I'm so thrilled at everyone's reception to this little story. You'll be glad to know that I'd already planned out answers to your questions. I knew the age thing would pop out immediately. No matter how short this will be, I hope to leave no gaping plot holes although some explanations will be brief. Keep questions coming.
While sweaty palms accompanied Bo's visit to Lauren, an ocean of nausea plagued her as she stood outside the door of the crack shack. Given the danger she'd rained down on Kenzi by abandoning a claimed human, the succubus was slightly surprised that her friend-well, former friend-still lived in town. Since she hadn't left, it wasn't at all a shock that the woman never left the dilapidated building. Kenzi fought her way through life without a home before she met Bo. Although clearly a death trap, the two of them had built a life in this shack. Bo imagined that she stubbornly stayed in the house just to prove to herself that her jackass of a best friend couldn't ruin her life or decide where she lived.
Just as her feet begged to retreat, she banged on the door and swallowed her swelling stomach. When Bo didn't hear the clickity clack of the woman's shoes, she pounded on the wood three more times. A voice chirped, "Alright, alright. Keep your granny panties on." The brunette chuckled at the familiarity of the greeting. Still approaching the door, the woman continued, "You can't interrupt the beautification process and expect Speedy Gonzales to—"
The door swung open before she completed the sentence. Through the partially completed makeup, Bo saw the color drain from her face. The woman with eyeliner on only one eye stood speechless with her blue eyes piercing Bo's brown ones.
"Kenzi. Hey." Bo kicked herself for that lame ass greeting. Why no profuse apology or psycho groveling? This woman's absence chipped away at her very soul each day they had been apart. Amidst her frantic search for words, Bo was temporarily distracted by the obvious lack of aging. While Lauren's beauty remained, her youth had clearly faded over the past thirteen years. Kenzi didn't seem to have aged a day.
"Leave," Kenzi barely parted her lips as she sneered.
Ready to plunge into any speech necessary to reclaim a minuscule piece of the stunned woman's heart, Bo whispered warmly, "Kenzi—"
"No. Go." Kenzi insisted. No amount of effort could mask the excruciating pain bleeding into her words.
Bo wished she could alleviate the pain she'd caused so many years ago. Instead, her presence merely opened up a can of worms the girl had long since bottled and stored away. Perhaps she was making a terrible mistake. It hurt her to think that Lauren and Kenzi might have been better off simply dismissing or accepting the last brutal months before Bo's seemingly conclusive abandonment. They had healed and now she crashed back into their lives with no warning and only apologies to offer. "I'm so, so sorry," the succubus breathed.
"Not fucking good enough. What the hell can I do with sorry? Huh?" Hearing the despised woman speak hardened Kenzi's features despite her shaky voice.
"I really want to make things right." The words sounded idiotic even to Bo, but she possessed no filter when it came to Kenzi. Anything that weighed on her heart spilled into Kenzi's lap.
Kenzi scoffed as she gripped the side of the door so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Make things right? Wow." She finally ripped her gaze from the woman's eyes and glanced up at the ceiling. Tucking her tongue behind her front teeth and chuckling in furious amusement, she observed in the form of a question, "How did I not realize what a clueless idiot you are? It must have been all that succuslut charm."
Only able to repeat herself with fervor, Bo stressed, "I'm so, so sorry."
"Again- I can't do shit with that. Fae off!" Kenzi blurted as she swung the door to close it.
"Kenzi!" The brunette stopped the door with a firm hand. "I know that I was a shit head, the biggest of shit heads."
"Get the hell out of my house, Succubus!" Kenzi pushed her tiny body against the wood. Bo could only imagine the impressively hasty brick laying job occurring in her former friend's heart and mind.
"Kenzi, please." With a final body ram against the door, the petite woman slammed and locked the door. This didn't deter the banished succubus as she screamed, "I can't go on with you hating me and thinking I meant all of those horrible things that I said. I fucked up! I hurt you so much. We're like sisters and I—"
The door flew open and Kenzi seethed, "Well I'm thrilled to know that all of my family sucks ass and screwed me over." Tiny tears pooled in her eyes as she murmured, "Leave."
