A/N: Wow. So I'm a little freaked out by the amount of people who have read this story already. It's insane! But I am glad people are reading. Also, quick thanks to those that have followed and marked this story as a favourite. And to those few that reviewed and gave lovely feedback - thank you!
First chapter was a little angsty, so I tried to lighten this one up (just a little).
I should also point out that I now have a very good idea of where this story is going, including the ending. So updates should be fairly quick if I can work them in around work and study. Having said that, the next update won't be for at least another week or so as I am going away on a trip with a friend for a little while, which is why I made this chapter much longer than the first.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost Girl nor am I profiting from this story in any way.
Tamsin was completely aware of how ridiculous she was being. Completely aware she was being stupid. But those thoughts didn't change the fact that she had been sitting in her truck outside a rundown apartment complex for the last half hour, unable to make herself go inside. She was stalling.
Tamsin reached into her blue jacket, pulling out the folded tarot card that was hidden there. She unfolded the card, took one brief look at 'The Wanderer' picture staring up at her before flipping it over in her hands. Scrawled across the back written in black ink was an address for where she would find the druid. Double checking for the umpteenth time that she was at the right place, she tucked the tarot card back inside her jacket.
The card had been outside her front door, waiting for her, when she had gone to leave her townhouse in the early hours of the morning. Tamsin had understood. It was a reminder. It was an order.
"Stop stalling." Tamsin muttered to herself, drumming her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. "You've come this far, Tamsin. You can't go back now."
She glanced down at the floor in front of the passenger seat. The small cardboard box that held Acacia's hand was sitting there, a chilling reminder of all the reasons why she had to go through with the plan. Tamsin had taken the box with her when she had left the police station. She hadn't known what to do with it, the grief and shock making her unable to think clearly. So she had stored it in her truck and not touched it again. She knew the hand would start to decompose, filling her truck with the scent of decay and death. But she couldn't bring herself to just toss it away. It was the only piece of Acacia she had left.
With one final glance at the box, Tamsin opened the truck door and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. The sound echoed loudly in the silent and empty street. It was still early in the morning and the sun was only just beginning to rise. There was no one around to watch her as she crossed the road, heading towards the front door of the apartment building.
Tamsin pushed open the door to the empty lobby, not pausing to look around as she headed straight for the stairs. She jogged up the stairway to the first floor, taking the steps two at a time. Walking briskly down the dimly lit hallway, she scanned the door numbers as she went. The entire place felt musty and damp and reeked of human waste. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, wondering how any fae could willingly choose to live here.
She stopped outside a door marked with the number seven. She didn't need to check the tarot card again to make sure this was the right door; the address was already burned into her mind. She paused for a brief moment before rapping her knuckles loudly on the door.
A moment later the door flung open and all Tamsin could do was stare at who was on the other side. A young man wearing a bright orange kimono, a joint hanging carelessly between his fingers, gazed up at her curiously, his eyes bleary and bloodshot.
"Sup, babe?" He casually leaned against the doorframe, looking her up and down.
"Wrong door," Tamsin said shortly, turning on her heel and preparing to walk away.
"Wait, blondie. You the valkyrie?"
Tamsin froze. Slowly, she turned back around, staring incredulously at the boy.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"No joke, babe. I'm the druid you're after." He held his joint out to her, grinning. "Wanna hit? Got some great weed from a spriggan the other day."
Typical. Of course the druid was a barely post-pubescent man child smoking weed in a kimono. What else had she expected, really?
Bo has a kimono, Tamsin thought. She frowned, shaking the sudden image of Bo in a kimono from her head. She didn't have the luxury of thinking like that right now. She had to stay focused.
"Anyway, name's Desmond." The druid took one last drag of his joint before dropping it to the ground and grinding it out onto the dirty wooden floor beneath his slippered foot. Tamsin crinkled her nose in disgust.
"Did you bring the rune glass, babe?" He asked, smiling when he saw the glare she gave him.
"Call me 'babe' again and I'll cut out your tongue." She brusquely pushed past Desmond, walking purposely into his apartment.
"Uh, come right in?" He closed the door behind her and followed Tamsin further inside.
