I've seen dybo turn to doccubus, doccubus turn to valkubus, but I don't recall that I've seen past copdoc turn valkubus turn back to copdoc. So I decided to do it and this was brought on by the season premiere.
Auschwitz Camp, Germany April 1944
The bitter wind of a German winter whipped around them, even though they were immune to the weather, the sight before them caused chills to run down their spines. One made a move towards the camp, ready to disregard their purpose.
"Lauren, no" Ingrid pleaded with her fellow Valkyrie, "it's not safe. We're only here to escort the souls. We must leave now!"
"After all the battles we have seen, I have never witnessed such brutality." She stood aghast at the sight before her, they were sent to gather souls when they happened upon a pit, the bodies of slain women and children, not even given the dignity of being clothed. She had seen many horrors but this one bothered her more than any had in recent memory. Lauren knew that women and children were the most vulnerable, that they were not to interfere with human affairs, yet the normally logic Valkyrie allowed all reason to leave her.
"Think of Tamsin, if nothing else. You know she will kill me too if I allow anything to happen to you." She reached out to grab her arm, "I beg of you, sister, let's leave this place."
Lauren turned around to face her, jerking her arm out of her grip. "Leave? How can I leave? I know that we are not to meddle in human wars, unless otherwise directed, but I can't turn my back on them now. I have to see if I can rescue any of them." This war had kept her kind busy, taking human and Fae alike to Valhalla, and even though she had always abided by the rules, she reasoned that this was an exception. "Tamsin will be fine. We've seen each other through this process."
They had grown up together, seen each other through many hardships. Training was no easy task and she was unsure if she would have made it without her. The two had relationships with different warriors in the past, but once they came together there was no looking back. It wasn't unusual for Valkyries to fall in love with their own kind, but it was rare that they became bonded such as her and Tamsin.
She knew it was dangerous but felt that aside from a few scrapes and bruises, that she would come out of this alive. Then she would no doubt have to deal with an irate Tamsin, hearing her lecture about how the rules were in place to protect them as well. As always, she would forgive her even if she would have to endure the silent treatment for a few days.
"Tell Tamsin that I love her and I promise that I will make this up to her, but do not tell her anything else. I want to be the one to tell her the news." Her eyes met Ingrid's, willing her sister to agree with her.
"I will say nothing to her but I will also not let you go in there alone." Looking down she shook her head, knowing that Lauren had only been through a couple of life cycles so she wasn't as desensitized as the rest of them, still she wouldn't allow her to follow through on this task alone. Ingrid, for all intents and purposes, was her supervising guardian. She admired how the young Valkyrie became impassioned by causes, inspiring those around her, and quickly became one of Freyja's favorites. "Lets go, the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can go drink." With a hearty laugh, she slapped her on the back, unaware of the fate that awaited them.
Valhalla 2 Days Later
"I demand answers on how this was allowed to happen!" Freyja's voice bellowed with such force, the walls themselves shook with her rage. Even the ever proud race of warriors shook in fear of their Queen. "Someone better answer me now! Where are Lauren and Ingrid?!"
Bodil, a member of her personal guard stepped forward, kneeling before her, "Ingrid has gone missing. We are trying to locate her, but have not been successful in our efforts. We found Lauren's body in the camp," taking a deep breath, she paused unsure of how to continue. Not only fearful of Freyja's reaction but what would happen when Tamsin learned of it too.
"Out with it now!"
"I beseech my Queen for privacy, for what I have to tell is not for everyone to hear." Taking a chance, she looked up at Freya who immediately whisked them away to her private chambers. It was there that she explained what had become of Lauren, and how Lauren's soul was in between worlds, so besought with grief she was beyond reach.
Freyja thought for a long moment, allowing the full repercussions to settle in before she made her decision. "You will speak of this to no one. Tamsin must never know, I'm afraid she would set the world on fire, caring little if she exposed the Fae, and that can happen under no circumstances. I will see that you take Sisyphus' place in Tartarus if you breathe a word of it to her, understood?" Seeing her warrior nod in agreement, she dismissed her, "Good, now I will deal with Lauren. I need for you to keep Tamsin busy, lie if you must, tell her that Lauren is away on a special assignment. Keep looking for Ingrid too."