Praying for a chink in the woman's armor, Bo said, "I'm so sorry I treated you like shit. I screwed up even before I left. I wasn't myself and I said terrible things. I let myself become a monster and I—"
Kenzi collapsed into the brunette's strong arms. She couldn't help herself. Time had raced by while Bo was gone and in her heart of hearts, she knew they'd see each other again, although she hadn't expected it to be so soon. No matter how strong she was when it came to survival, Bo was her Achilles heel. She clutched Bo's leather jacket and blubbered, "I hate you so much."
With one arm wrapped around Kenzi's back and hugging her close, her other hand caressed the back of the woman's head as she sighed and admitted, "I know. I know."
"You're seriously the worst ever." She couldn't help but add, "And I hate those boots."
A knee jerk smile slid onto Bo's face as she replied, "Yeah. I am, Kenz."
The nickname stabbed a newly opened and festering wound. Only Bo calls her that- the old Bo. This was merely a moment of vulnerability, not an invitation back into the life she'd built for herself without her. How dare Bo think everything could just go back to normal? She yanked herself from Bo's embrace and insisted, "I'm not Kenz. We're not okay. Things won't go back to the way they were!" The door slammed.
As Bo leaned her forehead against the wood, she half-assed, "Ken…" She knew that was all she could get right now. It had to be enough.
"Burn the boots!" Kenzi hollered. Sobbing her way back into the bathroom, Kenzi unsuccessfully tried to suppress the memory of the last time she and Bo had spoken more than ten years ago. According to Kenzi's calculations it was sometime in October of 2015, the day after she bought a new pair of laced up boots.
With one elbow propped on the bar supporting her chin with her open left hand, Kenzi sloshed beer around the inside of her mug. She wasn't enjoying one of her most favorite activities of all time. Although never seriously labeled an alcoholic, most joys in her life were often accompanied by some sort of smooth hoppy liquid or liquor that burned upon entry. Of course, she admitted that at times, typical difficulties of existing on the planet were often drowned for a few hours in her trusty liquid companion. Normal people had friends for support in shitty times. Unfortunately, her living and breathing friend proved a bit unstable and even toxic as of a couple of months ago.
Her Bobo's radical transformation into a murderous sexaholic pushed the Fae's bff closer and closer to the edge of social drinking and dangerously close to substance abuse. What made things worse was the fact that the succubus clearly didn't give a shit. After all these years, she abandoned her push for human equal rights as well as her own total independence. She was a fully-fledged Dark Fae complete with her personal valkyrie sex toy and fatal feedings. She even took orders from the Morrigan. Who knows what errands Evony ordered, but Bo was overly compliant. Kenzi was totally sure that there were sexual favors involved. Eww. Just no. Eww.
Although she and Dr. Hotpants had been on good terms for a few years, Bo's alarming attitude bound them together out of sheer survival. They hardly recognized the woman they both loved so fiercely. Her enticing smile had been swallowed up by a viciously seductive smirk. Even her tone of voice changed. A condescending purr replaced her once engaging gentle voice. The majority of the time, Kenzi feared that she had lost her Bolicious forever.
However, some days Bo acted like her old self. She and Kenzi did their Batman and Robin routine and the succubus showered her friend with devotion, sisterly quips and friendly shoulder punches.
As she took a swig of the beer, the girl reminded herself how those days were becoming few and far between just like her personal sober moments. "Fuck you!" Kenzi muttered as she slammed the mug against the wood. Some of the beer splattered and trickled down the top of her hand. As she licked the coveted beverage off her skin, she fumed inwardly as she contemplated the even bigger issue surrounding this entire clusterfuck of a situation. Things had changed a few months ago. Shit had gotten real. It's like Bo didn't even care that—
"If it isn't my bestest best friend," the voice of the aforementioned asshat interrupted Kenzi's thoughts. Struggling to thrust aside the tipsy haze, Kenzi strained to gauge the succubus' mood. Normal Bo or Bitchface Bo? Wait. Maybe Normal Bo was Bitchface Bo. She needed a new name for Not-A-Fucking-Asshole Bo. "How about a bestie drinking session?" Bo snatched Kenzi's mug off the bar as she plopped down on the stool next to her. Briefly glancing at the girl, the Fae smirked and asked, "You're not tanked already are you, Bestie?" Bo chuckled as she finished off the dark beer.
