"I love that painting"
"Me too, I've been trying to figure out where that is" "Looks familiar in a way" "You think it's somewhere in Ireland?"
"I think it's on Lake Simcoe, actually" "It's beautiful there"
"Wonder why Trick had this picture" 'must have meant something to him"
Lauren intertwined their fingers. 'maybe you should ask Dyson, honey" "He might know"
"Good idea" Bo turned into Lauren and kissed her softly. "I'll take that shower now"
IHOP
"So Evony is funding your new research lab?" "And she's making you a full partner?" Bo asked with a generous dose of cynicism. The last couple of days had been hectic for the pair. Between moving their stuff, fighting with the Chimaera and Lauren reconnecting with her old college roommate, the conversation about Lauren's unalignment and her new job had fallen on the wayside.
"Oh dear" "You make that sound like you think Evony is making a bad investment" Lauren chuckled good-naturedly as she drove her fork into her Southwest Scramble.
"No, no…" "Of course not" Bo put her hands up apologetically. "You're brilliant" "I have nothing but trust in your abilities" "It's just…" Bo inhaled. "I question her motivation" "I question her"
"She wants to stay alive" Lauren shrugged. "And, she likes making money"
"She just likes having you around" Bo mumbled jealously into her next bite of pancakes.
"I heard that"
"Yeah, well" "She's Evony" Bo said with a grumble "She-Who- Should- Not-To-Be-Trusted"
Lauren laughed aloud. "Did you just reference Harry Potter?"
Bo shrugged "They're good movies"
"Excellent movies, I agree!" "I'm just surprised we have more in common than I thought" Lauren said with a grin. "And I suppose that not sleeping problem of yours is worse than I thought" Lauren said her voice suddenly losing all of its merriment. "I should run some tests on you"
"Who has time for those?" Bo asked. "I don't, and you and Evony sure don't with your big plans" The Succubus said still sulking.
Lauren couldn't help but smile. The Succubus wasn't what you would call 'ragingly jealous", but for some reason Evony, more specifically Lauren's 'tryst' with Evony, was a sore subject. Lauren reached out and intertwined her fingers with Bo's. The blonde knew what it felt like to feel jealous, to feel you were not enough for that one person you wanted to move heaven and earth for.
Jealousy. She still dealt with it on a daily basis.
"I only have eyes for one woman" "And she's sitting across from me…" Lauren said with a reassuring smile that turned inquisitive as she eyed Bo. "…with a generous amount of maple syrup all over her cheeks and nose" Lauren's voice rose in surprise and amusement. "Quite attractive, babe" The doctor couldn't help but chide playfully.
"I'm saving some for later" Bo replied chuckling and using her napkin to wipe at her cheeks.
"Oh babe" "You've still got some on…"
The succubus furrowed her brow and started wiping everywhere and nowhere.
"No, not th…" "Hold on" Lauren said and then leaned across the table with her own napkin in tow. When she reached the Succubus, she thought better of her plan and ran her tongue over the bottom of Bo's lips. 'delicious" she mumbled as she pecked Bo for good measure.
Bo smiled wickedly. "I do hope you're talking about more than just the maple syrup, doctor"
"Most definitely" The answer came straight away.
Bo smiled back with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. It took her a while to get her Succubus brain back to the topic at hand.
"So" "Tell me about this new lab" Bo finally offered. As Bo listened to Lauren talk about all the plans she had for the new lab she went through the motions: she smiled at the correct times, and offered her support, but her light banter with the doctor was only aimed at hiding her true feelings. The fact that Lauren would be working closely with Evony bothered the Succubus, but it was nothing she wouldn't get past eventually. The thought that Evony had put her up to taking this step vexed her more , but what worried and disturbed Bo more than anything else was the fact that Lauren had unaligned herself without asking Bo about it.
Becoming unaligned wasn't without risk, certainly not for Lauren. Why her girlfriend would make such a huge decision without even consulting the brunette, was unsettling. Why she should take that risk without much consideration to the political fall-out and the danger she was putting herself and others around her in, was disconcerting.