Tamsin walked into the middle of his living room, taking in the old tattered couch against one wall, the clothes strewn across the floor and a bong sitting innocently on a stained glass coffee table. She turned to look back at the druid, folding her arms in front of her.
"You're not exactly what I was expecting."
"Yeah well, there was a hold up and the other druid couldn't make it. So, I'm the fill-in." He grinned at her lecherously. "I'm good at filling things in, if you get my drift."
Tamsin smiled sweetly at him. "Don't try my patience, druid. I'd be more than happy to cut that off too."
The druid laughed shakily, the sound a few octaves higher than it should have been. "Just being friendly."
He cleared his throat, tightening the kimono around his waist protectively. "Why don't we get this over with then?"
Tamsin nodded shortly in agreement. "Do you know why I'm here?"
"Yes, and no." Desmond walked over and sat down on the tattered couch, pulling the coffee table over in front of him. "I know you want me to make a nullify potion. Not sure who you're going to use it on and, to be honest, I don't really want to know."
"You don't care what this is for? What this is about?" Tamsin quirked an eyebrow, wondering if this druid really was stupid enough to get involved with him and not ask questions first.
He shrugged. "It's a job, I get paid, world goes on. What else would I care about?"
His words were carefree and eerily similar to Acacia's when she had sat with the woman in the back of her truck, sharing a drink together. It felt like a lifetime ago, but in reality it had only been days since she had last seen Acacia.
For a brief moment she hated the druid. She hated this young man in front of her, who she doubted had even seen the end of his first century yet. She hated him for being so negligent, so relaxed, so at ease about everything that was happening, while her world slowly fell apart. This was just a job to him, but for Tamsin it was so much more. And she hated that.
"Let's just get this over with."
Desmond nodded in agreement with her. "You have the rune glass?"
Wordlessly, Tamsin slipped the bottle out from its hiding place tucked against her back, placing it down on the coffee table in front of the druid. He picked it up carefully and popped the cork. Peering inside, he frowned.
"This isn't right. You only have five hairs in here. There should be six. What are you missing?"
"I took three from the fae, one from the lover and one from the trusted friend."
The druid sighed, shaking his head. "No, you need two hairs from someone the fae trusts. Not one." He looked up at her, annoyed. "You've wasted my time. You need another hair."
He picked up the cork, about to use it to re-seal the bottle.
"Wait," Tamsin held out her hand, stilling him. "This second hair. Does it have to be from the same person as the first?"
"I don't see why it would. In theory, it should work the same way, as long as the fae trusts the second person as well." Desmond frowned. "Why? What are you thinking?"
Without speaking, Tamsin slowly reached up, twisting a single strand of blonde hair around her finger. With one sharp tug she pulled it free from her scalp. She extended her hand, holding out the hair to the druid. He took it from her, placing it inside the rune glass with the rest.
He picked up the bottle and held it up to the light, looking at the hairs inside. "Will this work? Does the fae trust-"
"Yes." She cut him off sharply.
Desmond's eyes met hers and he nodded. "Ok." He placed the rune glass back onto the coffee table.
Reaching under the table, the druid pulled out a wooden box and balanced it on his knee. Flipping open the lid he took out two jars, a small drawstring pouch, a dagger marked with strange inscriptions that Tamsin didn't recognise and two pieces of square cloth. He placed them all on the table next to the rune glass. Snapping the box shut he moved it onto the couch beside him.
"Ok," He murmured again, rubbing his hands together as he looked at each of the items sitting on the coffee table.
"You're going to do it here? Is this all you need?" Tamsin asked.
Desmond looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "What were you expecting, a cauldron?"
At her glare he chuckled nervously and turned back towards the table, a concentrated look on his face.
Tamsin watched him carefully as he picked up each of the two jars, pouring varying amounts of dark liquid into the rune glass. He then pulled open the drawstring pouch and added a pinch of dark green herbs, swirling the rune glass around until everything was sufficiently mixed together.