Kenzi grimaced as she realized that Bitchface Bo was in the house. Leaning away from the woman, Kenzi snapped, "Two things. One: stressing the term 'bestie' while being an asshole makes me want to vom. Two: don't say 'tanked'. It's a stupid word and Tamsin's the only one who gets a pass."
"Oh," Bo spun in the chair and noted. "Since when does Tamsin get special treatment from you?" She donned a serious face as she asked, "You're not sleeping with her too are you?" Although it was clear that the human wasn't amused, Bo jabbed her in the ribs and prodded, "Does she do that thing with her mouth where she—"
"Fucking stop!" Kenzi snapped as she smashed her hands over her ears. She pumped images of puppies and unicorns through her brain as she flushed everything Tamsin from her mind's eye.
"Oh c'mon," Bo continued when Kenzi's hands finally fell from her ears, "Don't tell me that you've never thought about it. I mean," the succubus licked her lips as a blue ring encircled her pupils, "shit, that would be hot."
Not in the mood to deal with her 'friend', Kenzi hopped down from the stool and exclaimed, "Well, this has been fun. Next time you wanna chat about valkyrie sex, try a mirror. Kenzi is closed for business."
"Kenz, don't be like that." Bo clenched her fingers around Kenzi's arm as she entreated, "Lo and I had a bit of a fight. I'm scared she's actually gonna break up with me."
"Bo this isn't breaking news," the girl wiggled out of Bo's grasp. "How long do you expect her to put up with your shit, especially now with—"
"Why is feeding all of a sudden an issue?" She banged a hand on the counter.
"Uh," Kenzi spoke with a voice dripping with astonishment at Bo's denial of her own selfishness and harmful behavior. "Killing isn't feeding. Also, fucking in your house is a dick move."
Rolling her eyes, the succubus returned, "If she has a problem with my faeness, she shouldn't have made me fall in love with her in the first place."
"She made you fall for her? That's hilarious. Your version of love has fewer feels and more face sucking. Not to mention murder and not giving a shit."
"God you humans are so needy," Bo stretched over the bar and snagged a bottle of whiskey from the counter below. "I provide for us. I fucking work for the Morrigan." She unscrewed the lid and tossed it aside before taking a gulp. "Does she think I love doing shit for Evony? I do it for us."
Kenzi snorted. It amused her that Bo seriously expected anyone to buy the bullshit she spewed. Bo treated Lauren like a possession and Kenzi like a wall to talk to.
"What's so funny, bestie?" Bo snipped. She hated being mocked. No one alive had the power she did. Even she didn't fully recognize the depth of her untapped abilities. She needed training. Evony was in search of a proper teacher. The more correct term might be 'corrupter', but Bo had no idea of just how dangerous she could become. "I do give a shit," she stressed defiantly. "I've always cared. Why else would I be with a human? Does she think that just because of—"
"She's going by what she sees, Bobo." The endearing name slipped out. Fuck. This version of the succubus didn't deserve Kenzi's awesome nicknames. Coating her voice with disdain, the girl continued, "What is she supposed to think? You're fucking everything that moves and talking about humans as if we're gum on your high heeled boots."
"Then why do you stick around? Ha," Bo let out a half-hearted chuckle, "Get it? Stick around." Kenzi looked straight at her and only blinked. "Gum? Stick?"
"Yeah I caught it, genius. Your jokes are no-no go-gos."
Clearly intending to hurt her feelings, Bo snarled, "You think your obnoxious habit of shortening words and fucking ridiculous nicknames are funny? Or are they supposed to be cute? Grow up, Kenzi."
