Title: A Tale Of Two Necklaces

Author: hbomba

Rating: M

Summary: Following a pair of necklaces through Bo and Lauren's tumultuous relationship.

A/N: Thanks to lonejaguar for the edits and suggestions as always.

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." - A.A. Milne

"Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed, and rearranged to relocate us to the place we're meant to be." - Unknown

"Love, as though you've never been hurt before." - Taylor Carlson

Bo always hated Lauren's necklace, from when she learned what it meant to their first time together, when she ripped it off Lauren's neck to the last time she saw it, settled neatly in Lauren's desk drawer. The doctor had fled from Bo and the necklace that had claimed her life so many years ago. She had to admit, Lauren wore it well. Always at the behest of the Ash, Lauren still managed to always have her own agenda in mind as well as his. She knew the system and she was smart enough to know how to skirt it. Still, being someone else's property had to creep underneath her skin.

Calling it a dog collar was probably the meanest thing Bo had ever said to Lauren up to that point in their relationship-if you could even call it that-and she regretted it. Not for the pain it caused Lauren initially, but for the seed that she had planted. The seed of doubt, of retribution, of escape. She cast off Bo and the rest of the Fae for Taft and it still stung. The darkness she left behind in Bo was immeasurable. The confusion, the betrayal, the abandonment were all still palpable when Lauren disappeared. Bo needed answers and Lauren was nowhere to be found. But then, neither was Bo.

When she set eyes on Lauren for the first time after her time on the train and wherever Lauren had been hiding, Bo felt that spark in her chest, and the thudding of her heart against her breast reaffirmed everything she once felt for Lauren. It had never gone away. She was right there and Bo was right there with her. It was that simple and why Bo ever doubted her for staying with the Dark, she chalked it up to pride, to idiotic idealism that overrode the lump in her throat and the pounding in her chest. She couldn't be abandoned by Lauren again. Her heart had been smashed to smithereens when Lauren walked out on her (both times) and Bo couldn't bear to suffer that fate again. So she walked away. It felt like the safe thing to do. But she missed Lauren, God, did she miss her. Working with her was the only excuse Bo could come up with to be near to her without giving up her position and every time that happened Bo was overwhelmed by her nearness.

It's easy to hate someone you love, but Bo never could hate Lauren as much as she tried. She was pissed at her but hating seemed too final. And Bo wasn't ready for it to be over. She never was. Not for a break and certainly not forever. Bo had found something in Lauren that even she didn't understand. She was driven to protect Lauren. Her love ran deep but so did her instinct and it told her that if she kept Lauren safe and she would do the same for Bo. She always did. But it wasn't for practical reasons, it was burned into her body, mind, and soul. Love was the grandest compliment but safety, when they've felt unsafe for so long, was a greater gift.

Bo could no longer lay all of the blame on Lauren as she was waylaid on her own fruitless mission. She was swept up in the illusion of Rainer: the fabled Wanderer. Or was he? Even Bo didn't know anymore. She had called him her destiny in front of Lauren and Dyson, even Trick and Kenzi. But she was stubborn and even though she knew in her gut she didn't love Rainer, she would stand by his side because that's what everything was telling her to do. For the first time in her life, Bo didn't follow her heart, instead she fell for the biggest slight of hand ever played. Rainer was no Wanderer. He, too, was a pawn who ultimately paid the price for Bo's involvement in his life. And Bo regretted that, really she did. But selfishly, Bo just wished he would have given her the answers she needed before he sacrificed himself.

But Bo was always one step behind. She thought the train was the answer to her questions when in reality it was a Trojan horse. She walked right into the trap set by her father and she was so sure she had all the answers, that she did it willingly for a second time. Lauren knew she'd go back and had tried to hide the crate from her but Bo was persistent in her need for the whole truth and despite her silent objections, Bo went with the Crow. It wasn't until she was staring down the Leviathan, reciting a riddle of her own, did Bo feel the hit in her chest. There was an answer. There was always an answer and that was Lauren. Every question Bo held in her grasp could be answered with her name. Dyson was a faded memory and despite the fact that she kept going back for sex and healing, Bo didn't love him anymore. She loved Lauren. Still. Always.

