Disclaimers: All original property is owned by Showcase, and we do not infer that any characters, creations or the concept of 'Lost Girl' are our property and the following fan fiction has been written purely for entertainment purposes only.
Pairings: Bo/Lauren Set directly after our story "Faery Tale", the fourth story in an AU plot line.
Rating: M (Contains scenes of violence, sexuality and nudity)
No Faete But What We Make: Part One
By: The Rainbowwriters
Kenzi watched in silence from her hospital bed as Trick went about a clearly new ritual that the current state at the Dal had imposed upon him. Silently he wiped at the thin layer of dust that had accumulated on the bar top over the last twenty four hours, doing his best to not touch any of the stools or other furniture that would make more noise that necessary. If he had actually glanced over towards the large medical bed that still took up a lot of the central setting area he would have seen blue eyes watching him, assuring him that such care and attention wasn't necessary, but he seemed as always recently, singularly occupied on the task at hand.
The recuperating young woman didn't bother to interrupt him, at least not yet. After all she had awoken with a slight headache, which would no doubt have him either hurrying into the back for some old fae remedy or calling Lauren at the compound to see what she should prescribe from the large white cabinet that was tucked in next to the over sized bed.
With a very soft sigh Kenzi shifted her focus to the floor off to her right side. An inflatable mattress was partially visible, its close proximity to her own bed making the high security bars on her own obscure a full view. She could still easily tell that it was unmade, that chore supposed to fall on Bo but the small job was usually forgotten. In fact one pillow lay on the Dal floor, looking more than a little worse for wear inside its pillow case though it still managed to half hide Bo's black and red negligee that had been discarded there sometime the night before. The young woman was glad she didn't remember that particular event, her best friend and her blonde lover had become very adept at quiet displays of affection over the last little while. A talent she knew had been perfected more and more as they kept vigil over her recovery.
The raven haired girl then turned her attention to watch the soft trails of pale grey smoke that seemed to endlessly drift upwards from the two large bowls of mixed herbs that smoldered constantly on two tables placed strategically at the sides of her bed. Thistle Highbourne had placed them there herself and lit them before she had left, a little under a week ago, with the promise that she would be back when Kenzi was well enough to perform the sealing ceremony on her arm.
No one had seen anything of the Harvester since then, though the two bowls, which she had explained maintained the security of the Dal around Kenzi, never seemed to peter out or even required a top up of their herbal content. The two trails of smoke just endured, silent sentinels that greeted her whenever she opened her eyes.
Kenzi had even become accustomed to the heavy incense smell that it filled the bar area with, comforted by it if she was honest. The odd mixture seeming one time to be woody, and then another time sweet, almost as if it changed in reaction to unseen forces around her. Forces Kenzi knew she didn't appreciate or really understand. After all, so much of what she had gone through only manifested as shadows in the very back of her mind, fleeting out of focus long before she even knew they had crossed her mind. All that she knew for sure was that like the smoke, her 'family' was gathered around her, clearly deeply concerned for her and everything she didn't quite remember.
Kenzi had obviously made just enough noise turning in the bed to look at the various points in the room to attract Trick's attention, as the Blood King was suddenly beside the bed, a soft smile on his face as he reached his hand up to cover hers.
"Good morning." He greeted her like he had every day since the 'recovery' part of the saga had begun, even on the mornings when the young woman had done nothing more then grunt in response.
It had become part of the routine that had evolved around Kenzi. Lauren usually left the comfort of Bo's arms around seven thirty to go to the compound. After all life went on, and the Ash needed his doctor. Not that she technically was 'his' doctor, but as Hale had said, he wanted a clear message sent to everyone. He trusted Lauren and needed her, and if she was willing, which she had been, to help then she had a place to work in the lab and there was always work.
Bo never really settled after her lover's departure, she would toss and turn for an hour at most and then get up. Her first action was always to move to the bed and greet Kenzi with a soft kiss on her forehead or stroke over dark bang to settle them. If Kenzi was still asleep, then Bo would slip out to go for a run and attempt to burn off some of her nervous energy. Waiting was not a skill that came easily to the succubus, especially when she was waiting on something as important as the Harvester's return.
Some time after that what was happening now occurred as if scheduled. Kenzi slowly woke up properly and Trick appeared out of his private rooms to begin his daily 'clean up' of the Dal. Though without the bar having its usual gaggle of patrons, clean up was barely necessary.