The words plunged through Kenzi rib cage and sliced her at the core. The non-assface Bo adored her quirky humor, word truncation and endearing names. This woman in no way resembled her friend. Gulping back a small whimper, the girl replied, "You know what? I've had it with your shit. I have my limits."
"Oh, Kenz," the succubus chided, "you couldn't last one day without my protection. I'm the only thing standing between you and the Fae."
"That's where you're wrong. This friend thing we had going on worked because we needed each other. Based on your new 'habits', you don't need me anymore. Dyson may be a brooding, over-reactive wolf, but he's right about one thing: I'm strong."
"That's hilarious," Bo stood up and took a stride in the girl's direction. "I'm sure your baby sword and lock picking skills will scare off flesh-eating Fae."
Unwilling to argue with the belligerent woman, Kenzi nodded and stated with an irritated expression, "That's my cue to leave. This talk is totes a waste of time. Plus," Kenzi stressed, "I told Lauren I'd help her with my favorite—"
"Shit!" The succubus smacked a palm on her forehead. She muttered, "What the hell am I going to do about her?"
Unable to pass up an opportunity to take a dig at Bo, the other woman smirked, "Take your own advice and grow up. Also a fashion tip from moi, there is such a thing as too much eyeliner." She couldn't help but smile at the brunette's heavy frown. "I've wanted to say that for soooo long."
"So back to my girlfriend," Bo thought aloud. She didn't really want Kenzi's input; she just really liked hearing herself talk.
Embracing her protective tendencies toward the doctor, Kenzi boldly suggested, "You could just leave and put all of us out of our misery. One less asshole sounds pretty fucking terrific."
Bo raised an eyebrow and tapped her chin thoughtfully and noted, "I get the feeling Lauren kinda wants me around, you not so much, Dyson-well I don't give a shit, and Tamsin just likes fucking me."
"That's about the size of it. Guess you don't need high school for stellar observation skills."
"And I guess you don't need family for a shitty attitude." The words coupled with Bo's harsh smile slashed at Kenzi's buried pain. When she ran away from home, she lost her family. It wasn't much of one, but it was still gone. The attack on the very thing the girl longed for the most drove the nail into the coffin of Kenzi's rotting hope of Bo returning to her former self.
The succubus sensed the girl's tortuous thoughts and took a swing at them once again. "You and I could never be sisters. I'm a succubus and you're a—" the brunette paused as she searched for the most demeaning words she could throw together. "A weak, thieving human with nothing to offer. You just take people's shit, drink and litter conversations with snarky nonsense." As Kenzi struggled to throw up a wall against Bo's vicious barbs, the other woman made one last comment, "God I've wanted to say that forever. You're just worthless."
"That's enough, Bo!" Dyson boomed as he stormed to Kenzi's side. He gripped Kenzi's shoulder, shielding her from her malicious attacker.
"Aww," Bo mocked and glanced at the other woman, "you have a dog to protect you."
Dyson gritted his teeth and barked, "She doesn't need protection but she doesn't have to stand here and listen to you."
"What happened to you?" Kenzi asked the brunette almost as a whisper.
Smirking, Bo's eyes flashed blue as she responded, "I got better."
Kenzi stomped up in the woman's face and ordered, "Well take your better self and fuck off. When the other Bo shows up, tell her thanks but no thanks. I don't want to see you again."
"Wow." Bo remarked, "I forgot that for a skinny bitch you have some balls."
Kenzi felt Dyson's thoughts swirling as he refused to release his verbal fury. She locked eyes with Bo and asked a simple question, "If you met me today on that elevator with that creep, what would you do?"
Not missing a beat, the succubus admitted, "I'd drain you both."
The disappointed and heartbroken human dropped her head and mumbled, "That's all I needed to know. You really are gone."
"Sooo," Bo leaned against the bar and rapped her fingers on the wood, "you're not talking to me anymore? Such a shame. Aren't you going to miss me?"
"Peace out, Bo."
"So long, chicka."
