Hi guys! I know I've been a bit conspicuous by my absence lately and I can only apologise to my wonderful readers that have been very patiently waiting on my other two stories being updated. I have to be honest, there's been a lot going on in real life lately and I just haven't felt up to writing. However, something managed to get through earlier and inspired me to try and type something up. This is just a little moment of reflection for our girls and maybe a touch of further closure too. Takes place right after the reading of Trick's will. Hopefully it's both a bit of a sweet treat for my dedicated readers and something to warm the cockles of anyone just passing by. Probably full of awful clichés but it makes me happy
Enjoy!
She wasn't quite sure she'd know how long she had been sat there watching the crackling flames dance merrily in the oversized hearth were anyone to have asked. The only truths she would acknowledge in that moment were the soft, soothing tendrils of wood smoke pervading the air to tickle at her nose and its odd contrast to the harsh burn of the good whisky she had liberated from her grandfather's not-so-secret-anymore stash in one of the many concealed panels in the old man's lair.
'Dyson's lair now', she reminded herself with a strange twist in her gut. It wasn't that she didn't like the Wolf. In fact, a part of her still loved the scruffy-faced mutt…would always love him, in fact and in all fairness, she could think of no one better suited to fulfil Trick's place as keeper of the creaky old waystation but it still just felt so…so wrong.
The thought of striding into the pub with all of the Succubus bravado she could muster and Kenzi by her side cracking wise, of slapping her palm on the bar top while her best friend dug around for the decent stuff beneath the counter…it would all seem so normal but for the lack of the usually cheerful, sometimes cantankerous barkeep waiting with a healthy pour and admittedly often unappreciated pearls of wisdom.
"I miss you already old man" Bo said aloud to nobody in particular.
She slid herself deeper into the comforting support of the supple brown, cracked leather of the ancient armchair she'd selected, a great squeak and a puff of something musky like that of an old book arising in protest from the material and she wondered just how many times her grandfather had also sat in this very spot, contemplating how much the world had changed around him.
She hadn't bothered to throw any light on the cavernous space when she'd first arrived god-only knew how long ago, the fire casting more than enough of a glow. She enjoyed watching the way its flickering bounced around the inclusions of the crystal dram and thought about how easy it had been for her to slip away from the gathering back at the 'Crack Shack'.
She snorted, uncertain whether to be relieved or just plain hurt. Apparently, no one had noticed her sudden disappearance, even knowing just how unfair she was being before the thought completely left her mind. Her friends had sacrificed everything for her in the past few years. Really, she may not have had the best start in life but not for the first time, she had to remind herself to be grateful for the unconditional love and support she was surrounded with now.
"I miss you too"
A voice in the gloaming broke her out of her reverie and she snapped her attention to the chair opposite, previously empty but now occupied with the admittedly slightly fuzzy figure of her grandfather.
"Well, I don't know if you're really here or if you're just a fig…a figgy…a figgame-…just a dream but you were the one who got to leave!" she grumped, pointing a semi-accusatory finger at the object of her annoyance, her consternation only growing at the curious but amused gaze the little man cast her, "while I'm still stuck here with this thing that wants to kill us all who, by-the-way, also just happens to be my father…and oh, oh! Where is my benevolellevolent grandfather? Merrily deading it away and loving it! And just what the hell kind of inheritance was that?! "My undying love", wooh! Too late Gramps!" she continued before her head lolled back heavily against the less-than-spongy cushioning of the wingback, feeling a decided throbbing beginning to pulse in her temples.
'Trick' merely chuckled and shook his head somewhat despairingly at his granddaughter's antics. He knew that deep-down Bo didn't really mean it, it was simply the stress of the last few days couple with some…very strong alcohol. Wait, was that his 20-year-old malt? He thought with an internal growl.
"Will you believe me if I say that I wish I could have stayed?" he asked. "I didn't want to leave you Bo. All this time, the one thing I've wished is that I could have been there for you these many years," he continued when Bo merely stared wanly at him, "But the one thing I have learned both about and from you, is that material possessions don't really matter. What you value the most in life is the love from those around you, child. That is a wonderful gift in of itself and you have so much love Bo, so much. You're surrounded by people who would and have laid down their lives for you. Your father can't compete with that. It's the thing that will see you through this." He paused for a moment, watching a single tear slip down the young woman's cheek, "Your mother, for all her faults and in spite of all that was done to her…all I did to her, loved you with all the breath in her body. In the end, she sacrificed everything for you. I know, that sometimes, growing up, you didn't feel as though you belonged and you felt let down by the people who were meant to care for you and perhaps you were justified in feeling that way, but for better or worse, you have a family. Bonds not only formed in blood but of the spirit and that is something unbreakable. It is the one thing Hades cannot touch. You do not have to walk through this world alone Bo."
