"Are you alright ma'am?" the saleswoman asked again, not having been able to get a response from the woman on her previous three tries. She looked on with a frown, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but not really knowing whether she should just walk away or continue to wait for an answer. So she just stood there, the teddie in her hand and hoped the woman would snap out of her daze.

Bo continued to stand in front of the woman, a crooked grin on her face and her eyes flashing in and out of blue. As soon as the woman at Victoria's Secret held up the sexy little negligee, Bo had imagined Lauren in it. And as soon as she pictured how delicious Lauren would look in it, she got hungry and started thinking of all the things she wanted to do to Lauren in that negligee. She was currently imagining Lauren completely naked, her head thrown back, screaming out Bo's name in pleasure. She sighed to herself, just now realizing she had drifted off in to her fantasy and had left the woman awkwardly standing there. As sexy as the negligee was, she knew should would not have the control to keep her hands off of Lauren if she wore it...she figured it would last about 30 seconds before she ripped it off her body to get to the deliciousness underneath. She closed her eyes for a second to clear the impure Lauren thoughts from her head before looking back at the saleswoman.

"Thank you," she said, "but it's not quite what I am looking for." Bo then gave her an apologetic smile and headed back out in to the mall. She let out a large breath and shook her head in frustration. Lauren's birthday was in a few days, and she still had no idea what to get her. Victoria's Secret was the last stop on her mall trip, and she was still empty handed.

She had started with the jewelry store, but once she got there, she realized that it wasn't a good idea. A necklace was out of the question due to the damn leash she wore for the Ash. Rings and bracelets wouldn't work – being a doctor Lauren was always wearing gloves or sticking her hands in gross and slimy things and they just wouldn't be practical. And earrings just weren't her.

She tried the perfume store next, but that was even a shorter visit since she quickly decided that Lauren already smelled yummier than any perfume at the place.

Leather was Bo's thing, not Lauren's, so that was out too.

She even peeked in to the home store, before realizing how dumb that was because Lauren was never home – she was always at the lab, the Dal or Bo's place these days.

Bo sighed again. What does one get for the most amazing woman in the world, who was also a doctor and slave to the fae? She looked around the mall for a few minutes hoping for inspiration, when her eyes fell on an advertisement. Immediately they lit up, and Bo knew what her gift would be. She turned quickly to head back to her car and figure out some way to make it happen.

TWO DAYS LATER

"Bo, it's Sunday, why are you not still in bed cuddling me?" the blonde whined sleepily. She was quite happy to be nestled in Bo's big bed, her naked body still emitting a gentle warmth from the previous night's activities. Bo was especially amorous last night, and they had spent several hours making love before falling asleep in each other's arms. And now Bo was out of bed and scrambling around the room, something that the blonde was not particularly happy about right now. "Come back in here and keep me warm."

Bo stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her lover. The sight of a tousled and sleepy Lauren in her bed literally took her breath away. She felt her desire start to rise again, despite the fact that she had practically passed out from exhaustion last night. She shook her head to clear her mind and looked tenderly at the blonde.

"Lauren, I have a surprise for you and if you keep looking at me like that, we may never get to it."

"Mmmmmm. I like Bo surprises" Lauren said groggily, making it obvious she wasn't fully awake yet.

Bo chuckled and turned back to completing her tasks. After about five more minutes she gave everything a once over and nodded to herself, satisfied everything was ready. She turned back to the bed, now only needing to get Lauren. She moved to the side Lauren was sleeping on, and sat down on the edge of the bed. She put her arm on Lauren's shoulder and started to rub small circles on her exposed flesh. "Lauren, sweetie. I need you to get up so I can give you your surprise".

Lauren mumbled something about nucleotides and snuggled closer to where Bo was sitting, but was still very much asleep. Bo was very eager to get going, but she smiled to herself thinking that if waking a naked Lauren was the worst of her problems, she was probably the happiest person on earth. She rubbed a little harder this time, and leaned down to place a kiss on Lauren's neck. Lauren moaned and rolled over slightly, her hand sliding up behind Bo's neck before pulling her down in to a slow, but deeply passionate kiss. Bo let herself be pulled, and returned the kiss with a moan of her own. After a few minutes Bo pulled back and rubbed the back of her knuckles along Lauren's cheek.