So when Bo was presented with a necklace of her own from Lauren, she thought about its significance for weeks before actually putting it on. She had found it in Lauren's loft, no doubt because Lauren had wanted her to find it and Bo hid it from everyone, even Kenzi. It wasn't until Lauren's safety was threatened again that Bo was reminded of its importance. Lauren loved her, too. Still. Bo could not deny loving her any longer. She felt powerful with the necklace on, protected even. And the look on Lauren's face when she saw Bo wearing it was reason enough to keep it on.

Bo stretched and poured another two fingers of whiskey into her coffee cup and played with the necklace around her neck. Kenzi was gone and Lauren, well, Bo hadn't seen her since she left for the Hel gate. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts anyway. Thinking about Lauren was helping her avoid the ache in her heart. Perhaps it was better that she had stayed behind. Everyone Bo that loved seemed to get hurt eventually. Some heroine she was.

A knock sounded at the door. It was a soft rapping, nothing aggressive or presumptuous, just a light tapping on her door. Bo set her coffee cup down and walked to answer it. Pushing open the door she found Lauren there, stoic. "Dyson called me," she said. Bo took a step back and let her pass by. Walking with Bo back to the couch, she sat beside her. "How're you doing?" she asked with a sympathetic head tilt.

"Do you want the Cliffsnotes version or the play by play?" Bo asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry." Lauren took a deep breath and sat back.

Bo bowed her head. "She's gone." Lauren reached out for Bo's hand and pulled it into her lap. Bo sniffed and picked up her coffee cup. "You want a drink?"

"Sure." She smiled almost imperceptibly as Bo retrieved another cup, poured the whiskey into it and passed it to the blonde. Lauren sipped the liquor as Bo gulped the rest of hers down and poured another.

"I didn't know what she was planning. I would've stopped her."

Lauren smoothed a hand over Bo's thigh. "I know that. We all know that."

"Doesn't do me any good now. She's gone," Bo said again, her voice trembling almost indiscernibly. Bo shook her head. "How's Evony?" she asked, avoiding the subject of Kenzi awhile longer.

"She's fine, just exhausted and whiny, mostly." She took another drink from her cup and made a face.

"I won't pretend to understand what you did there," Bo said, pouring another mug full.

"I eliminated her from the equation. For you."

"I never asked you to do that, Lauren."

"You didn't have to." Lauren set the coffee mug down. "Bo, she was plotting to kill you." She sat back as if waiting for the onslaught.

Bo scoffed. "What else is new?" Lauren looked at her hands and then up at Bo's profile. Bo sighed. "Did you mean what you said back there?"

"Yes." Lauren didn't hesitate.

Bo looked up to meet her gaze. "You still love me?"

"Absolutely." Lauren nodded.

Bo leaned across the gap between them and touched Lauren's face. "I can't lose you again."

Wrapping her hand around Bo's wrist, Lauren swallowed. "I'm not going anywhere." She kissed Bo. A familiar and yet chaste kiss. Their hands fell into Lauren's lap as Bo kissed her again, this time more insistent. She crawled toward Lauren, pulling her legs beneath her, and making Bo's intentions clear. Bo knew she wanted Lauren. She also knew that she wanted to forget the day had ever happened and sex seemed like just the thing to mediate those waters.

Kissing her firmly, Bo fumbled with the belt to Lauren's suit. Her hands were in Bo's hair now, a willing participant to Bo's escape. She pushed Lauren's jacket off her shoulders and made quick work of her shirt buttons. Lauren grunted as Bo yanked her jeans open and peeled them away. Bo looked down at her, in just her lingerie and smiled. "I've missed you." She kissed Lauren again.

Lauren hummed as she slid her arms up Bo's sides, taking her top with them. "I missed you," she said into another kiss that began to feel rushed. Blindly, Bo unbuckled and dropped her thigh holster on the coffee table before stripping away her pants. Her mouth worked down Lauren's neck to her shoulder, planting kisses as she hovered above her. Lauren's hands came to her face, her mouth chasing Bo's until greedy lips crushed together. Bo pulled away, kneeling above Lauren on the velvet sofa. Extending an arm, Lauren reached up for the pendant dangling from the chain around Bo's neck. She looked down at Lauren's hand.

"I didn't think you'd wear it," she said quietly.

Bo could've told her the truth. She didn't wear it until that very day because she didn't know how she felt. That, and she was more than a little annoyed that Lauren had walked away, leaving her a note proclaiming her love, that she could have hurt Bo so deeply with her contrary actions and then simply whitewashed it away with a gift. But instead, she let go of all the bullshit she had been holding on to and spoke another truth. "It's beautiful."