It took long moments before Bo was able to gather herself enough to reply, a rush of guilt flooding her senses in the form of more tears that smeared her perfect make-up and hard lump that lodged itself in her throat.
"I'm so sorry," she eventually whispered, "I'm so sorry about the way I treated you. I just… I didn't know…"
"I know Bo, it's alright," the old man soothed, "maybe I even deserved some of it. I wasn't the perfect grandfather. There were things I should have told you sooner, things I withheld that you had a right to know. I should have trusted that you more and for that, I am truly sorry. At times, I don't say enough. It used to drive your grandmother crazy" he chuckled ruefully, bringing a smile to the young woman's features through the pounding that had begun to take hold in her skull; all that emotion and booze having taken its toll.
"You should rest now Bo" he said, hopping down from his chair and hobbling over to her but Bo merely followed him with her eyes, silently pleading for time to stand still. Without words, the Blood King shook his head and raised a gentle palm to the Succubus' forehead, closing her eyes beneath a pleasantly cool palm, "you've been through quite enough already, my child but you are not alone."
And just like that, he was gone along with her headache.
The instant sigh of relief was a heavy one when, thankfully, she found herself staring deeply into the inky depths of Lake Ontario, enjoying the play of moonlight that danced across the water's surface; the soothing sound of gentle waves lapping at the shore serving to calm her frazzled nerves.
The impromptu 'party' back at the Crack Shack had still been in the early revving up stages when Lauren had felt the overwhelming need to jump into Bo's Camaro, opting for the short drive to Woodbine Beach and with any luck, some much-required solitude.
Bo…
The name floated so effortlessly through her mind. Just how badly she had been kidding herself of late? Had she truly believed that she and Bo could be 'just friends'? She really, really wanted to say 'yes' but the truth was, the longer she searched inside of herself, the harder it became to carry on the charade- especially within her own mind. She had been right; that Succubus had her heart…
Damn her! She thought with a twist of black humour, her mouth curling into a wry, slightly bittersweet grin. The trouble was, did Bo really need her in that way anymore? Perhaps Bo would remain true to her word after all, that the blonde's friendship was more than enough for her. Perhaps she had screwed up one too many times and Bo was simply tired of having her heart broken by those she loved. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…
Lauren would fully admit to herself that the reasons she and Bo would not work together still stood firm; their situation hadn't changed but these blasted feelings were stubborn and the more time that passed, she found it harder and harder to care about all the 'whys' and 'wherefores'.
She inhaled steadily, trying to almost absorb the natural scents of trees and sand and freshly cut grass, feeling decidedly reluctant to leave this tranquil place but something was nagging at her, tugging at the edges of her consciousness.
Being a doctor, Lauren had been a woman of science her whole life, believing very much in the physical and what one could touch, taste, smell, see and hear but then she had met the Fae and her eyes had been opened to a whole world of hitherto impossibilities. Now, standing on that shoreline, she focused her mind and allowed that niggling voice to come closer until finally;
Go to Bo…Bo needs you…go to Bo.
Was it real or was it simply her own mind playing tricks on her wishful thinking? She didn't know but something made her jump back into the car, speeding off into the Toronto night.
The Camaro seemed to have navigated its own way through the city streets because Lauren didn't know what it was that had made her pull up outside the Dàl. Placing the vehicle in neutral, she bolted through the suspiciously ajar back door and padded carefully down the cold, stone stairwell to Trick's Lair where she was surprised to find a fire burning heartily in the large grate. Glancing swiftly around the room she could see no obvious signs of life but still, the heat was more than a little inviting after the nippy breeze of the lake, the clunky old Camaro's heating likely having packed up many years before Bo had 'liberated' the car for herself.
It wasn't until she edged around one of the two ancient wingbacks, intent on finding a comfortable place to rest as she wrung her hands against the chill that had seeped into her fingers that she spotted the tell-tale mane of dark hair pressed tight to the tan upholstery.
Carefully, she eased around the chair to take in the sight of the woman she loved slumbering away more peacefully than the blonde had seen her in a long time, not failing to note, however, the half-empty bottle of whiskey standing sentinel on the delicate side table by the armrest.
"Oh Bo…" she breathed softly, dropping to her knees alongside the Succubus' lap.