That was it. Those were their last words to each other. They still reverberated in her ears all these years later. Kenzi sank to her knees and leaned up against the tiled wall of the bathroom. As tears dripped down her face, she banged her head against the wall and groaned, "Fuck. This. Shit."
Turned away by the petite human, Bo retreated to her vehicle and plopped down in the black leather seat with a huff. Although she restrained any optimism when she drove into town yesterday evening, the reality seemed even bleaker than she anticipated. If Kenzi couldn't even contemplate forgiveness, reconciliation with Lauren would be pretty much impossible. Kenzi was the one who overlooked her mistakes over the years. Friends forgave until they were blue in the face, but lovers drew lines in the sand because they had to. As a friend and even as family, Bo had gone too far with Kenzi. Her last words were purposefully cruel and aimed at the girl's weaknesses.
Those final two months over ten years ago, Bo slowly picked apart Kenzi's heart strings and snapped them all one by one. She saw the girl's looks of anguish and remained unmoved. Now she was back trying her best to apologize. For the past few months, she banned the very notion of returning from her mind. She was well aware that both Lauren and Kenzi were thriving and content with their lives.
What finally changed her mind? An unreasonably strong pull toward both women gave her no rest. Even if they both ultimately chose to reject her, at least they'd know she condemned her past actions. They had to know how much she cared. After that, she accepted that they were free to do what they wished.
Bo dropped her head onto the leather wrapped steering wheel with a bang. Groaning and rolling her head to the side, she mumbled, "Fuck me." Without warning, a blast from the past overtook her as Kenzi's words echoed in her ear.
"Fuck you? No, fuck this!" Kenzi flung open the car door and yelled, "We're in bumfuck nowhere and you found the only damn sharp thing on the road." The girl stomped around the front of the car to the front left tire. Her boots viciously attacked the flattened rubber.
"If you mean not even an hour outside of town, then yes this is bumfuck nowhere," Bo commented as she stepped out of the car. Although just as irritated, she couldn't help but cross her arms and laugh at her friend's attack on the tire.
Now out of breath, Kenzi propped her hands on her hips as she panted, "What's so funny? I see zero things funny in this situation."
"You haven't seen a Goth chick kicking the shit out of a tire in stilettos."
"Laugh it up, Succubus," she clung to a disgruntled frown. "It won't be so funny in a couple of hours when the sun goes down and bobcats come out and eat our faces.
"Are there bobcats around here?" Bo wondered with her head tilted to the side as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Tonight there will be!" Kenzi declared while her friend snickered. She pointed at Bo and scolded, "This is why I keep telling you to put a spare tire and jack in the trunk."
Snorting, Bo replied, "When have you ever said 'jack' in relation to a car?"
The girl narrowed her eyes and puffed out her chest and replied, "Let's pretend I did for the sake of this conversation." She stepped up in Bo's face and cracked a smile as she said, "I told you this would happen."
Bo pushed the girl back playfully and responded, "You always that at the wrong times. Last week, we ran out of toilet paper and you said 'I told you so'."
Kenzi crossed her arms and threw her nose in the air and claimed defiantly, "I'm sure I've told you to get toilet paper at some point. So that's legit."
As the brunette shook her head at her friend's unwillingness to admit defeat, she pulled her phone out of her boot and made a phone call. After a simple explanation and relieved 'thank you', she hung up the phone and assured the pacing human, "Don't worry. Someone's on their way."
Nodding, the girl replied hesitantly, "Awesome sauce. I know it's going to be a tinsy bit awkward with you and the wolfman, but—"
"Why would I call Dyson?" Bo blurted. Since she returned from England with Lauren a few months ago, she and Dyson had been on civil terms, but nothing like it was before. Literally the day she got back, she stomped into the precinct, pulled Dyson aside and demanded that he never make any kind of pass at her. There were to be no longing glances, no flirty jokes and absolutely no mention of Lauren's humanity and thus temporary nature of their relationship.
"Uh. Who else would you call to help us fix a tire? Hale?"