"I'm free, I get to work for ME, for Dr Lauren Lewis" Lauren was beaming when Bo tuned into the conversation again, and Bo's irritation about what the doctor had unilaterally decided abated somewhat. Bo had tried for years to fight for Lauren's freedom, and get the doctor to fight for it as well. Lauren however, had always chosen on the side of caution, had always put someone else's, Bo's needs and wellbeing above her own: when she chose to stay when she could have run away, when she aligned with the Dark, and only recently when she chose to spend her human life, her human lifespan with a creature that would hardly age. Time and time again this woman had sacrificed herself. Finally now -however inopportune the timing was- she was standing up for herself, she was taking control and Bo couldn't fault her for that.
"I'm happy for you, and proud too" Bo said sincerely.
"Hah!" "Well, don't be impressed yet, still a lot of work ahead!"
"Yeah, but I am… proud" "You're doing what you have always wanted to do" "Helping Fae and humans with your research, and you're doing it on your own terms" "I think that's awesome"
"It just feels like my life is finally getting on track" "My work, you, us…" "I'm just happy"
"Good, you deserve that" Bo said with a smile she hoped would not betray the apprehension she still felt bubbling beneath the surface. Being unaligned would bring a whole list of dangers with it, and she would have to have a hearty conversation with the former Morrigan about security measures and precautions before Bo could feel even slightly more at ease at Lauren's new found status.
Bo's phone rang, it was Dyson. With an apologetic smile to Lauren, the brunette answered the call and listened as Dyson spoke. A minute later she ended the call.
"We've gotta go"
"I'm coming too?"
"Yes, well, if you still have time to work as a consultant on police cases"
"It is the weekend" "Can you afford my rate?" Lauren asked wiggling her brows.
"That depends" "Are you asking for money or other favors?" Bo asked staring coyly down Lauren's cleavage.
Lauren blushed, swallowed and nodded closing her eyes grinning as Bo kept her piercing stare on her "Definitely other favors" she managed.
"In that case, I think we can work something out"
"And whe…where are we going?"
"Lake Simcoe"
The shores of Lake Simcoe
Bo, Dyson and Lauren stood crouched over the body of 30-year-old Liv Calloway. Bo looked at the pale face of the young woman, her dark long hair falling in long wet tresses beside her. She lay on the bank of the lake wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts, her night attire. Bo thought she looked like someone she could have been friends with. The weirdest thing of all was the expression on her face. Liv's face was graced by a broad smile.
"She was found in the lake this morning" "For now, we're assuming she drowned" "My guy on the force called us because of the history of this place" Dyson explained.
"What ya mean?" Bo asked.
"In the 200 or so years that the Fae have been keeping record of Fae related deaths in this area, this is the 78th drowning victim that we know of, in similar circumstances" "I pored over the case files this morning, the last victims were killed five years ago"
"So this killer has been active for 200 years?"
"Or longer" "Her name is Liv Calloway, 30-years-old, she lived alone in a house on the lake, about 300 meters to the left" Dyson pointed to a smaller house hidden behind the trees and on a slightly higher plateau.
Lauren had her head tilted staring intently at the victim's mouth
"There's a strange substance just in the corner of her mouth" Lauren said. She grabbed a swab from her bag and scooped it up, then put the swab in a vial. "No other visible contusions or injuries, she wasn't forced" "Not the traditional way, at least" "I don't think this is from a Suicide Fae" "They feed on the negative energy from the victim right before the act" "Typically, the face of a victim of Suicide Fae expresses nothing but full-out torment" 'this woman's smile is as broad as I've ever seen, she looks happy"
"A Rag Shassa?" Bo suggested
"Wouldn't explain the green slime" Besides Rag Shassas hate water"
"Well, whatever this is, we need to catch it"
"I'll get right on analyzing the sample" Lauren said as she bagged the sample and then closed her medical bag.
"Thanks, doc" Dyson said.
"Sure, what's a little slime analysis amongst friends?" "I'll send you the bill later" Lauren said with a grin.
Dyson chuckled. "Can I pay you in donuts?"
"I like the Maple ized glazed ones and the Apple fritters" Lauren answered with a chuckle. Ever since the doctor had talked to Dyson about breaking up with Bo, an unusual comradery had emerged between the pair. It was light and precocious banter over the most mundane and ridiculous things, but Lauren was grateful for it. They weren't close friends, not by a long shot. Lauren didn't think she could ever truly be friends with Dyson. Not enough time had passed for Lauren to forget their complicated history together; from how he had treated her as a slave to how they had been in competition with each other for years over Bo's affections, and the pain she had gone through knowing that Dyson gave Bo something, the human doctor would never be able to give. They were, however, getting along and getting along was a lot easier to deal with than open hostility. Also, it made Bo happy.
