Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or anything else regarding Lost Girl, I just use them for fun...

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A/N: I excuse in advance for bad grammar, English is not my first language. Let me know what you think if you want... Enjoy

Lauren looked out the window of her third floor office. It was raining lightly now and quickly getting darker. It was early September and the past few days had been colder than usual for this time of year. She shivered at the thought of going out in the rain even knowing that as soon as she came outside she would love it. She put on her sneakers, grabbed her jacket and her bag and left the office. The hallway was quiet, it was late, and she managed to escape without meeting anyone she knew. In the street people were hurrying of to wherever they were going. She felt oddly detached; she really didn't have to hurry to be anywhere. She worked at the free medical clinic two or three nights a week, but not tonight. Nobody was ever waiting for her anyway. She decided to walk home instead of taking the bus. She wound her scarf around her neck and zipped up her jacket. The half hour walk to her one bedroom apartment was familiar and she quickly lost herself in the usual train of thought while she walked.

How did she end up in this claustrophobic life? Everything she did, her whole existence for the last 6 years, played out in this little part of the city. Her apartment, her dead end job at TU and her job at the clinic. When she was young, she had imagined working abroad or in exciting research laboratories finding the cure for cancer or dementia. Her grades had been good, and through med school she found out that she had a real talent for what she did. Everybody had high hopes for her including herself… Idiots… And then she met Nadia. Beautiful sexy Nadia. Who said that she loved her. She even got a job at the Wyndham, Goofy and Priss Labs. It was almost too good to be true. And it was, of course. Nadia was gone now. And so was the research position. And her bright future.

She was almost home now, passing Joe's bar. She had been there a few times, with Liv… Every time she passed the bar, she debated with herself whether to go in for a beer instead of going home to the empty apartment. But she always decided against it. She could do without being reminded of Liv.

Instead she stopped at the Whole Foods market to buy some readymade lasagna from the food court. She didn't really care what it was. As long as it went with red wine…

She put dinner in the micro, took out her phone, opened a bottle of red wine while waiting, and fell back into her thoughts. Her life was completely meaningless. She wondered if there had been a point in time where she could have changed the outcome of the events that led to her current situation? Was there a point in time where she first went wrong? When she thought back at what happened, it seemed to her that the only thing she had any influence on, was how she reacted. Her reaction at the time had been to just give up… not to fight back… not defend herself. What would have happened if she had? Would she have been here now? Looking back at it now, she was almost certain that she could have succeeded in winning the grant if she had fought for it. But she hadn't…

The truth was there was no one to blame but herself. For all the shit in her life… No matter how hard she tried now, she didn't seem to be able to break out and change her life. And she had tried so many times. They were right the bullies from her childhood school. She was just a joke, a fucking joke, a waste of space. All the things she thought she was over… the feelings she had forgotten during college and med-school came back full force when Nadia… when things went wrong and the rumors started.

The ding from the oven brought her back to the present. She sighed in frustration and anger at herself, almost crying. She did not want to be this pathetic person anymore.

She finished her glass of wine. Screw this… She couldn't stand being alone right now… She would put on makeup, change her clothes and go to Joe's… she thought about Liv all the time anyway…

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Bo leaned her elbows on the countertop, letting her eyes scan the room from her position at the end of the bar. It was still early and the bar was still quiet. She liked coming here after work, winding down and relaxing before heading home. She really liked the atmosphere, it was quiet, dark and cozy, with booths that offered privacy and a long bar if you wanted to talk to other patrons. There was usually some blues or jazz playing in the background. People were having quiet conversations, reading the paper or celebrating but there was never rowdiness. This was as close as she had ever gotten to having a regular bar and by now she knew the bartender was called Joe. And most importantly, the patrons were the kind of people that minded their own business; twelve years on the run had taught her to appreciate that.

She took a sip of her beer, watching as a few people trickled in from the rain outside as the evening progressed.

Today had been a good day. She had had very satisfying sessions with two of her regular clients and now she was chilling, having beer before she went home to Kenzi. She felt good about herself and the world for once. She put the notes from the last lecture she attended, on the bar. This was the perfect place to prepare for tomorrow.