Amused by Kenzi's poor guessing skills, Bo chuckled, "Why would I ask the Ash to help me with a flat tire?"
Completely bewildered, Kenzi drummed her fingers across the hood of the car as she brushed up against it while pacing back and forth. She asked, "Did you call Trick? I can't see him fixing a tire."
Bo merely answered in the negative, "I didn't call my grandfather, Kenzi."
"Wow!" Now Kenzi looked shocked, "I know Tamsin took a boot off her truck once, but you seriously—"
"Holy shit," the brunette finally stopped the woman. "Why would you name all of those people before Lauren?"
Kenzi halted as she slowly replied to a question she thought needed no explanation, "Ummmm. Look. I lurves me some Lauren and the kick ass food she cooks, but I can't see her jacking up a car and changing a tire."
"She'll surprise you," Bo smirked. She wondered how long it would take to uncover all the small tidbits about her girlfriend. Just the other day, she learned that Lauren could easily clear a vertically jammed bullet from a handgun with a single swipe atop the slide. She smiled as she acknowledged the certainty of having every single day of Lauren's life to discover all her hidden treasures.
The girl sighed and collapsed onto the hood as she conceded, "She did punch Vex in the face."
"And slapped Tamsin."
"And ninjaed cabbit DNA out of that chick and squirted it into Taft."
"I don't think you squirt DNA," Bo noted with a chuckle.
"I'm trying to admit that Lauren's pretty badass." Kenzi scooted her entire body onto the hood and sprawled out her arms and legs as if making a snow angel. "She physically assaulted a Mesmer and a valkyrie and awesomely duped a fucking cray cray dude. Props to the doc."
"I thought I'd have to wait until you were on your deathbed to hear you say that."
Kenzi turned her head and smiled, "I can still surprise the shit out of you." She flapped her arms as she groaned, "Dude, I wish I could pull a cabbit and zoom zoom away. I could get us help lickety split."
"Are you interested in the bagillion kids that you'd pop out?"
She shuddered at the thought, "Oh Christ on a bicycle. No fucking way." She sat up as she concluded, "Not a cabbit then."
Bo plopped down next to her friend and asked, "So my lovable human friend, if you could be Fae, what kind would you be?"
"You mean if I could shove my hand in a box and pick anything I wanted?" Kenzi returned with glee and wide eyes.
"I think you'd make an awesome Fury. Your bite would be as terrifying as your snarky barks," Bo suggested sarcastically.
"You think I should make people go loony, muttering nutcases?"
Bo nudged her on the arm, "Hey. Hale wouldn't be an ass to you ever again. Pretty sure he wants to keep his brain."
The human brushed her fingertips against her chin and said, "That is a true statement. The great and powerful Kenzi capable of melting the shit out of craniums! However, I'd kinda like to be a run of the mill shape shifter?"
A bit thrown off by Kenzi's suggestion at something ordinary, Bo said, "I'm a bit disappointed by your lack of creativity."
Kenzi tucked a boot under one leg as she turned to face her friend, "I could look like anyone I wanted. How cool would that be?" Her eyes lit up, "Think of all the shit I could steal—I mean—redistribute to my less fortunate self."
"Okay, your klepto inclinations aside, what would you like to be?"
Kenzi decided not to disagree with Bo's accusation, but insisted, "I for seriously think I'd like to be a shape shifter." She glanced at the brunette with a smile emoting a feeling Bo couldn't quite put her finger on. Kenzi hinted, "It's no fun being myself all the time."
Bo pulled the girl to her shoulder, "Oh Kenzi, I wouldn't want you to ever be anyone but yourself."
"Holy shit!" Bo's head snapped up off the steering wheel as she suddenly realized why Kenzi still looked so young even after thirteen years. Somehow, her human friend had managed to become Fae. She couldn't figure out why, but a part of her was sad. What if she had become someone completely different? Would this Kenzi be able to forgive her? More importantly, what had driven Kenzi to relinquish her humanity?
"Bloody hell, how long are you going to sit there?" a voice from the backseat complained.