"Now for the final ingredient." Desmond murmured, reaching out to pick up the dagger. He placed the sharp tip of the blade against his palm. Slowly but deliberately, he dragged the blade across the tender skin, leaving behind a bright red line of blood. Using his good hand to wrap the bloodied dagger in a white cloth, he then placed it back onto the coffee table. Holding his injured hand over the rune glass, he clenched his fist, squeezing the blood into the small bottle. He then wrapped the second piece of cloth tightly around his palm, using his good hand to re-seal the rune glass.
"Moment of truth," Desmond muttered, holding the rune glass up in the air. The liquid inside turned a bright red colour before fading back to a murky brown. He smiled, obviously pleased with the result.
"Here," He held the bottle out to her. "It's done. This will strip the power of any fae temporarily."
Tamsin slowly took the rune glass from him, weighing it in her hands. It felt strangely warm, almost hot, to the touch. "How temporary are we talking here, druid?"
"That depends on the strength of the fae. Could be for a few days, or could be for only an hour or two at the most."
"Great. That's a real specific timeframe you're giving me."
Desmond shrugged at her from his position on the couch. "Your problem, not mine."
When Tamsin made no move to leave, he looked up at her. "You can leave anytime. I've already been paid."
Tamsin stared at the bottle in her hand. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" She hated asking the question, admitting that she was at a loss.
Desmond grinned at her, slowly leaning forward to light another joint. He took his time before answering, taking a long drag of the lit joint first. Finally, he leaned back onto the couch and looked up at her again.
"You get the fae to drink it. Slip it in their drink or something like that. Ever roofied someone before, valkyrie?"
Tamsin sat in a dark corner of the Dal, nursing half a glass of whiskey and shooting a glare at anyone who tried to approach her. She couldn't afford any unwanted attention or distractions right now.
She took a sip from her glass, her eyes never leaving the pool table situated at the back of the Dal where Dyson and Kenzi were currently playing a loud and competitive game of pool. Bo was perched on the table behind them, laughing and high-fiving Kenzi each time the tiny human actually managed to pocket a ball.
Tamsin frowned, rubbing her temples. She could feel a headache coming on. She had been sitting here for almost two hours and still Bo had made no move to leave the Dal.
"Come on, Bo. Girl's gotta go home eventually."
There was a loud shout and Tamsin looked up to see Dyson doing a victory dance that involved a lot of hip thrusting around the pool table after pocketing yet another ball. Tamsin smirked. He could be such a girl, sometimes.
Kenzi hit Dyson over the head with her pool stick, yelling something about him being a cheat, while Bo cheered her on, laughing. Tamsin rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, arms folded.
Her plan? Shadow Bo until she could get her alone. It was easier said than done. Tamsin hadn't realised how often Kenzi and Bo were around each other until she actually needed Bo alone; it were as if they were literally attached at the hip. She didn't care much for the human, but she didn't want her getting harmed in the crossfire either when Tamsin made her move.
"Ok, I'm heading home. You wanna come with, Kenz, or are you going to stay and finish your game?" Bo's voice caught Tamsin's attention and she leaned forward in her seat, watching the trio carefully.
Kenzi took her eyes away from Dyson for a moment, resting her chin on the end of her pool stick. "Game? We're fighting a war here Bo-Bo. Plus, losers buy drinks and we both know I'm not down with being a loser."
Bo laughed, reaching out to rub a chalk mark off Kenzi's face. "Alright roomie. See you at home then." With one last wave goodbye, Bo hopped off the table and headed out of the Dal.
"Finally," Tamsin muttered, quickly downing her drink. She waited until Bo was out of site before getting to her feet and following the succubus out of the Dal. She was so focused on Bo that she didn't notice Trick's eyes following her as she walked briskly past the bar.
Tamsin pulled her truck up against the side of the road outside Bo's place, turning off the ignition. Only moments ago Bo had walked through her front door, seemingly unaware of the valkyrie shadowing her.
Tamsin grabbed a bottle of wine that was sitting on the passenger seat and stepped out of the truck. She pressed a hand against her back, making sure the rune glass was still tucked securely into the hemline of her jeans. She needn't have checked. She could still feel it there, the heat radiating from it warming her skin.
