One reviewer asked about time frame...this is set sometime after the Garuda but before Hecuba.

Enjoy!

Hale's driver had picked her up an hour after he called, and driven her the 6 hour journey back to Toronto. She had read and re-read all of the files on Bo's case she had been sent, and she had to admit to herself she had no clue what was wrong with Bo. The doctor that replaced her, Dr. Bromin, was an excellent doctor and had run all the same tests Lauren would have. Nothing showed up on any of them – not blood tests, tox screens, DNA analysis, nothing. From the case notes, she gathered that at some point about 2 months ago, Bo had simply stopped feeding. Not because she wanted to, but because she couldn't. They had tried everything to get her to feed, including putting her in some very graphic sexual situations Lauren was surprised the doctor's would even agree too. She wondered how many of them had been Kenzi's idea actually.

But none of them worked. As time moved on and she couldn't feed, she just got weaker and weaker, to the point where she was now – barely conscious and hanging on by a thread. It was quite a miracle she was alive at all, thought Lauren, as an average succubus could only last about a month without feeding before they died. The fact that it had been almost two for Bo said a lot about her strength and blood line.

As the driver approached Bo and Kenzi's abandoned neighborhood, Lauren felt butterflies in her stomach. It had been a long time since she had been here, and she didn't know what type of greeting she would get. Kenzi was never her biggest fan, but she respected her doctoring skills, and would be worried sick about Bo and would hopefully not give her a hard time. She really didn't want to see Dyson, but knew she would have no choice since they were together. At least she knew he loved her...it wasn't her that got to do that, and it hurt, but at least Bo was happy she kept telling herself. Trick was always cordial to her, and always respected her, and she genuinely looked forward to seeing him again.

"We're here doctor," came the voice of the driver as the pulled up in front of the clubhouse.

"Thank you," Lauren replied as she steeled herself for this, and headed out the door.

XXX

Lauren knocked lightly when she got to the Crack Shack, and was not surprised when there was no answer. Pushing the door open, she moved quickly in to the main living room and placed her bags just inside on the floor. Looking around, she was also not surprised to see that nothing had changed. The stolen furniture and decorations were just as she remembered. Even the sight of Kenzi asleep on the couch felt normal – how many days had she come over and found the tiny goth passed out drunk on the couch? She smiled at the memory, but also felt herself get a little sad. She had been gone a year and life here had moved on without her, as if she never existed. She knew she was throwing herself a pity party, but what was she expecting? Framed pictures of herself and Bo everywhere? She sighed deeply and shook her head to clear the bitter thoughts from her head. She thought she had done such a good job distancing herself from Bo and the memories of her, but now she knew that the truth was that she had just ignored everything, tucked it under a rug in her brain, assuming that it would stay there since she would never see Bo again. In hindsight, avoidance was not the greatest idea, but here she was and she would just need to deal with the painful memories as they happened.

Resolving herself, she decided she needed to see Bo first, to confirm everything that was in her medical file for herself. It wasn't that she didn't trust the other doctor, she just knew Bo's body better than anyone, and needed the facts herself. So stepping quietly past the sleeping Kenzi, she made her way up the stairs to confront her past and make sure there was a future for the woman she loved, even if she no longer loved her back.

XXX

Lauren pushed open the door to Bo's bedroom and made her way inside, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting. She moved over to the bed, and let out a gasp as she looked down at Bo. She was thin, she had lost most of her muscle, and her face was gaunt. Her skin had an unhealthy bluish grey tint to it, and her eyes were sunken and ringed with deep dark blue circles. Her breathing was shallow and slightly uneven. Lauren's hand unconsciously went to her lips as she had to stop herself from crying at the sight. "Oh Bo," she whispered, "what have you gotten yourself in to now?"