Bo whipped out her knife, but as she turned, her arm froze in midair and she groaned, "Vex, what the hell are you doing in my car?"
With his right hand raised, the Brit replied, "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"
Struggling against the man's invisible grip, she grunted, "I'll let you know when I find an old friend who isn't super pissed at me."
With a chuckle, the Mesmer released his grip and said, "Feeling sorry for ourselves are we? You better nut up because you deserve every little bit of whatever your lovely birds have in store for you."
"Are you going to lecture me about what I did? Really?" Bo's head snapped around to face the Fae now making himself comfortable in her backseat.
"Well darling, I've got to say that I've never killed a sizable amount of humans, shit on my girlfriend and bestie, and then shagged people basically out in the open." He smirked and leaned forward as he added, "And then ran away."
Although wanting to avoid oversharing, she conceded, "I didn't say I wasn't a complete dick. I just find it funny coming from you. Oh and why are you here?"
With a large wave of his hand in front of him, he answered, "Behold the Dark Fae welcome wagon. I've come to escort you to our beloved clan leader."
Bo scoffed, "You still take orders from Evony?"
"I volunteered actually. I didn't want to miss out on this memorable occasion although it's been quite the letdown."
"Sorry to disappoint," Bo threw out.
"I hoped the rumors of you going soft weren't true. This is so terribly boring."
Rolling her eyes, Bo replied, "Okay, now I'm not sorry."
Settling back into the leather seat, he sighed, "Well then, let's be on our way, shall we? Drive."
"I'm not up to being Evony's bitch right now. Give me a few days." Without her permission, her fingers flew to the ignition start button and then to the gear shift. As the car shifted into reverse and her foot pressed the gas pedal, she snapped, "Really? This shit?"
"Either you drive or I'll drive. Your choice," Vex snickered.
"Fine!" Bo conceded and she shifted the car into drive of her own accord. This was shaping up to be one shitty ass day. "Where to?"
Focused on her work, Lauren studied two large LED screens hanging on a wall in her lab. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two as she meticulously noted the numerous yet subtle differences between the slight variations of a virus as it affected a human cell and a Fae cell. Any new strain of the flu or other common virus came with a human remedy provided by scientist in the human world. Her position on the medical board was to find solutions to major health problems as they arose. Her days of treating patients had long since passed as the Fae finally rewarded her loyalty with freedom. With her skills and the Light's unlimited resources, she accepted the position of lead researcher on the medical board focusing on prevention and cures for illnesses in the Fae community.
Very few people knew that she no longer belonged to the Fae. The Ash offered complete security and generous compensation in return for her services and continued to perpetuate the belief of her subservience as a part of her protection. Despite her hatred of past Light Fae leaders, she recognized an appealing offer when she saw it. Answering to no one, she thrived both at work and at home. Everything came together over the years.
Lauren cringed when the thought of Bo crept into her thoughts. After all the damage she caused, how could she waltz back into her life? There was no place for her now. How could she possibly think that her appearance after all of these years would accomplish anything? From their very brief conversation, Lauren got the impression that to Bo, her sins were committed not too long ago. Thirteen years passed differently for the human and the Fae.
The doctor sank into her desk chair and synced her notes from her tablet onto her desktop. Her mind strayed to the past. This specific memory had been played over and over throughout the years. At the time, it seemed so trivial, but now more than ever, its details spoke volumes.
Just like today, Lauren had been engrossed in her work when Bo had strutted into the lab, "Hello gorgeous."
"Bo!" Lauren jumped out of her chair ready to embrace the woman and said with a smile on her face, "You're back." Her girlfriend had been gone for almost a week. She and Kenzi accepted a case too far away for a daily commute.
"Uh huh, I'm back just for you." With that, Bo grabbed the blonde by the waist and backed her into the nearest wall.
The doctor bit her lip as she surrendered to the brunette's desires and noted, "I'm guessing that you missed me."