With a quick scan of the area to make sure no one was watching, Tamsin strode up to Bo's front door, knocking purposely three times. The familiar feeling of de ja vu was not lost on her. The last time she had left here with three strands of Bo's hair. This time she was leaving with Bo.
The door flung open almost immediately to reveal Bo standing there, staring at the valkyrie with a confused look on her face.
Tamsin held up the bottle of wine. "Peace offering."
Bo raised an eyebrow. "Is this your way of apologising for being such a bitch to me all the time?" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked back towards the kitchen, leaving Tamsin to let herself in.
Tamsin shut the door behind her and followed the succubus into the shack. She set the wine bottle down on the small table in the kitchen.
"This is my way of saying sorry for sneaking out on you the other night when you wanted to get ragingly drunk. Did I mention I have wine?"
Bo folded her arms in front of her chest, smirking. "Only one bottle? That's not much of an apology."
"Well," Tamsin slid onto a barstool, leaning her elbows casually on the kitchen table in front of her. "I'm only a little sorry."
Bo laughed, turning to grab two wine glasses from the kitchen cupboard. "I'd like to see what sort of apology warrants two bottles of wine."
Tamsin rested her head in her hands, watching Bo move around the kitchen. "I don't really think you do."
Bo shrugged, placing the two wine glasses on the table. She uncorked the bottle and filled up each glass with a generous amount of wine. "Probably not, but wine does have a way of making everything better." She handed Tamsin a glass, smiling at her. "Although, I am still curious why you left the other night without saying anything. That was cold, even for you."
Tamsin shrugged, taking the wine glass from Bo. "Emotional situations make me uncomfortable."
Bo rolled her eyes. "Of course they do."
Tamsin watched Bo take a sip of her wine, painfully aware of the need to distract the succubus so she could add the rune glass potion to her drink. Tamsin's own wine glass remained untouched in front of her. Bo looked at it, raising an eyebrow.
"Did you come here just to watch me drink? Because I really don't want to get drunk on my own. That would be way too depressing."
Tamsin smiled. "Oh, as much fun as I'm sure it would be to deal with a drunk succubus while I'm stone cold sober, I definitely came here to drink." She reached for her wine glass quickly, deliberately knocking it over and spilling the wine all over Bo's shirt.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Bo jumped back, knocking over her own glass in the process. Tamsin reached out and quickly picked up both wine glasses before they rolled off the table.
"Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll pour us both another glass?"
Bo sighed, flustered. "Yeah, ok. I'll be right back down."
Tamsin waited until she heard Bo climbing the stairs to her bedroom before quickly refilling both her and Bo's glasses. She pulled out the rune glass from where it was tucked into the hemline of her jeans, fitted snugly against her back. Popping the cork, she poured the contents into Bo's wineglass, swirling the liquid around until there was no trace of anything other than wine.
"One spiked drink coming right up," Tamsin muttered, slipping the now empty rune glass bottle into her pocket.
"What was that?"
Tamsin jumped, guiltily stepping away from Bo's wine glass. She grabbed a cloth from the sink and pretended to be busy cleaning up the spilled wine.
Bo stepped off the stairs and walked towards Tamsin, a silk kimono wrapped tightly around her body. "You didn't have to clean that up, you know."
Tamsin shrugged, tossing the dirty cloth into the sink and sliding back onto the barstool. "I spill it, I clean it." She ran her eyes over Bo, smirking. "So that's the famous kimono."
"Famous?" Bo asked, sitting down next to Tamsin.
"I've, uh, heard Vex vividly describe the way it hugs his body in all the right places many, many times." Tamsin paused slightly. "Although, now that I've said that I am beginning to wonder why you would willingly wear it after he's been in it. Probably naked, too."
Bo grimaced. "Oh trust me, you have no idea how many times I washed this before I was brave enough to wear it again."
"Well you certainly pull it off a lot better."
"I'll drink to that." Bo held up her glass to Tamsin before downing half of her wine. Tamsin's heart sank as she watched Bo drink her wine and, unknowingly, the potion too. It was what she had to do, Tamsin told herself, the words quickly becoming a forced mantra in her head.