"Can I have a beer please? Do you have Indian pale ale on tap? And a whisky please, neat."

A woman's voice, along with a scent of lavender and rain, caught Bo's attention and she looked up. Three chairs down the bar a beautiful blonde was taking off her leather jacket, hanging it over the back of her chair. Her hair was windblown and damp. She looked familiar but Bo couldn't place her; for a moment she thought she might have been a client or a feed. She looked up briefly and their eyes met. Bo smiled but the woman quickly turned away again, her expression sad and aloof.

"Thanks." The woman got her drinks and took a sip of the whisky. She took her mobile out of her bag and placed it face down next to her beer.

Bo tried to look at the woman discreetly. She looked about Bo's age, maybe a little older, her black dress pants and dark blue button down shirt fitted her perfectly, her long blonde hair, tousled from wind and rain, fell around her shoulders.

And she was absolutely beautiful.

Bo knew she had seen the woman before and she couldn't understand why she couldn't place her. She would notice a woman like that, always. Big brown eyes and soft pink lips, very, very kissable lips. She checked her phone every minute, an expression of near defeat on her face every time.

Bo turned back to her beer, she had to stop staring. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and focused on her notes, occasionally taking a sip of beer.

Suddenly she knew. The woman was Professor Lewis from her physiology course. Bo looked at her again. Tonight she looked so different, her face was open and vulnerable, completely different from how she normally appeared at lectures. She would have her hair tied back and she would have an attitude of no-nonsense professionalism about her, her mouth hard, in contrast to how soft her face looked now. Bo debated whether she should approach the woman or leave her alone. It didn't seem as if she had recognized Bo but that was hardly surprising. There were hundreds of students at the lectures. She made up her mind, the woman looked so sad Bo had to talk to her. She put her notes back in her bag.

The woman finished her beer and looked up to catch the eyes of the bartender.

"Can I get you another?" Bo asked. The woman looked at her for a moment, a thin smile slowly twisting her lips. "Okay. Why not … thanks."

Bo motioned to the Joe for refills "Could we get the same please?"

Lauren looked at the woman trying to figure out what she wanted. Joe's wasn't a place she would expect to be approached by a woman. She was dressed all in black, at first glance it looked casual, but to the trained eye, it was obviously expensive. She let her eyes linger on the woman. She was the very picture of sexy in Lauren's mind. Her dark brown eyes, red lips, long wavy brown hair hanging loose around her shoulders, black shiny tank top shoving of cleavage to die for. For a moment Lauren wondered how her mouth would taste. She'd always had a thing for sexy brunettes and this one was off the chart. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad.

"Isn't he calling you?" Bo smiled at her.

"No… No, she isn't" Lauren said quietly.

Joe placed their drinks on the bar between them and Bo took the opportunity to move to sit next to the woman.

"Do you want her to?" She didn't want to pry but she was curious about the woman.

"I don't know actually." She let out a short laugh, it sounded like a sob.

"Why don't you call her?"

"I did… Too many times."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, not really" She sighed, swirling her drink before she took a sip. This was the first time in years anyone had asked her about anything personal, and her voice was so kind Lauren almost began to cry. But she didn't want to cry… She wanted to forget Liv and talk with this gorgeous woman.

"Okay" Bo looked at her. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Oh god I'm sorry… it's… complicated." She smiled in spite of herself.

"It usually is, isn't it?" Bo smiled too. "I'm Bo." She reached out her hand, just an excuse to touch the woman.

"Lauren." Her hand was warm and strong, and the touch lingered a lot longer than necessary.

"So you're drowning your sorrows tonight?"

"I guess I am." She wiggled her beer a little.

"Can I join you?"

"Do you have sorrows to drown?"

"Don't we all?" Their eyes locked for a moment until Bo was distracted by Lauren licking her lips.

"Well, to drowning sorrows then. Cheers" She raised her glass and downed her shot, closing her eyes at the burning sensation.

"So Lauren," she paused for a second, until Lauren looked at her, "do you come here often? I haven't seen you here before." She smiled at her own cheesy line and the wrinkles that formed around Lauren's eyes as she smiled back.