Bo popped open the top two buttons of Lauren's shirt revealing her deliciously pale and inviting collarbone. As her lips, tongue and teeth attached the skin on the blonde's exposed neck, Bo shoved her hands up Lauren's shirt and her fingers dove underneath her bra. Lauren gasped and threw her open palms to her sides and slammed them against the wall. Entranced by Bo's tongue and warm, ragged breaths, she moaned and caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
As if the attention on her neck wasn't enough, Bo kneaded her breasts with an urgency that shot fire from the blonde's toes up to her cheeks. The brunette squeezed and raked her nails across her nipples and grunted with fervor, "Tell me you want me to taste you."
Lauren's pupils dilated with desire. Her fingers tangled in the demanding woman's brown hair. She yanked Bo's upward and her eyes snapped to the smiling lips as she replied, "Kiss me. Taste me."
The blonde's first request was denied as Bo grabbed Lauren's wrists and pinned them above her head.
She ordered with bright blue eyes, "No touching, Doctor."
A fleeting rush of disappointment tugged at the blonde's heart as her girlfriend dropped to her knees while simultaneously undoing the button of Lauren's jeans and forcing the denim and panties to her ankles. The succubus wasted no time and engulfed the woman's throbbing clit with her mouth. She licked and sucked with the desire of a dehydrated feral animal lapping up water. The warmth of Bo's timely exhales and sensations of her trained tongue threw Lauren into a frenzy.
Bo glanced up at her girlfriend and muttered, "Tell me you want me to fuck you."
Lauren's head dropped to meet the woman's eyes and was frightened by what she saw. Despite the blue ring of lust, Bo's eyes betrayed a terrible truth. There was no love behind her eyes. Lauren could feel it. The brunette felt nothing akin to the passion which they shared. Her penetrating stare beamed with the cold look of a random lover. She'd never seen Bo look at her like that before. The succubus was hungry and Lauren was the closest and most compliant warm body she could find. "Kiss me," the plea slipped out in the hope that her speculation was unfounded.
"I don't want to kiss you. I want to fuck you," Bo declared with a startling lack of feeling.
It was so startling, in fact, that Lauren replied, "I think you're hungry right now."
"Hungry for you."
"Hungry for anyone," Lauren corrected.
Bo sneered, "You don't want me? You're refusing me?"
"Honey," Lauren whispered calmly, "I think you need to feed."
"Yes." Bo licked her lips and murmured in agreement, "I need to feed."
Hoping to temper her girlfriend's lust, Lauren cupped her face and suggested, "Why don't you go do that?" She added with a teasing smile, "We can pick this up later."
She saw Bo squeeze her eyes shut as she batted away her hands. Her head twisted to the side. Alarmed, Lauren stood frozen as she witnessed Bo struggling against herself. She could almost hear the shouting going on in her head. She heard a gnashing of teeth and painful grunts. Finally, Bo inhaled, exhaled and slowly rose to her feet. Her eyelids fluttered open revealing the soft brown irises Lauren adored. She kissed Lauren's cheek and said, "I'm so sorry. I'll go take care of this."
The blonde smiled and replied, "You owe me."
Bo leaned back and smirked, "Oh, I'll be back. I was just getting started." Lauren chuckled as her girlfriend swiveled and retreated to the door. She threw over her shoulder, "I missed you."
"I missed you too…" Lauren didn't even complete her sentence before the doors swung closed and Bo disappeared. Immediately aware of her partial nakedness, she hiked up her underwear and jeans. Although Bo's strange behavior momentarily bothered her, she resumed her work and instead looked forward to her girlfriend's return.
Shutting her eyes as her senses yielded to the present, the doctor dropped her head to her desk. That had been the first warning of Bo's downfall. She had seen it and subsequently ignored it. She didn't fault herself for Bo's heinous actions and abandonment. The yoke of blame rested entirely on the brunette's shoulders. However, it had been hard to forgive herself for her inability to be proactive which resulted in getting blindsided. Regardless of her own inaction and Bo's shameful deeds, she still found herself staring at a terrifying decision that affected more than just herself. How the hell could she forgive?