Are we really so different, you and I? She wondered. It was true that while she had come from a close and loving family, she too had been forced to cut ties through her own monstrous actions. She had come to the Fae with no connections, unloved and alone. Yet here they both were, part of the oddest yet caring bunch of misfits and both of them counting themselves fortunate. So why could nothing ever be simple? Logically, of course, a scientist found no value in the inherently flawed notions of fate or predetermination and yet in the realm of the Fae Lauren had constantly found herself challenged to accept things that simply could not be. Had the Fates thrown them together for a reason? Were the Gods simply toying with these small beings for fun or was everything that had happened over the last few years just some absurd series of random coincidences? She simply didn't know. But she was certain of one thing.
Very slowly, she reached up to place the palm of her hand up to Bo's forehead. The Succubus was warm but not alarmingly slow. Gradually, the other woman grew restless in her sleep; her features began to contort in consternation although at what, Lauren knew not.
Lifting herself halfway up off the ground to a crouch that she knew would become uncomfortable before too long, Lauren bent to whisper nonsense words of comfort into Bo's ear. She knew the words didn't really matter, she only hoped the familiar sound would soothe the other woman back to sleep.
"Trick?" Bo murmured plaintively.
"No honey, it's me" she whispered, concern troubling her brow. Despite the fact that Bo had risen from a form of coma earlier, the young woman badly needed her rest and it brought Lauren's doctors sensibilities swiftly to the surface.
"Lauren?" Bo questioned, her eyes flickering rapidly.
"Yeah sweetie, it's me."
"Trick…he was…I thought," Bo faltered, her gaze darting around the room as she scrambled to sit upright.
"Trick was what honey?" asked Lauren, coming to sit precariously on one of the rickety chair's armrest.
"I thought…never mind," said Bo, shaking her head with a brave smile. "It's late, what are you doing here?" she asked, noting that the clock above the mantle told that it was well past the witching hour.
"I came to find you" said Lauren simply and in spite of everything lately, Bo found that her heart warmed a little at the blonde's words. "I think I needed to be here," she concluded.
An odd expression clouded Bo's gaze for a moment. It wasn't like the usually so precise woman to sound so vague or to have this 'air of the mystic' about her but then, she'd had a bit of a strange night herself. Thankfully, the hangover she had been expecting before she went to sleep was conspicuous by its absence but then almost as soon as the thought had left her, into her mind swam images of her strange encounter. Lauren must have somehow sensed her inner turmoil though;
"Bo, how are you doing there?" queried the blonde, tucking a stray strand of hair behind the brunette's ear in that wonderfully oh-so-familiar way and for an instant, Bo questioned how easy it would be to just lean forward a couple of inches and put everything back to the way things were supposed to be. Yet somehow, she managed not to.
"I'm okay. I guess it's just been a strange day." She said finally. Lauren nodded, suspecting there was more going on than Bo was saying but willing to let it go for the time being, eyeing her curiously instead. Bo returned the contact and for long moments the two women simply allowed that silent communication they knew so well.
"I thought Trick was here earlier," Bo eventually blurted. If it had been anyone but Lauren then perhaps the Succubus would have checked herself but she knew that, whatever else had gone on between them, the older woman would never judge her or make her feel stupid or crazy. It was something she could never quite say the same for Dyson or even Kenzi. To her surprise, however, Lauren's expression didn't look all that shocked either.
"Go on," said Lauren, "I'm listening."
"Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here earlier trying to get my head straight…and failing," she laughed mirthlessly, "when suddenly it was like he was right there" she said, nodding to the other chair, "and we talked. He told me some stuff that maybe I needed to hear. I don't even know if it was real or maybe I am just going crazy but…" she trailed off, shaking her head at her own silliness.
At first, Lauren didn't say anything and Bo began to fret that the doctor may go ahead and have her hauled off in a straightjacket like her mother but then a pair of skilled fingers curled up under her chin and when her own reluctant eyes met those amber-coloured orbs she found nothing but acceptance.
"How did it make you feel?"
"Better" she smiled genuinely for the first time in what felt like months. "I felt better."
"Then that's all that matters," said Lauren quietly, "and for what it's worth, I think it was real."
Not for the first time that evening, Bo caught the slightly distant look in the blonde's gaze.
"What makes you say that?"
"A feeling" shrugged Lauren. "Bo, I don't know what brought you down here tonight and god-knows, I can't imagine what you're going through right now but the one thing I can tell you, that I can absolutely promise you…is that you are not alone."
Lauren would never know what made the moisture leak from those chocolate spheres after she said those words just as Bo would never know what had made Lauren rush over to find her that night but that was the beauty of their relationship. Some things didn't need to be questioned. Some things they just knew.
I wasn't quite sure how much further to take this but I this feels like a good place to end.
Love & Light to all!