"No, but I might start to." The smile turned into a smirk. "Do you?"

"Yeah… I like to come here after work, relax… meet nice people." Bo smiled again at her own obvious flirting, and didn't look away. There was definitely an instant sexual attraction, but it was more than that; something about the blonde was very intriguing.

"So… what do you do?" Lauren held her eyes, they were warm, almost hypnotizing… she couldn't look away, she wanted to drown in those eyes.

"I'm… well you could say I'm a consultant." She tried to answer without saying too much. "And you?"

"I'm a teacher." Bo knew that, but even though she didn't want to lie to her she didn't want Lauren to know she knew her.

"Do you like it?"

"It's okay." She smiled.

There were a few moments of awkward silence. This was unusual for Bo, she wasn't usually tongue tied around beautiful women.

Lauren felt nervous. This woman was so beautiful and if she wasn't careful her mouth might say things her brain didn't want her to. She had been known to do that.

Lauren picked up her phone again and looked at it for a moment before she turned it off and put it in her bag.

"Actually she's a student… not my student, and old enough by far, but still I'm not supposed to be… I'm a lecturer at TU by the way… so you don't think that I'm… well she's old enough." Her fingers absentmindedly fidgeted with a peanut shell from the bowl standing between them at the bar.

In spite of her nervousness, she found it easy to confide in Bo, even though she didn't want to. Maybe it was because she was a complete stranger or maybe it was because her eyes were so warm and friendly. Lauren had to fight the urge to reach out and run her fingers over her cheek; instead she tugged a strand of hair behind her own ear.

"It's ridiculous… stupid… to be so… I mean I don't love her but… I guess it's the getting dumped part of it that hurt. We weren't even together, it was just… physical and that was quite… amazing actually." She blushed.

"So she dumped you…? I'd say she's a fool."

Lauren laughed a little. "You are sweet, but no, she's probably more rational than me."

"Well I do think she's a fool for dumping you." Bo smiled.

She could tell Lauren was attracted to her; her energy was steadily getting brighter. The best thing to do now was go home before this got out of control. What would Lauren think when she found out Bo was her student? As much as she'd like to talk Lauren into going home with her and forgetting the other girl, she couldn't. She didn't want to screw anything up for her or for Lauren. But she could feel her hunger stirring. She tried to focus on something else. Her beer was almost empty.

"One more?" That was probably not the right thing to focus on…

"Sure but I think it's my turn." She really shouldn't but…

"Okay, thanks."

"I really should not be telling you all this…" Lauren could feel the alcohol affecting her brain, the soft feeling taking some of her tension and anxiety away was such a relief. "Sorry… today has not been the best of days…"

"Okay… I know that feeling." In that moment, she would do anything to make Lauren smile. "I'll tell you something about me if you want?" Lauren only nodded.

"Okay… Some might say I have questionable morals."

"Why?"

"I sometimes work as an escort."

"Oh…" She had had too much to drink to mask her reaction. "So… you… eh?" Flirting had been so easy for her once, why did this woman turn her into a stuttering mess.

She obviously couldn't quite bring herself to say it, but her blushing face and energy told Bo exactly what she meant.

"I what?" She smiled innocently at Lauren for a moment until she took pity on her and laughed a little "Sorry. Yes, it happens, but mostly it's just social functions and company…" That was a lie, for some reason Bo couldn't tell her the truth right now.

Lauren looked at her intently. Bo would make an excellent escort. She could easily imagine people wanting to pay to be with her; she could easily see herself do it if she was rich and confident.

"How long have you been an escort?

"For over a year now."

"Do you like it?" It was a lame question but Lauren couldn't think of anything else to say. She wanted to ask something much more detailed and thoughtful, but she wasn't able to phrase it in her tipsy state.

"I do, yeah… it suits me… flexible hours… It pays really well too." She still smiled though it felt weird talking about this. It wasn't really an easy subject to talk to strangers about. She'd only ever talked to Kenzi about it.

Lauren's fuzzy mind was busy picturing Bo at work… naked, moaning… She could feel an intense heat spreading over her face and realized she was blushing.

"My god, you're so beautiful" The words just came out "Oh god, did I just say that?"