"Doesn't hold a candle to you." She smirked, her hand releasing the pendant and traveling to Bo's lips.

Bo pressed a kiss against Lauren's fingertips and sighed. She leaned up, wrapping her fingers around the back of Bo's neck and pulled her down to her lips again. The frenzy was under quiet control now, their kiss was the kindling set ablaze in her belly. Her desire quickly swelled into something else. A flash of blue in her eyes, her teeth on Lauren's lip, her tongue in her mouth as her hands roamed freely over Lauren's body.

Lauren shivered. They were fire and ice. Lauren's cool touch smoothed over her spine, her fingertips digging into her sides as Bo moved between her legs, her cheeks flushed, her heart racing. Bo was usually able to keep things under control, but being with Lauren for the first time in months, her system was primed and idling high. She wanted it fast but for the sake of pure pleasure, she knew she should take her time. So it was with much restraint that she unfastened Lauren's bra and threw it aside before descending upon her again. Her hips rocked quietly as they kissed.

She pressed Lauren into the red velvet and held her chin in her fingers as their mouths met again. For as much as Bo wanted to take her time and relish every moment with Lauren, she was quickly becoming caught up in her own momentum. She slid a hand between their bodies, slipping into her panties. Lauren sucked in a breath.

This was it. This was what she had wanted, what she needed for so very long. And soon she would be overwhelmed by her scent, her breath in Bo's ear, whimpering for more. But before Bo could feel pride or even satisfaction for putting Lauren in such a state, the blonde slipped past Bo's hand and into her panties. Bo was lost as she delved into the evidence of her arousal.

It escalated quickly into something that could only be described as a frenzy. She squeezed her breast as her mouth covered the other. Lauren arched off the couch and Bo hung on for dear life. Faster, they moved, coveting and covering their bodies with caresses and kisses. It was pure need and Bo felt it acutely as her hips jumped into Lauren's hands. She was close now, hanging off the edge by her fingernails, holding on to that feeling that Lauren brought up in her so many times before.

Lauren began to move erratically and Bo knew that she was close, too. She buried her face in Lauren's shoulder as her hips began to dance of their own accord and release found her. Mouth open, eyes wide, and heart full, she brought Lauren with her, her fingers sweeping over her. She stiffened beneath Bo, her heart telegraphing love as she let go of everything that was for everything that would be.

Her whiskey breath came heavily on Lauren's shoulder as she lifted her head to face her. Bo searched her face. "Thank you." It was probably the least romantic thing Bo could've said in that moment but it was what she felt in her chest, gratitude for giving her an escape from the sorrow, for giving her ten minutes of unconditional love and for wiping away the pain with sex if only temporarily. Bo was indebted to Lauren.

Lauren smiled, brushing Bo's hair away from her face. "My pleasure."

"If we drink the rest of that bottle," Bo ran a finger along Lauren's arm. "Maybe you might want to come upstairs with me and forget, too." Bo crawled away as Lauren sat up, reaching for the bottle.

"I am thirsty," Lauren smiled as she drained the bottle into their mugs, filling them to the brim.

Picking up their cups, Bo looked to Lauren-really looked at her-and was swamped by her beauty. Bo tapped their mugs together in a makeshift toast, "Bottoms up." She smiled with her eyes and drank the whiskey down.

Lauren sputtered as Bo set her mug on the coffee table and cocked her head at Lauren who looked over her drink at Bo's bemused expression. She surprised Bo when she set her empty mug on the table and said, "After you."

She stood unsteadily, Bo could see the whiskey hit her hard as she stumbled forward and steadied herself on Bo's shoulders. Dropping her forehead to the crook of Bo's neck, she sighed, her finger returning to the necklace.

"Okay?" Bo asked softly.

Lauren looked up at her and blinked the alcohol haze from her eyes. "I was afraid you wouldn't like it."

Bo smiled. "A gift from you? I don't think that's possible."

"I'm serious."

And in that moment Bo understood how it came to mean so much to them both. Lauren had once been property and while she'd never enslave Bo as she had been, she did claim her, in a sense. The necklace had always been a symbol of love first and foremost but it also informed Bo with the courage that Lauren would always be with her, whether at her side or around her neck. Lauren had laid claim to her heart and Bo had taken hers as collateral.

Bo looked down at Lauren, her hand flattened on Bo's chest. "I'm yours."

Fin.