After Bodil left her room, Freyja moved to the window, gazing upon the warriors that now entered her realm. She knew that her Valkyries gave more than they received, and Lauren more than most. She kept Tamsin grounded, and Tamsin kept her safe. She wasn't surprised that the two had bonded, she could see their energy from when they were young, knowing that they would be something special. She knew the war would rage on, that Tamsin will see her soon to demand answers, and that she would need to deal with Lauren's soul before she sent herself to Hel. Now though, she must keep them safe along with the race of the Fae. In order to do so, she would need to break both of their hearts.
Freyja located Lauren, she had been alerted when a Valkyrie was trying to board the boat on the river Styx. Lauren had caused such a scene that once word was reported back, Hades then became involved. The gods fully respected the boundaries of those they reigned over, and with the war carrying on he did not wish to start another with the Queen of Valkyries. Even he could see Lauren's soul was not one meant for his realm.
When Lauren finally came to, she woke up in a room that she did not recognize. Immediately her thoughts were overwhelmed with grief, her mind overwrought with the horror that resided inside the camp. She began to shake, crying out for her beloved, before a familiar presence moved to hold her.
"My dear, Lauren, what have you done?" Freyja whispered softly, rubbing her back in soothing circles.
"I just wanted to help them, Mor, please forgive me."
"Of course, I forgive you. I would punish you for violating our rules, but I think you've been dealt a harsher hand than I could ever deliver." Hugging her tighter in an effort to buy time, and to steel herself for what she was about to say, she knew that she had to strike now, "I am sorry that Tamsin is unable to though, she doesn't know what she's losing."
Lauren jerked back in that moment, her eyes finding Freyja's, "No," she shook her head, "I know Tamsin is mad but I just need to talk to her, please? I must make her understand!" The desperation pouring off of her clinging to the walls of the room, almost choking the words out of her before she could even say them.
"We can talk about Tamsin later. You are to stay here until you can heal properly, I can't send you to be reborn again until I have the all clear that you are mentally sound. There's no shame, Lauren, those monsters subjected you to horror as they killed you. Rest now," she patted her hand as she stood up to leave, fully aware of what was to follow.
Lauren reached, grabbing onto her wrist to stop her from standing,"I promise to do whatever, I beg of you to let me see her. We made a promise to always be there for the other when one of us dies."
"I'm well aware of the promise, but we both know that this time was different. Tamsin has been made aware," she lied as reached out to move a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm afraid though that she is beyond furious, and has no desire to see you."
Lauren's heart was breaking at Freyja's words, she knew that she was the one who put herself in harm's way. Tamsin had to forgive her, she always forgave her, and she was determined to work through this with her. "I just need a few moments, I want her to hear it from me. We are bonded-"
"My dear, I am sorry but she has abjured you."
"No!" Lauren screamed, "She cannot do that to me, to us!" She furiously cried, "I cannot live without her, Freyja" she dropped to the floor, as new layer of grief was added on, laying her head in her Queen's lap, "please help me make her understand."
"I would like nothing more; however, it has been granted. I cannot take back my word, maybe some day in the distant future..." she trailed off to make her lie easier to sell. To be abjured was a serious matter and one that was rarely used. It meant that Tamsin had rejected Lauren, never wanting to be in her presence again. Once the claim was made, there was no going back.
Lauren knew that Tamsin had every right to be angry, but to not give Lauren the chance to explain, to make such a declaration. While her actions may have taken a while to forgive, she felt that her lover's reaction was beyond forgivable. If the situations had been reversed, yes she would have been devastated, but she wouldn't have discounted all that they had shared. How could she throw away everything that they had together?
Pushing back from Freyja, she stood up, her gazing hardening along with her heart, "No, I wish to never lay eyes on Tamsin again! I will do as you wish and heal here, but when I am reborn I do not want her to know of my whereabouts."