"Woah, girl." She smiled weakly, hoping her voice didn't betray the inner conflict she was feeling. "Let me catch up."
"I'm sorry." Bo stared down at her glass, a sad smile on her face. "These last few days have been hard."
"Lauren." Tamsin regretted saying the woman's name the instant she spoke it. She watched Bo's lips pinch together in a tight frown and her shoulders sag.
"Yeah." Bo looked up at Tamsin, smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Lauren."
"Well," Tamsin lifted up her glass to Bo. "I think this calls for a toast." She gestured for Bo to raise her own glass. She had gone this far already; she needed Bo to drink all of the potion if she had any chance of overpowering the succubus.
Bo complied, lifting her wine glass in the air. Her hand shook slightly but the succubus did not appear to notice. "What are we toasting to?"
"To the unexpected. To the things we don't see coming." Tamsin paused. "To forgiveness."
"Ok," Bo said slowly, clinking her glass against Tamsin's.
Tamsin took a sip of her drink, carefully watching Bo as the succubus downed the rest of her wine.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bo asked, already reaching for the wine bottle again, intent on pouring herself a third glass.
Tamsin tore her eyes away from Bo, pretending to inspect her fingernails. "Like what?" She asked, attempting to keep her tone casual.
"Like you're waiting for me to grow a second head or something." Bo picked up the wine bottle but her hand began to shake so violently she almost dropped it. Tamsin grabbed the bottle from her quickly, placing it back onto the table.
"Bo? Are you alright?" She reached out an arm towards Bo.
"Yeah," Bo laughed shakily, brushing Tamsin's hand away. "I just feel a little strange." She pushed herself up out of her seat, placing her palms on the table to steady herself.
"You're shaking." Tamsin narrowed her eyes. The potion was working much faster than she had expected. How much time would she have before it wore off? Hours? Minutes?
"Maybe I'm more of a lightweight than I thought. Oh, Kenzi would never let me live this down. Drunk after only a little wine?"
Tamsin watched Bo carefully push herself away from the table, heading towards the sink, most likely planning to splash some water on her face. Before she could reach it she stumbled, throwing her hands out to catch the edge of the sink, just stopping herself from hitting her face against the steel edge.
"What's happening to me?" She turned to look at Tamsin over her shoulder, her face sweaty. "Did you put something in my drink?"
Tamsin slowly slid off the barstool, never taking her eyes off Bo. She edged towards the succubus, slipping an arm gently around her waist.
"Of course not," She murmured, gently pulling the succubus against her. "Just relax, Bo."
Bo's eyes fluttered closed and they both slowly sunk to the ground together. The moment Bo's body went limp in her arms Tamsin went into action, as though on autopilot. She pulled out two pairs of handcuffs from the inside pocket of her jacket, quickly cuffing first Bo's wrists and then her ankles together. Grabbing Bo by the shoulders, she slowly dragged the succubus along the floor towards the front door.
Tamsin didn't pause, didn't stop to think. She didn't listen to the voice whispering in her ear that was wondering what she was doing, wondering if she was really going to go through with this. She ignored it, instead flinging Bo over her shoulder and carrying her out of the shack towards her truck parked out the front. It wasn't quite yet dark enough for her liking but there was no one around to see her put Bo in her truck, buckling her tightly into the passenger seat. Double checking that Bo was handcuffed securely, she walked around the front of her truck and climbed behind the wheel, turning the ignition. The truck roared to life and Tamsin winced, quickly checking that Bo was still unconscious. The succubus didn't stir. Tamsin sighed with relief. She knew she wasn't prepared to face a conscious and questioning Bo yet.
Putting the truck into first gear, Tamsin pulled away from the curb, taking one last glance at the woman slumped unconscious on the seat beside her.
"Alright Bo. Time for you to meet Daddy."
A/N: This was written in one very long sitting while I was half asleep so I apologise if it's not up to scratch. It's quite messy and I'm not really happy with the end result but I wanted to get a chapter up before I left for the week. Thanks for reading guys, and please do let me know what you think. Feedback and constructive criticism are both very welcome.