"Apple fritters don't qualify as donuts!" Dyson said in mock appall.
"They do when they're on the Krispy Kreme menu!" Lauren countered.
"They're not even round!" Dyson and Bo said in unison.
"So their New York Cheesecake donut doesn't qualify as a donut either?" Lauren asked baffled.
Lauren eyed the pair. She couldn't quite decide if they were giving her a "What the heck are you talking about?" or a "Are you crazy?" look.
"They don't have a hole in them" Lauren offered in explanation.
"Yeah, but those are like really tasty!" Bo offered.
"Oh yeah!" Dyson chimed in. "You sink your teeth in that bad boy and the flavor just hits you full throttle"
"Much better than the Apple Fritter" Bo agreed.
Lauren laughed "Then get me one of those too!"
"Maple glazed, apple fritter and cheese cake" Dyson summarized. "Got it"
"Bye, babe" Bo said as she pecked the doctor on the lips in parting and handed her the keys to her trusted Camaro. "I'll see you later"
"Alright" Dyson said his features suddenly serious again. "Meanwhile, we need to talk to the neighbors, see if anyone heard or saw anything"
The Matheson residence
The Mathesons were Liv Calloway's closest neighbors. When Dyson told them the news the elderly couple was visibly upset. Gina Matheson was a 69-year-old retired art teacher who had moved to lake Simcoe with her husband Tom just over two years ago. Liv had been a kind neighbor, welcoming them with flowers, a casserole and an offer to help when needed. Ever since, Gina and Liv had become unlikely, but good friends. They both loved to paint and the two of them would often go on little painting trips together around the lake. Liv had been an energetic young woman, but with a sometimes somber side to her. In the two years that Gina had known her, Liv had never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend for that matter. Gina suspected someone had once broken Liv's heart, and she had never really recovered. On the night of her disappearance, the couple had gone into town for a recital, when they came back they had noticed that the light in the house had still been on, but that hadn't been unusual, Liv was often up late reading or writing. The Mathesons sent Dyson and Bo to one other neighbor they knew Liv was close to.
The Banks residence
When Bo and Dyson rang Andrew Banks' bell some thirty minutes later, there was no answer.
"Let's go round back" "Maybe he's in the garden" Dyson offered.
"Doesn't seem like it" Bo said as they rounded the house to the back garden. The doors and windows of the house were locked, suggesting Andrew Banks simply wasn't home. Bo turned around again and was caught off guard by the stunning view of the lake the garden offered.
"You still have a pretty good view of Liv's house here" Dyson said surprised. The Banks home was on the opposite side of the lake from Liv's house, at a good distance, but the line of sight was good, as was the case for the other houses on this side of the lake. "He might have seen something"
Bo shifted her gaze to where Dyson was looking, nodded and then blinked twice resting her eyes on surroundings she thought she had seen only this morning.
"Dyson, do you know anything about that painting in Trick's bedroom?"
"You recognize it"
Bo had her gaze fixed on a house south of where they standing. It was modern looking, nestled on a plateau very similar to the one they were on now, and in the middle of a very wooded area. It was a different house than the one on the painting, but the lake, the forest, and the way the beach and the plateau curved beneath it were unmistakably the same.
"It's the same place, isn't it?" "Why would he have a picture of it?"
"Trick used to live there" Dyson said with a pang of nostalgia. 'the old house is gone, of course, but I visited him there often" "He lived there for a long time with your mother when she was still little"
"Why did he leave?" Bo asked interested.
"Aoife grew up, she became 'ill', then somebody figured out he was the Blood King" "He had to leave" "Sad though, because I think he was at his most happy here." "Well, before he found you, of course"
"Who lives there now?" "It looks deserted"
"It is" "Trick sold the place over six years ago, not long before you walked into our lives" "He sold it to a young architect, Graham Chase" "He was going to live there with his fiancée" "He designed the new house" " It was almost finished but then the girl suddenly died."
"He never moved in?"