"Hey." Kenzi smiled back and pushed to sit up more, her muscles still feeling sore in places she didn't even know could ache. "You know my grandmother would have loved you, someone who dusts everyday, you'd be like her dream man." The young woman joked softly.
"I'm used to being busy." Trick smiled at her attempt at humour and nodded, not letting go of her hand as his thumb stroked over the bandages that encircled her palm.
"Yeah, sorry about this." Kenzi actually looked down for a moment apologetically. She did feel pretty bad that she had caused the Dal to be out of action for a whole week now, not that Trick had even mentioned it but she knew it must be an issue. On a wider scale, she wasn't totally stupid when it came to things fae and the bar was an important place to both sides.
"Don't be. The fae have survived worse things than a closed way station." Trick assured her softly as he moved to lower the security rail to make conversing easier. "Getting you back to full health and strength, that is more important." He underlined what did seem to be his wholehearted belief. "Speaking of which, how are you feeling today?" He moved off from the bed to pick up the fallen pillow from Bo and Lauren's bed, stalling when it revealed his granddaughter's choice of nightwear.
"Not so bad, but I've decided its out and about time." Kenzi admitted moving her heavily bandaged hand to pull back the sheets covering her body. "Today I will spend the whole day out of bed." She announced as she swung her legs out of the bed, the soft grey cotton pants she wore hanging loosely off her tiny body.
"Kenzi." Trick turned as his actions stopped, his face sunk into a soft frown.
"I didn't say I was planning on running a marathon or anything, just spending a large percentage of the day upright and off of a mattress." The young woman countered as she eased out of the bed, standing up with a gentle stretch. She had to admit to herself that her legs felt heavy and sluggish, so she leaned her weight back a bit against the side of the bed cheating for a moment.
"It's good that you feel up to it." Trick's frown dissipated as he left the mess that was his granddaughter's bed and moved back towards the bar area. "How about a little breakfast?"
"Now you're talking." Kenzi grinned and moved to resume what Trick had been doing to sort the bed. She made sure though to move with a deliberate slowness, especially as she bent down to pick up Bo's negligee. After all she didn't have a problem sorting out her best friend's unmentionable, she'd done it before and no doubt she'd do it again. She folded it neatly, putting it on the pillow before making the bed up around it.
"Pancakes or french toast?" The Blood King offered options just as the door opened and Dyson slipped in.
"Well this is a sight to make me smile." The wolf shifter said as he crossed straight over to Kenzi and pulled her into a soft hug. The simple fact that the young woman was out of bed had answered all questions he'd had about how she was feeling this morning and how her recovery was progressing.
"French toast." Kenzi said from within the embrace, her hand flat on Dyson's chest as she patted his back. "Nice to see you too wolf man." She pulled back as they both moved to sit up on bar stools at the bar. "What brings you here bright and early?" She asked knowing the 'schedule' usually had him appearing closer to lunch time.
"I got my clearance papers, I'm back on the job." He announced with a slight smile, hoping that Kenzi would at least share his happiness. "The Ash..." He said the formal title of his former partner purposefully. "Arranged it so that the antics I pulled before my dismissal were in fact part of an elaborate undercover operation I was involved in. With a little consistent police work, everyone should be able to believe I'm back to my old ways."
"That's awesome." Kenzi smiled brightly, she was glad that since everything that had happened Dyson would be able to slowly slip back into some semblance of normality. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, that there were still issues, especially for Bo and Lauren as far as the shifter went, but that was going to need time, and that couldn't be forced or manufactured, it just had to happen. After all for the first time since his initial trip to the Norn, Dyson was Dyson again. "So are you still like me, on a regime of meds and observation, or do you have your walking papers along with that work clearance?" She pushed for details, for Bo as much as herself.
"Still on the treatments." Dyson nodded. "I think it's best for everyone that I stay monitored for awhile." His tone was in no way judgemental or discontented. "But I am back home." This fact brought with it another smile to his face. "Talking of home, I ran by the club house and checked it over. Everything is fine, your room is still a disaster area."
"Smarter than your average guard dog." Kenzi grinned and poked at him with her finger.
"Well tomorrow is my first official day back at work, meet the new partner, we'll see how smart I am then." Dyson's voice suggested a hint of apprehension.