Freyja knew that she would have to repeat this lie with Tamsin, knowing that the other Valkyrie would be adamant to see Lauren until she was told of the abjure order. Even though Tamsin was as hard headed as they come, she knew that she would respect it. It was too ingrained in them as a species to object to it. "As you wish, I will let it be know that unless it is for the betterment of our species and Fae alike, that you two will never cross paths."
A few months later, as Freyja had expected, Tamsin stormed into the Great Hall. She was confused as to why she had not heard from Lauren, it wasn't unusual for them to be apart, such was war, but she had heard rumors of Lauren's passing. She needed to see her, to help comfort her through process if her soul still resided in Valhalla, and if not she needed to check on her. Make sure that she was okay.
Even as Freyja's personal guards surrounded her, she did not stop her rampage. She had searched high and low, refusing to return to the war until she could set her eyes on her beloved again. She had worried about Lauren, a Valkyrie who loved logic but still wore her heart on her sleeve, she didn't feel that she was ready for a war of this magnitude. Especially given her reaction during the civil war in America. She understood that her mate wanted to prove herself, she wouldn't stand in her way, but pleaded with her to keep safe.
Tamsin grew confused when Freyja ordered her guards away, asking for privacy. Their Queen never had an issue speaking her mind in front of others, so this caused her to worry. Why not just tell her where Lauren is, even if she had been killed at least she would have been reborn. When Freyja told her the news that Lauren no longer wanted to see her, Tamsin adamantly refused to believe her, and when she heard the word abjured, she fell to her knees. Lauren was her saving grace, she was a better Fae because of her, what had happened that made her come to this decision.
"Tamsin," the Queen stated softly, "I am sorry but you know that you must abide by this order."
"No," Tamsin declared, "I don't care about the order, I will find her. This isn't like her!" For all the moments she longed to feel Lauren in her arms, none had been greater than this point in time. She didn't care what she needed to do to make Lauren forgive her, even if it took the rest of her lives, she would do so.
Freyja was surprised, Tamsin always obeyed without question, but she reasoned the loss of Lauren would cause her have an opposite reaction. Tamsin reluctantly returned to the war a far different Valkyrie. She had been known for her temper, always eager for a fight, but now she was just trying to get by.
She defied the order, looking for Lauren after the war. Days turned to months to years, and around the fifth decade she began to accept that Lauren truly did not want to be found. She spent the next almost 20 years from war to war in the middle East, still taking any opportunity to search her out. Her worry now turned to anger at her betrayal. A few years ago she moved to Toronto, once again gaining friends, relieved to be far from war. Freyja had granted her request to change from the battlefields to law enforcement, she wanted to be free from reminders.
Tamsin found the closest thing to happiness that she had since Lauren left her. It was no replacement but it was better than the mostly empty existence that she had been living. It hadn't been easy at first but over time, many beers, and games of pool at the Dal she bonded with the "sunshine gang". While she hadn't practiced the lifestyle of a nun, she never allowed herself to entertain the idea of loving another either, until a certain Succubus made her reconsider.
Bo had a way of making her feel things that she had long ago buried. She could never replace Lauren, no one could, but maybe it was time for her to move on assuming that the darker blonde had done the same. Tamsin had never seen Ingrid again, so she could only assume that they ran off together.
"Babe, you ready?" Bo called from downstairs, having already put their bags in her car.
They had been together for the last year, a case that required Bo to leave town also turned into an opportunity for them to take a vacation. Tamsin had put in a request for a month's leave and Bo was excited to have alone time with her. Kenzi had the knack for interrupting at the worst time, or her girlfriend would be called away on a case. The Succubus felt that this trip would do them well as a couple. She was lucky to be with a Fae that understood her biological imperative to feed, never holding it against her when she fed from someone else.
When she had first met Tamsin, the Valkyrie had been distant and obviously haunted by something from her past. Over time, she had revealed pieces of the wars she had been in, the hardships of it all, but when she had cried out a name in the midst of nightmare, Bo wanted to know how this person had affected her. She could never make out the name, but when she had brought it up Tamsin had immediately shot her down. Angrily telling her that it was none of her business before storming out of the clubhouse. Bo didn't hear from her for two days, growing concerned when Dyson had notified her that she hadn't shown up at work either. They found her passed out in her truck in the middle of some field, her truck bed half filled with empty containers of alcohol. She drove Tamsin back her place where she continued to sleep for two days straight, demanding to know why Tamsin had walked out on her like that, if there as someone else than so be it, but she refused to tolerate this behavior.