Dyson shook his head "I imagine he couldn't without her" "It was too painful" "Love is like that sometimes" Dyson added mumbling, but Bo had heard the tone in his voice and felt her heart break for him. She turned trying to meet his eyes, but the shifter kept his stare on the house, and the succubus chose not to pursue. "It's yours, you know.." Dyson offered after a pause.
"Mine?"
"Trick found out what happened to Graham, and he bought it back" "That was right about the time he met you" "I'm surprised he never told you about it"
"That man just keeps on surprising me" Bo said "There's so much I never knew about him"
"You knew he loved you" "Whatever he kept from you, it was only ever to protect you"
Bo nodded.
"It's beautiful"
"Yeah" Dyson agreed softly.
"Come on, we should go, we've got a couple of more houses to visit, and then we'll come back tomorrow or later for Mr Banks"
Outside the Banks residence
It was hungry, and when it was hungry it needed to feed. It didn't feed much, it didn't feed often, but the need was imperative when the time was there. It had noticed the two strangers who had come into his woods, into his lake asking questions and prodding. He couldn't use the woman, he would have to spit her out again, but the man showed promise.
The Police station
Three hours later Bo and Dyson were back at the Police Station. The people they had talked to in the surrounding houses had all said the same thing. Everyone loved Liv Calloway, she had no enemies to speak of and they had not seen anything unusual the night in question. For now, they're question had been a dead end, but they one of Mr Banks neighbors did offer up good news about their absent witness: Andrew Banks was scheduled to arrive back home the following day. He had gone to visit his sister in the city.
Dyson offered Bo a New York Cheesecake donut and she happily accepted it while getting a start on the tedious paper work that was also part of her day job now. When she finished she checked her watch.
6pm. "Time to pay Evony a visit" Bo mumbled inaudibly, and started shuffling her papers around. From across the room Dyson looked up from his desk.
"Done all your paperwork, rookie?" Dyson asked as Bo walked up to him.
"Yup!" Bo offered with a smile "I just hope I filled it in correctly this time" "I don't need another lecture from Mrs Chokowski in records"
Dyson chuckled "Don't feel bad" "She gives all of the rookies a bad time at first"
"She's scary!" Bo said leaning against Dyson's desk.
Dyson laughed harder. "She has that effect on people"
"Well, she is EFFECT-ive for sure" "I'm never going to spell another name incorrectly" "Or forget to enter the exact mileage between crime scenes"
"She gets the job done"
"Yeah, yeah" "Anyways, I'm headed home"
"Didn't Lauren take your car?"
"Crap" "I forgot about that"
"I would offer to take you, but I'm behind on my paper work"
"Behind?" "Oh, what does Mrs Chokowski say about that?" Bo teased.
"Pffft" "She's easy, sweet as a lamb once you get to know her" Dyson boasted cockily.
"Ah huh" "And that's why you're staying late, huh?" Bo said chuckling.
"I just want to finish this" Dyson offered. "Otherwise, I'm gonna drown in this stuff" "Ever since Tamsin and then the rest…" Dyson stopped mid-sentence. "Well, I just haven't had the heart, ya know?"
Bo nodded and put a hand on Dyson's shoulder in comfort. "Yeah, I know what you mean" she said with a sad sigh. Although Bo had lost her mother and grandfather and that loss was still unbearably fresh and palpable, she wasn't immune to the hurt of others. Dyson had lost two of his partners in quick succession, one of whom was his best friend and Bo knew Dyson had always regarded Trick as a father.
"I'm grateful for this though" Bo said "The job" "I like it, it keeps me busy, purposed"
"You're good at it, Bo" "I knew you would be" "You're even abiding by the rules"
"So far" Bo added chuckling.
"So far" Dyson agreed with a grin and a nod. "Anyway, if you need a car, you can sign for it, they'll give you an unmarked one on loan for a couple of days if needed"
"Oh, that'd be great actually"
"Who do I have to see for that?"
"Mrs Chokowski" Dyson snickered.
"Oh SHUT UP!"
"I'm not kidding!" Dyson laughed more. "She does all of the paperwork around here" "Come on, be brave!" "I believe in you!"
Bo flipped off the shifter as she headed towards the reception area with her most charming fake smile she could manage.
Marquise Mansion, the study
Some 45 minutes later
Evony looked up from her paper work when Bo came striding in.
"Ah, if it isn't the Wonder Snatchabus" "I was wondering when you were going to show up"
Bo didn't bother to reply, instead marched straight up to Evony.
"Did you put her up to it?" She asked sharply hovering just inches from Evony's face.
"You know this little display of dominance would actually be kind of a turn on if I know you weren't the world's most whipped Succubus" Evony almost squealed in delight, which made Bo roll her eyes.
"Just answer the damn question, Evony"
"Calm down, frothy" "I take it this is with regards to Dr. Lewis?"
"I didn't put her up to anything" "She came to me"
"But you didn't exactly do your best to talk her out of it, did you?"
"I'm a business woman, I saw a business opportunity" "What did you expect?"
"Well, she is not a business opportunity to me!" "Understand this, when she is at work, she is your responsibility" "If something happens to her, I'm coming after you, so you better make damn sure she is protected at all…"
"Oh please" Evony rolled her eyes dismissively "Spare me the idle threats Bo-rminator" "Do you honestly think I didn't ramp up my security after becoming mortal?"
"She has never been this vulnerable before, Evony" Bo said worriedly.
Evony rolled her eyes again and sighed.
"Bo, I want the good doctor to be safe" "She is , after all, the only person on this planet that can save me from the burdens of being human."
Bo glared at Evony "Burdens?"
"Do you know what it is like to have to wash your hair every week?"
"Evony, I don't even know where…" Bo stopped mid-sentence thinking better of her words. The brunette knew that Evony through all of her bravado was hinting at her illness. As long as Evony still needed Lauren to make her healthy again, Bo knew the former Morrigan would use every resource at her disposal to protect the doctor.
"Just…keep me upraised on ALL of the security measures you are taking" "If there is even the slightest thing I need to be worried about, you call me" "Do you understand?"
"Yawn, bore, yawn once more" "Got it"
"Great, and keep this between us"
"Sure" "And now that we've gotten that straightened out, let's move onto more important things" The former Morrigan said eying Bo's attire. "Please tell me this isn't what you are going to wear tonight" "I understand the leather goes down nicely at the local dive bar and trailer park" "But please do wear something a little more sophisticated to Lauren's fundraiser tonight"
Bo rolled her eyes at the Morrigan and turned her heels. From behind her Evony yelled "And please let Lauren do most of the talking" "These people's interests extend further than cocktail sausages and beer pong!"
Lake Simcoe
Dyson turned the cap of the bottle, took a swig tossed the cap and watched it bounce off the rocks before it fell on t he beach below. He was on his sixth beer, and had no intention of stopping anytime soon. It wasn't in the wolf's nature to indulge in self-pity, but today something in him broke. He guessed it was because he hadn't expected it, because he hadn't been guarding against it.
He took another swig and thought about the last couple of years: Meeting Bo, loving Bo, losing her love – He'd given it away: foolishly on a dalliance, in a moment of stupidity. That's when he lost her, and when he had it back, she'd found Lauren and it hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. He tried, Gods, did he try. In every look he gave her, every hug, every joke and every word even. But it wasn't enough.
She'd chosen Lauren.
A human. A slave.
In his darkest moments he was left with the foul taste of 'maybe someday" in his mouth. And even that had never been said between them. From the moment he had sacrificed himself for her, he had lost her love, and in his darkest hours he would come here, sit, stare and this place could snap him out of it.
In his clearest moments Dyson realized that his intake of alcohol had steadily increased over the last couple of months, and that it had done so ever since he started noticing the way Bo looked at Lauren. In his clearest hours, Dyson even recognized that his drinking had spiraled out of control in the last couple of months.
But these weren't clear moments or even murky ones. These were the times when six beers wouldn't do, when twelve didn't either, where only the next one was important.
This spot had been here to ground him, tether him, keep him holding on, keep him hoping for 'someday', and 'a better day'.
Until today.
Dyson took one more look at the house and saw Bo disappear from it, he saw their children vanish from it, and for the first time in many years, he saw the house for how it truly was.
Empty.
Dyson fought the tears that were stinging behind his eyes and threw the bottle as hard he could against the rocks. For a moment he thought he heard something rustle in the woods behind him, but he knew the alcohol was having its effect and ignored it. He shifted and let out an excruciating howl at the moon, then ran into the woods of Lake Simcoe.