"Are those first day jitters I'm hearing D-man?" Kenzi grinned brightly, the idea of this amusing to say the least.
"Of course not." Dyson looked at her with a smile. "It's just my new partner is a woman, and they're unpredictable." The wolf adeptly turned the blame around onto this new 'mystery' fae. The turnaround made Kenzi laugh brightly and shake her head.
"I hope she eats you alive." Kenzi teased him. "Metaphorically speaking of course."
-x-
Bo paused, jogging on the spot for a long moment as she looked around the lot that she had run to unconsciously. It was an old favourite spot that Kenzi had brought her to so long ago now, to beat the shit out of broken down abandoned cars as a way to vent her anger. There was only one car there at the moment. A rusted Civic that was already missing its wheels, windshield and oddly enough its hood. But today the succubus had no desire to beat up anything. She felt decidedly calm, relaxed almost. Everything was at a reasonable status-quo, not the perfection she was aiming for, but not horrible either. She had lived horrible recently and she could clearly see the difference.
She lifted her head a little, letting the soft wind that was blowing hit her more directly in the face, pushing the sweat damp strands of hair back off her skin as she took long deep breaths. Her moment of serenity was disturbed when the phone in her pocket began ringing. Pulling it out, the smile on her face that had dimmed reappeared.
"Good morning Doctor." She held the phone up to her ear as she moved to lean against the civic.
"Well you certainly sound brighter than when I left you this morning." Lauren, in response to Bo's greeting, instantly perked up.
"It's a lovely day." The succubus replied, still smirking as she played with the zipper on her light weight hoody.
"Well that's good to hear and it's only nine o'clock." The blonde's up beat conversation continued, fed by the positivity she met from her lover.
"So how is the lab?" Bo turned to poke at a strip of rubber that was poking out of the door of the wrecked car.
"Reason for my call, I'll be off the grid for a while, the Ash needs me to go with him to a meeting that is strictly a no tech zone." Lauren explained hoping it wouldn't dim her lover's mood unnecessarily. "I don't know exactly how long we're going to be, shouldn't be late late, but I don't want you to worry if you call and can't get me."
"No tech zone?" Bo questioned, feeling her good mood shadowing over.
"Some fae are sensitive to technology Bo and paranoid." The blonde explained the simple reason. "I'll be with the Ash and his best guards, I'll be fine." She stressed already knowing her lover's worry.
"I wasn't concerned." Bo countered, lying badly.
"Right." Lauren chuckled knowing better even over the distance between them. "I'll let you know when we're done and I'm on my way to the Dal."
"See I'm not worried." Bo underlined before they said their goodbyes and she ended the call. Slipping the phone back into her pocket, she pulled the hood back up over her head and started running again.
-x-
"Well at least that famous Kenzi appetite is coming back." Dyson smiled more as Kenzi pushed away her empty plate and smiled at Trick who filled up her coffee mug matching her smile with one of his own. The young woman had managed to eat two rounds of french toast, each portion being smothered in a generous fountain of rich golden maple syrup.
At the same time Kenzi finished her meal, the door sounded and Bo slipped in obviously happy to see her bet friend up and out of bed from the bright 'hey' that came at her the instant she saw Kenzi at the bar. Kenzi turned in place and grinned at her best friend.
"Look at you." Bo hurried over, unzipping her hoodie to reveal the tight red work out tank she had on underneath. "All up, out of bed and everything." The succubus was determined to stay focused on the positive, even though it was more than obvious now that the younger woman was out of bed just how much weight she had dropped over the course of her ordeal, then again how would being a ghoul really jive with anyone's internal systems. They had already been lucky enough that a good deal of the ligament damage Kenzi had suffered from the ghoul's unnatural movements had been reversed with the removal of the offensive entity.
"And eating." Kenzi pointed to the empty plate and then patted her more than flat belly. "I'm like a real person again, almost, if I could leave the Dal." She gave a soft laugh. "How was your run? What's the weather like? I miss the weather." She glanced at the small stained glass windows of the bar that didn't really give a clear idea of what it was like outside.
"It's clear, a little windy." Bo gave the sum up. "And my run was good, I went to the car lot, though there's nothing good there to destroy." She began but then glanced at Dyson with a smile and stopped. "You didn't hear that." She added. "At no point in time have Kenzi and I ever destroyed property or trespassed." She put her arm around her best friend's shoulder.
"It's okay Bo, I'm not officially a police officer again until tomorrow." Dyson gave her a slight smile, hoping she would pick up on his statement.
"Wow." Bo did indeed pick up on it as her eyes widened slightly. "Everything really is getting back to normal isn't it?" She tried to keep her relaxed stance and attitude after all Dyson had done so much to help with Kenzi and he was keeping out of Lauren's personal space, not to mention treating her with kid gloves whenever they were together. "Do you have a new partner?" She asked of the wolf.
"Tell her the good news." Kenzi reached over and poked the wolf's leg playfully.
"I do have a new partner, and..." Dyson began to explain but was cut off.
"It's a lady detective!" Kenzi interrupted making childish noises to underline the fact.
"Interesting." Bo couldn't help but raise her eyebrow to the news. "Do you know anything about her?"
"They've sent me the basics, she's from out of county. She has previously worked Vice and Homicide, so she's seasoned. I was afraid they were going to stick me with a rookie." Dyson gave a soft laugh. "But I think they're hoping she'll have better luck keeping me in line then Hale did."
"What kind of Fae is she?" Bo asked the more important question.
"She's a harpy." Dyson gave the information easily before looking at Kenzi. "And before you say anything, whatever you know about Harpies is probably not true." He gave her a soft smile.
"So she won't be an ugly half hag, half bird woman? I was going to ask exactly how she would blend in with us humans with bird feet." Kenzi smirked unable to resist saying anything.
"She will most certainly not be half bird." It was Trick who contradicted her from his place behind the bar. "That was a myth the Greek concocted to scare soldiers. They are in fact a species of Fae known for their tenacity and vigour, as well as their capacity for savagery. The Greek confused many facts, in battle their ancient traditional armour consisted of long arm shields created from the feathers of condors and since they were known for being covered in the gore of their victims believed to be disfiguring ugly."
"I'm not seeing how this makes them great at being a police officer." Bo admitted listening to Trick's run down. "Violent savagery isn't something I would think the local constabulary want to be known for."
"I think we can assume she is probably proficient at being a police officer because Harpies are also known for their ability to read minds Bo." Trick gave her a soft smile for trying.
"Oh, handy." Bo gave a eye roll, giving the unknown Fae the benefit of the doubt that that talent indeed would be handy to say the least. "So does she have a name this mind reading Harpy?"
"Detective Tamsin Nelson." Dyson replied. "And remember to be nice." He looked between Kenzi and Bo.
"Like we're ever anything but." Kenzi gave him a bright smile, picking up her coffee. "Us unaligned are the pinnacle of nice."
-x-
The meeting room was elegant and large, tucked away in the lower levels of the compound so that it was secure. A large rectangular carved oak table was central in the room, with one green velvet padded chair at the far end and a high backed chair for the Ash at the other. Around Hale's head, carved into the wood of the chair were the traditional symbols of his high ranking status, making it appear as if he had a crown of wooden leaves. Off to his left, Lauren was seated on a small backless chair, also padded in green velvet.
"Really Elder Keelan I can assure you..." Hale tried to begin a response, sitting uncomfortably in his seat, trying to remember all his father had ever tried to teach him about posturing and how to stay in control of a situation using body language and positioning more than words as he sat across from the rather wizened older fae looking at him. "As you can see the good doctor is quite well..." He motioned with his hand to Lauren who was sat beside him, a typically patient and polite 'Lauren' smile on her face.
The conversation had gone down hill the moment the pleasantries were over with and the servants had been dismissed after serving coffee and snacks. Immediately the Elder had fixed the young Ash with his beady eyes and asked him point blank what he intended to do about the unacceptable situation that had occurred with 'His' doctor. When Hale had enquired as to what exactly he had meant, the poor Siren had gotten a lecture about respecting his elders, not expecting to walk into a new position, and even a few words on how he was going to treat those who paid his salary and kept him in office.
The conversation had continued to head downhill when Hale hadn't immediately reacted as he should have, in fact he hadn't immediately reacted at all. Instead he had just sat there in stunned silence at the violent diatribe that had been thrown at him. His lack of response opened the floodgates to a second wave of insults and accusations to be hurled at him from the wrinkled old fae, who added in a few insults about his family lineage and then suggested that Lauren was both looking 'sickly' and possibly was being poisoned by the Ash himself. Who didn't want her services, for reasons unknown and unexplained, and was only being kept around on show until she ultimately died as humans had a tendency of doing.
Hale had been going to try to rationally address some of the more lucid points the older Fae had brought up when his eyes glanced down to the pad of paper that Lauren had in front of her to see doodled in clear letters... 'Remember YOU are the Ash'.
"Actually Elder Keelan, I do think, with my waning respect, that it is about time you closed your mouth and listened for a few moments." Hale's words were firm but not loud, and he pushed his ornate chair back slowly as he stood up. "Firstly, if I hear you say one unpleasant thing about the Zamora clan again, even in whisper, I will have you stripped of your seat at the council and put in charge of stationary purchases." He turned with more anger in his eyes then Lauren had probably ever witnessed from the Siren, and not surprisingly the other man's mouth stayed closed. "Secondly, the Doctor is in perfect health and currently assigned to caring for the Human Ambassador. As you might understand, it is of the utmost importance that I assist the Ambassador as it would hardly look progressive if I appoint her to the title and then let her die without medical assistance from our top physician." He moved around the table to the halfway point between where he had been sitting and the other man.
Confidently he leaned slightly on the table side though he stayed facing his 'opponent', the lessons about body language coming back to him as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Now while you may have grown accustomed under the former Ash to throwing your weight around and getting your own way like a naughty child, but I will not be proceeding in that matter. Whether any of us like it or not there is a legitimate question as to whether or not Dr. Lewis has come to be under the protection of the Ash through illegal methods and I for one am not going to continue a legacy of lies when the Doctor herself has proven her enduring loyalty to the Light Fae during the defeat of the Garuda." He shifted his weight to stand again, this time turning so that he could see both the Elder and Lauren. "If the outcome of the Ambassador's enquiry is that Dr. Lewis is the property of the Ash, then I assume she will continue her services as currently provided but if the enquiry finds that she is not my property..." He looked back at the Elder who went to open his mouth but thought better for it and closed it again. "Then I will make the necessary adjustments to ensure that all of the Light Fae still receive the medical care they require. Which I assume is the basic fear you are trying to express within all that you barked at me a moment ago. It is my hope that even if the Doctor is granted her freedom that we will be able to come to an agreement that would allow her to continue at her position in the lab."
"The very idea of having a human not owned, not directed by the Light interacting with the high Elders is preposterous." Elder Kellan barked at Hale, now totally ignoring Lauren's presence. "Who knows what such an outsider would do to one of us."
"Lower your voice!" Hale raised his own voice, his Siren tones booming off the walls with ease as he projected his words. "This is not a hedge witch picking wild herbs that we are speaking about, this is a expert in a dozen medical fields whose knowledge you couldn't even begin to comprehend. If Dr. Lewis wished to have killed any of us, she could have done so a thousand times over in ways we most likely wouldn't even have suspected her of. You question her loyalty simply because she is human, you question her Hippocratic oath because you are afraid. This is not a time where we keep humans as pets and give them hay to sleep on in the cellar, it is 2012 and those humans who are within the fold of the Fae must be treated with some modicum of respect when they are due it." He turned to look at Lauren. "Dr. Lewis, do you intend on doing harm to the Fae if you were given your freedom?"
"No." Lauren shook her head softly. "I would never, could never.." She stopped herself from extrapolating "No." She summed up.
"If I am not mistaken Keelan, you own wife was cured of a nearly fatal issue some three months ago by this very human doctor. I suggest you take the time to weigh that against the fear you feel." Hale turned his back to the elder and walked back to his seat sitting before he continued. "Now, do you have any other legitimate issues to discuss? The issue of Dr. Lewis' ownership will remain as it is now, with her under my direct supervision, until the Ambassador presents her findings."
-x-
Authors Note : For everyone who answered our query at the end of our other story 'Missing', firstly Thank you so much, to so many of you for voicing your opinions, it was so nice to hear from you and such an inspiration to know that our little story is being enjoyed, secondly we wanted to post this the first part of our next 'Fae' story to let you all know there was never any danger that we would leave or abandon this universe, even if we did choose to write a sequel to Missing, which by the way we have decided to do :). Anyway, enough of an author going on, welcome back to our 'Fae' series and I hope you enjoy our ride. Oh and Merry Christmas xoxoxox