The Valkyrie had sobered up then, apologizing for the way she left Bo, and explained that she was not in a place that she could talk about it. That after almost seventy years, there were parts of her that never fully healed, but when she was around Bo it made her want to do more than exist. It was then that she had decided to work on burying the memory of Lauren because even she knew it was impossible to let her go.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she teased as she jogged down the stairs, they had opted to leave at night to beat traffic since Tamsin had never been a morning person. Stopping briefly to give Bo a quick kiss, they both left with smiles looking forward to their first trip together.
2 Weeks Later ~ Police Precinct
The Valkyrie entered the police station, carefully taking in the surroundings. She had spent this life overseas, helping various law enforcement solve the cases otherwise deemed as impossible. During the last several years, reports began to surface that various Fae had gone missing from different parts of the world. No one had thought much of it, Fae like humans, go missing all the time. Something about it bothered her though and once she compiled all the information together, all clans became concerned. The more the Elders talked about it, more reports came in, troublesome because some of the Fae were truly rare.
All the leads went cold but they somehow all pointed to this part of the world. She had scanned the reports several times, relieved to see that Tamsin's name never made it on the list. She still dreamed of her, attempted to find comfort in the arms of others, but none held a candle to her. She didn't want to live the rest of her lives this way so when this one ended, she would ask if it were possible to undo it. Surely, Tamsin could give her that, would spare her enough time to reverse what they had started. She had tried to research it throughout the years, but little was written about their species.
After she had become cleared in Valhalla, she was reborn in a different part of the world. A very kind fairy had taken her in, once she had found her on the street rummaging through her trash. Ciara had raised her, having more time to devote to her since her husband had passed away. They had easily bonded over time, Lauren trusted her more than she had anyone else. When her memories returned, Ciara had been the one to ease her through it, even feeding her by spoon when the Valkyrie had been in a somewhat catatonic state. What she wouldn't have given to feel Tamsin's arms around her, this was her first life cycle that she had missed, and she felt the loss of it acutely. It did allow her a whole new respect for her friend, she never felt judged, even on those night she came home drunk with some stranger in tow.
Her best friend had allowed it to continue for a few years before pulling her aside, telling her that if she was hell bent on self destruction than she would need to do so without her. Not wanting to lose another person, she accepted the fairy's help, confessing all that happened all those years ago. As much as she wanted the wound to scar over, she resigned herself to the fact that she would always carry the grief, losing herself in her work instead of the bottle. She still dated from time to time, but nothing too serious. She had been all over the world to help with Ciara's security firm, it was then that she started to hear the various reports.
When the Ash and Morrigan were notified, they immediately requested her services. There had been some questionable kills in their area, one being pinned on the unaligned Succubus. She didn't know much about the Fae but when word had spread about her choosing humans, she had to admit to being impressed. She had been put in touch with a Light Fae detective, chuckling when she remembered her friend's reaction to hearing a name from her past quickly followed by that she would be out in the next week or so to check in on her.
"Can I help you?"
She looked up to find a ruggedly handsome man looking at her, holding back a laugh as she realized why Ciara had gushed the way that she had about him. Holding out her hand, she introduced herself before asking to speak with him privately, a place that maybe also served beer, she finished with a smile.
"I think we're going to get along just fine." Dyson said as he returned the gesture, relieved that the investigator wasn't a paper pusher with something to prove, or worse yet all business only. "Besides, I'm on good terms with the bar owner, might even throw in some free food."
"Hmm, is that your way of saying that you're sleeping with the owner?"
Laughing loudly, "No, and I think it will explain itself when we get there, he's more of a mentor than anything else." He shook his head as her humor reminded him of his partner. Who knows, she may give Tamsin a run for her money.
Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts!