Lauren walked down the hall looking for the Ash with a cautious step, every so often glancing over her shoulder. This had once been her home, even if in an unconventional sense, but now with Lachlan as the Ash, it was her personal hell. One she could not truly escape from no matter how much she wanted to. Yes, she had run to Bo to avoid the lockdown imposed upon all the humans but that did not mean she was free. She knew it would have only been a matter of time before Lachlan found her and forced her back.
She was drawn from her thoughts when she realized her feet had taken her to the viewing room. Her movements stopped when she took in half a dozen guards semi circled in front of the door. They looked tense, as if they were conflicted about their actions. Lauren was hesitant to go anywhere near them but knew she may not have any other choice. The men gave way that Lachlan was within the room. She was left to guess whether Lea was with him or not.
A deep breath did little to quell her pounding heart and the slight tremble in her hands as she again let her feet carry her forward. It was only then, as she was within a few feet of the guards, did they turn their attention away from each other and notice Lauren. And if possible, they seemed to tense more at the sight of Lauren.
"I need to speak with the Ash," Lauren said, trying to project a confidence she didn't feel she had. One of the guards, a man standing directly in front of her, glanced to one of the others standing beside him. The other shook his head with a small frown and the one in front of her turned his attention back to Lauren.
"You are to be escorted to your room upon your return".
"And you can but I need to speak with the Ash first".
"It is the Ash's order that you be escorted to your room".
"Lachlan?" Lauren questioned, wondering if he was even still the Ash or if Lea had already taken that title from him. Again, the guard in front of her, the one who spoke, turned to the man next to him but this time there was no shake of the head from his companion before his attention was once again on Lauren.
"The Ash, now if you'll please," the man said as he held out his arm, indicating for Lauren to lead the way to her room. Her shoulders dropped in defeat, knowing she could not fight things, especially if Lachlan was still the Ash at least for the time being, and begin walking towards her room. The guard followed behind, just off to her left.
"Can you tell me if Leanan Sidhe is here?" Lauren asked after a few moments of silence passing between the two as they walked. But the guard remained silent, ignoring the question. Lauren looked back at the man and he met her eyes, his own hard but the anger did not seem to be directed at her. It seemed to be more of an uneasy frustration that lingered there. As if there was something happening that left him in the dark as much as her. A guilt settled within her because she was sure whatever was happening was because of her.
It seemed mere seconds before they reached her room and Lauren had never been so happy at the sight of it, wanting to be free of the uneasy tension. The guard stepped passed Lauren and opened the door for her. Surprise settled over her face, never having had a guard open a door for her before.
"You are to wait here, your guest will be with you soon," the guard said after Lauren stepped inside.
"My guest?"
"The Ash has requested a guest for you".
"I". Lauren's words quickly died on her lips as the guard shut the door, ending any start of a conversation. A frustrated sigh escaped her as she turned away from the closed door and made her way towards her couch. In a move so unlike her, she tossed herself down as her arm came up to rest over her eyes.
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"Really, Kenzi, who is this chick and why did Lauren go running at the mere mention of her?" Bo vented, going on an hour now. Kenzi only rolled her eyes and got out of the car.
"I don't know, babe". The words held a hint of annoyance as she waited for Bo to get out as well before walking with the other woman towards their front door.
"Why didn't she ever tell me about this Lea person?" Bo continued, completely having missed Kenzi's annoyance. However, the conversation was stopped cold as Bo opened the front door for the two only to see a man standing in their living room. Bo's defenses instantly went up and she stepped in front of Kenzi to protect her.
"Who the hell are you?" Bo demanded, stepping further into the living room but still keeping her distance.
"I am here on behalf of the Ash," the man stated.
"Hey, buddy, you can't just come in here," Kenzi said with her hands on her hips as she came to stand beside Bo.
"What does Lachlan want with me?" Bo questioned. The man hesitated in his words, an undefined look passing across his face. Silence lingered among the three before Kenzi realized what the look on the man's face meant.
"Oh, shit, you aren't talking about Lachlan are you?"
"What?" Bo questioned, confused.
"The Ash has requested your presence for Lauren," the man said, taking a step closer to the two women.
"Wait, I'm not going anywhere until someone explains to me what the hell is going on".
"I'm sure, Lauren, will be able to do so herself. Please, if you'll just come with me," the man said but again Bo refused to move.
"Bo, come on, let's just go with him. The Doc can tell us what's going on here," Kenzi encouraged as she placed her hand on the small of Bo's back.