"As much as I would love to continue that kiss, I really do have a surprise for you and you really do need to get up and dressed so I can give it to you. I promise, the surprise will include a lot more kisses and other extracurricular activities."

Lauren looked up thoughtfully at Bo for a few minutes, trying to will her mind to wake up. Finally she smiled back at Bo and said "How can a girl resist?" Bo smiled back - "I hope she can't" – before getting off the bed to allow Lauren to get up and make her way in to the bathroom for a shower.

After about 20 minutes, Lauren emerged, freshly showered and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and blue button-down shirt. "Ok Bo, I am ready for my surprise, I just hope breakfast is involved since I am starving. It takes a lot of energy keeping up with a succubus ya know" she smiled at her girlfriend. Bo grinned back, "well, you do a damn fine job, and yes, breakfast will be our first stop."

It was late morning when they got to the diner. Bo was grinning from ear to ear, like a giddy kid on Christmas morning. She could not wait to share her surprise with Lauren. She wondered a little if it was making her happier than it would Lauren.

They both ordered the Trucker's breakfast with coffee and Bo watched Lauren keenly as she brought the cup up to her lips to take her first sip. Lauren saw her watching and blushed a little. "Bo, what is this big surprise? You are so antsy I am surprised you haven't already told me what it is, you know you have a hard time keeping secrets." Bo smiled back, admittedly surprised at herself for not blurting out her plan already. "Well, it's only been two days since I got everything together, and last night was the first time I saw you since then. And as you probably recall, my mind was ... elsewhere... last night" she finished with a giant smirk.

"Your mind ... your hands ... your tongue...yes I remember, quite well in fact" Lauren replied with a smirk of her own, holding Bo's gaze. Bo's eyes instantly flashed blue – Lauren almost never talked dirty to her, but when she did, it was like liquid fire in Bo's veins. She leaned forward, her voice already heavy with desire "Lauren, if you keep talking like that, we aren't going to make it to your surprise, I am going to rip your clothes off right here." Lauren continued to smile at Bo, but sat back as she did not doubt that Bo would take her here in the middle of the diner.

She had no idea why she had said what she did, she was generally very reserved. Bo just brought it out in her. It amazed her to think that for as mortified as she would be, the thought of Bo making love to her on the table of the diner was not an unwelcome one. She knew Bo could sense her desire right now, and she was probably amused by the fact that the normally shy doctor was even having the thoughts she was. Trying to tamp it down so they could actually make it through breakfast, Lauren took another sip of her coffee and tried to get the conversation back on track.

"So, why the big surprise today? And when do I get to find out what it is?"

"As soon as we get there, all will be made clear," Bo said mysteriously.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Ok Queen Mysterioso. I can wait."

And with that, breakfast arrived and both women ate like they hadn't in a month. Both plates were empty in less than 10 minutes, content looks on both of their faces. Bo paid the check and quickly ushered Lauren back to the car to start their journey.

xxxxx

Bo kept her eyes mostly on the road, stealing only the occasional glance at her sleeping lover. She was honestly relieved Lauren had fallen asleep, since the drive was a little far and she would have started asking questions if she had been aware of how long they had been driving. Fortunately, they only had about 20 minutes left before their arrival, and Lauren showed no signs of waking. Not that she was surprised, they were especially active last night and the food coma breakfast probably didn't help.

Stealing another quick glance, Bo watched the gentle rise and fall of Lauren's chest and was mesmerized by the lack of stress on her features. Being a slave to the fae, Lauren lived life constantly on guard, except for the time she spent with Bo. While Bo had a great deal of pride over the fact that she was able to bring out a relaxed and carefree Lauren, it also pissed her off immensely that she wasn't that way all the time. Her ultimate goal was to secure Laurens freedom, and while she hoped her gift gave Lauren a taste of it, she wished it could be permanent.

Dragging her eyes back to the road, Bo finally saw the sign for the turn-off and eased the car from the local highway onto a dirt path leading into the woods. Bo smiled as she drove deeper into the woods, pleased with the privacy they would have. This place had come recommended by Hale, who had spent time up here with his family, but she still had some trepidation that it was what she was looking for. After all, Hale came from a wealthy fae family and she wasn't looking for something pretentious. No, this weekend was about getting back to the simple things and forgetting about the fae.