"You did. And thank you." Bo smiled. "So are you."

Now there was no hope of stopping the blush that crept up her face. "I think we need another drink."

No, she really, really didn't. "Yeah."

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"Why did she dump you?" Lauren looked like a deer caught in headlight for a moment and looked at her blankly. Bo regretted the question instantly.

"Sorry, that's way too personal."

"No, that's ok… I… there were probably several reasons… mostly because she has a boyfriend…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah… I gave her something she didn't want to ask from him I think… he found out about us… so… and I wanted something more… though it was… very good as long as it lasted… even if it was wrong." She took a long swig of her beer. "Things that are wrong are often very appealing…"

"They certainly are…" Bo could only agree.

"But it really was for the best that we ended things… it still hurts though… the funny thing is I planned to end it too, she just beat me to it… It's always easier to be the one doing the dumping I think…"

"Yes, well... I don't have much experience with that."

"Oh…? Never been dumped?"

"No… not really…" This was getting way to personal, if. If she was ever to meet Lauren again she had to stop this, but her more than tipsy mouth didn't really seem to get the message. "I'm not good with relationships…" That was the truth just not the whole truth. For years, sex with Bo had been deadly… relationships hadn't really been a priority.

That didn't surprise Lauren. She couldn't imagine anyone being in a relationship with Bo and be okay with her being an escort. But before that…? If she'd only been escort for a year.

"Me neither… I tried that… you know like seriously… years ago… but she dumped me to too… cheated on me and dumped me." She closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry… I really shouldn't tell you all of this…"

"It's okay… I asked, remember?" Bo surprised herself by reaching out to cover Lauren's other hand on the bar. For a moment Lauren looked as surprised as Bo felt, and she removed her hand far sooner than she wanted.

Lauren immediately missed the contact. "I don't want to think about her now…" After a brief pause, she looked at Bo "What about you...? No boyfriend…? Girlfriend…?" She actually wanted to know if Bo was gay but she wasn't drunk enough yet to just ask .

"No, no not at the moment… I… It's complicated at the moment… I mean with my… line of work" She blushed at the lie, it had nothing to do with her job, but it was an easy, convenient and believable lie and the truth was far worse.

"Yeah, I can see that…" Another sip of beer. "Where do you come from… You have a slight… American sound to your voice?"

"Oh you could tell…? I try not to sound too much like a farm girl… I'm from Iowa…but that's long ago." The Iowa part was a lie to.

"Oh you don't sound farm… girly at all, it is hardly noticeable, there was just something aboat some of your words…" She giggled a little and smiled at Bo; it was a lame joke and Bo didn't seem to get it. "So you're far away from home?"

"It's doesn't feel like home anymore… But maybe it would if I went back, I don't know. I have no plans to do that. It was a very small town, with small town people…I really didn't fit in. It was a relief to get away… for me and for the town too, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…" It was getting harder and harder to formulate what she wanted to say. "I never really fitted in when I was growing up either…" and Bo's beautiful eyes were very distracting.

"You have the most beautiful eyes…" That was not what she wanted to say… "Sorry…" She blushed again and closed her eyes.

"Thanks…" The hand was there again. Just a warm hand on a hand shouldn't feel like that, but it did and she didn't want it to end.

"I think maybe I better get home…" She opened her eyes trying to focus on Bo's face instead of her luscious breasts. Oh, to bury her head there…

"Yeah, I think we've had enough, don't you? I should get home too. Share a cab?" Sharing a cab would be sooo easy, maybe a little touching, a hand on her neck, a kiss, and Lauren would… Oh, it would be so good. She closed her eyes. Bo was more drunk than she liked to be. But not as drunk as Lauren.

"No, no … no I live right round the corner. I think…" Lauren tried hard to enunciate clearly "...I will walk…" She got of the chair and stood for a moment.

Bo took her jacket of the back of the chair and held it up for her, disappointed and relieved at the same time. "Let me help you." She was close now, so close she could smell the mix of sweat and arousal that was almost drowned out by a discreet scent of lavender perfume. It made her dizzy with hunger.

"Let's go then…"

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