"No, only your presence was requested," the man said, addressing Bo, "She cannot come with us".
"Look here, buddy," Bo started but was interrupted by Kenzi.
"Bo, it's fine. Go check on Lauren, make sure she's okay". Bo just looked at Kenzi for a moment before nodding and placing a kiss on the girl's forehead.
"I'll be back later". Bo turned and nodded to the man standing across from them, indicating she would go with him.
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A knock at the door startled Lauren from her racing thoughts. From the moment she'd heard Lea's name again she hadn't been able to turn them off. Why was the other woman back? Why now? She didn't dare let herself believe Trick's words that Lea had come back for her. A part of her couldn't help but also fear Bo's reaction to all of this.
Her thoughts were pushed away as another knock, which she now realized was coming from her front door, echoed through her apartment. She quickly got up from the couch and moved towards the door but then paused, not knowing who to expect behind it. Her hand hovered over the handle with a slight shake, both from excitement and nervousness. With a deep breath, she opened the door before she could stop herself. The person who stood there was not the one she expected.
"Bo," Lauren breathed out in what was little more than a whisper.
"Your guest," the guard from earlier said and only then did Lauren realize he was standing at her door as well. She could only give a dumb founded nod to the man. It was Bo who actually addressed him.
"Thank you". The guard simply tipped his head before leaving the two women. Bo watched him go for a moment before turning her attention back to Lauren.
"Think I could come in?" Bo teased with a slight grin.
"Oh, right, yes, come in, please," Lauren stumbled over her words as she stepped aside for Bo to enter. Bo stepped passed Lauren into the apartment, brushing ever so slightly against her as she did so.
"So, imagine my surprise when I get back to the club house with Kenzi to find some guy standing in our living room. And not only that, but that the Ash has requested my presence, for you," Bo said facing Lauren, the confusion and frustration coming off in waves.
"Bo".
"Lauren, just tell me, what is going on and who is Lea?"
Lauren sighed and looked away for a moment before holding her arm out to the side to indicate the couch. "I think it'd be better if we were both sitting for this".
That statement worried Bo and she hesitated to move. She feared what Lauren was about to tell her, already anticipating getting her heart broken again by the other woman.
"Bo, please," Lauren pleaded. She could see the pain and heartbreak slowly creeping across Bo's face and it broke her heart to know she was once again putting it there. She wondered if they would ever get a break just to be happy together. It seemed every time things were finally starting to go right for the two, something would get in their way.
With a sigh, Bo reached out and grabbed Lauren's still outstretched hand, leading the two to the couch. When they finally sat, Lauren curled into herself at the end of the couch away from Bo. She wasn't sure how the other woman was going to react and wanted to put some distance between them.
"I still don't know how to tell you everything," Lauren said with a hollow chuckle. "You would think by now I would have had enough time to practice".
Lauren then bowed her head, not being able to meet Bo's eyes anymore. Bo frowned at the words and action. She quickly moved herself across the couch, closing the distance between them, and reached out to Lauren. Her hand cupped Lauren's jaw and tipped her head back up so their eyes met once more.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. Just start where ever you feel comfortable". Bo's words were accompanied with a warm smile. Lauren let out a soft sigh as her own hand reached out to cup Bo's cheek. Her eyes closed and she let her forehead fall forward to rest against Bo's.
"Promise me you won't leave me," Lauren whispered. Again, Bo frowned before lifting her head up to place a kiss against Lauren's forehead.
"I'm not going anywhere," Bo whispered the words against Lauren's skin just as softly. Without warning, Lauren pulled back and brought her other hand up to cup Bo's other cheek, drawing Bo into an almost desperate kiss. It only took Bo a second to respond, her lips moving in a dance the two had grown to know so well. For Bo, every kiss with Lauren was unlike anything she'd ever experienced with another, even Dyson. With Dyson it was just raw hunger, lust. But with Lauren it ran so much deeper than that.
Sure, the hunger and lust was there, it was hard not to feel such emotions toward Lauren. But there was passion and a want, a need for a connection that was deeper than just primal. There was a sensual beauty every time they were together. For Lauren, she found a love and acceptance she had not known in years. Her heart quickened and she could always feel herself flush at just the mere thought of Bo.
They were drawn from their world by a knock at the door, startling the two. Bo pulled away with a soft growl of annoyance.
"This better be important," Bo said impatiently. Lauren only smiled while letting her hands slide from Bo's face before getting up to answer the door. For the second time in only minutes, Lauren was surprised by the person standing there.
"Lea?"