The road which had started out fairly smooth turned bumpier the closer they got, and Lauren started to stir as soon as the house came into view.

Pulling up outside the structure, Bo tuned off the car and peered out the window at the small house tucked in a clearing, a crystal blue lake visible through the trees behind it. Lauren was staring out the window as well, and Bo could tell she was having a hard time processing what she was seeing with her still sleep addled brain.

"Come on love, let's take a look," Bo said excitedly as she got out of the car. When Lauren didn't immediately follow, she went around to her side and opened the door, holding out her hand for the blonde to take. Lauren took it as if she was on auto-pilot, the fog finally starting to lift. Looking around she asked, "where are we Bo?"

"We are in a town called Cobalt, a few hours north of Toronto"

Lauren whipped her head around. "A FEW hours? Bo - Cobalt is like 5 hours away!" Looking at her watch, Bo could see Lauren start to panic. "I have to work tomorrow, Bo we need to turn around and go back now!"

Bo smiled gently, this was exactly why she was happy Lauren had slept through the drive. Taking her hand and gently rubbing her knuckles, she tried to calm her. "Trust me please?"

Lauren looked hesitant, but she did trust Bo so she gave a slight nod of acceptance.

A beaming smile took over Bo's face as she gently tugged Lauren towards the water and the back of the house. The backyard was a gently sloping lawn that led directly to a small private lake. No other houses could be seen, and the only sounds were the chirps of nearby birds. Turning around, Bo saw the large deck at the back of the house, and the floor to ceiling windows that made up the outside wall. She had seen pictures of the inside so she knew it had a homey rustic feel, despite the fact that it was stocked with completely modern amenities and high-end appliances. She was going to have to do something nice for Hale when they got back, this place was perfect.

Turning back to Lauren, she wasn't surprised to see her still staring out the lake, a slight tenseness to her despite the fact that Bo could tell she loved the view. Shuffling a little closer to her to catch her attention, she looked adoringly at her lover when she turned to her, a questioning look on her face.

"Happy Birthday baby," was all Bo said.

Lauren blinked a few times, processing Bo's words. It was clear to Bo that Lauren had forgotten her own birthday, and she silently added another log to the flames of anger she held for the fae.

"My birthday? You bought me a lake house for my birthday?" Lauren asked, still very much confused.

That made Bo smile. "I wish, and maybe some day, but no this is just a rental. It's a vacation."

"A vacation?"

"Yes, a vacation. You know those things people take when they don't go to work for like a week and instead relax and have fun."

"I know what a vacation is," Lauren replied rolling her eyes. "I just don't get vacations."

Bo smiled. "Well now you do. A whole week you get to spend with me in this lovely house on this beautiful lake."

"But, the Ash – "

"Has okayed this vacation," Bo quickly cut in.

Lauren eyed Bo suspiciously. She didn't mean to seem ungrateful, but she never got vacation and if Bo had managed to talk the Ash into it she probably had to give him something in return, something Lauren wasn't sure she was comfortable with.

Bo knew Lauren well enough to know what was going through her head and wanted to quickly quiet any concerns she had. She moved closer to the blond and wrapped her arms around her waist pulling her closer.

"Lauren look, I know what you are thinking. Yes, I made a deal with Lachlan for your time off, but the favor has already been granted so we are both free and clear here. I spent weeks trying to figure out what to get you for your birthday and always came up blank. Then I realized that the one thing you don't have is freedom. And I promise you I am still working on that. But until that happens, I thought a week away from the fae would be the next best thing."

Bo looked up to see tears rolling down Laurens cheeks. "Oh baby, please don't cry, I thought you would like this. We can go back right now if you want."

Lauren shook her head, wiping at the tears and trying to compose herself. "No Bo, I don't want to go back. No one has ever given me such a thoughtful gift before. I love you so much I really can't even put it into words."

Bo smiled, glad that Lauren liked her gift. And she meant every word of what she said – she wouldn't stop fighting for Lauren's freedom, and until she achieved it, she was going to spend every opportunity she had to show her how much she meant to her.

"I love you too Lauren, so much. Now let's head inside and check out the house. I hear the bedroom is especially nice."

Lauren rolled her eyes, but followed Bo inside. Yes, their relationship was complicated on many levels, but at the end of the day, they loved each other. And Lauren wouldn't have it any other way.