There was a chair near the bed and she sat down in it, worried that the emotions swirling around her right now might make her knees buckle. She continued to stare at Bo, not quite believing how very sick she was. Sure, she had read the case files, but she was a doctor, she read case files all the time and was able to think through the details without picturing the patients. To sit here and see Bo, the woman she had loved so very deeply, be so sick, broke her heart. Unable to contain her emotions, she quickly rose from the chair and left the room...she needed a few minutes to process everything and knew she was going to cry. Not wanting Bo to sense that, even if she was unconscious, she made her way downstairs. Thankfully the living room was empty – she didn't know where Kenzi had gone, but she was grateful for the reprieve and sunk down in to the couch.

No sooner had she sat down that the tears came. Tears for all the fond memories she had of her time with Bo, and tears for the broken heart she left town with. And despite the fact that Bo had hurt her more deeply than she wanted to admit, she cried tears because she still loved her, probably would always love her and seeing her like this tore up her heart more than her choosing Dyson ever could have.

She sat in the quiet room, crying softly for several minutes before she was able to reign in her emotions and try to regain her composure. She hadn't even noticed that Kenzi had come in to the room. She looked at Lauren and moved to sit down next to her, putting her arm around her in a comforting move.

"It's okay Doc, let it out. I have cried more in the past month then I have in my entire life," Kenzi said softly. "I know it took a lot for you to come back here, and I want you to know how thankful we are, even if you can't help."

Lauren looked at Kenzi through her tear-stained eyes. She looked older and more mature than when she had left, probably due to caring for Bo for these past two months. Kenzi was the most loyal person Lauren knew, and Bo was lucky to have her in her life.

"Of course I would help Kenzi. Bo may be with Dyson now, but I will always be there for her any way that I can." Lauren stated, wanting Kenzi to know she was okay with everything, even if she really wasn't.

Kenzi looked at her sideways for a second, then stood abruptly. "So Doc, do you need anything? Hale promised to get whatever you wanted. "

Lauren shook her head. "Not yet anyway. Maybe once I am able to examine her. I did look through the files Hale sent. His doctor did a great job and ran everything I would have. And even some things I am not even sure are legal."

Kenzi gave a wry smile and shrugged. "We were desperate and tried everything. I even found another succubus to try and succubus her, but that didn't work either." Lauren smiled and shook her head at Kenzi's 'creativity'. Despite it being unorthodox, it was a great idea and she had to give her credit for thinking outside the box.

"We turned the old storage room into a guest room - you can use it while you are here. It isn't much, but it is a little bit of privacy."

"Thanks Kenzi. I am going to go put my stuff down and collect my thoughts, and then I will be up to examine Bo."

Kenzi nodded and Lauren picked up her overnight bag and headed to the guest room. She knew where it was, but had never been in it as it was were Bo and Kenzi used to keep the random assortment of things they came across in their travels. Moving in to the room, she glanced around at the simple furnishings – a bed, nightstand with a lamp and a dresser. None of it matched, and she guessed that it was all either stolen or found abandoned somewhere.

Sitting down on the bed after placing her bag on the floor, she buried her head in her hands and let out a loud sigh, trying to give herself the strength to go upstairs and examine Bo. It hurt so much to see her like that. After all the heartache Bo caused her, she knew she was lying when she kept telling herself she didn't love Bo anymore. She did. Despite the heartache, despite the year long separation, despite the fact that she had a very loving girlfriend now.

Shit.

Girlfriend.

Lauren was in such a shock and panic and focused only on Bo that she realized she didn't even let her girlfriend know she was leaving town. Shit. Wow, she was a shitty girlfriend. Running off to help an ex without even thinking to leave a note or send a text.

Reaching down in to her bag, she grabbed her phone and shot off a quick text, hoping to make it sound casual so she wouldn't become alarmed. Hey babe, emergency case for the Ash. Will be out of town for a few days. Will call when I can. Lo

Closing the phone, she threw it back in her bag and flopped down on the bed. Karyn was a fairy she had met shortly after she had moved out of Toronto. She was very beautiful and had pursued Lauren as soon as they met. Initially Lauren resisted, she really didn't want another relationship with a fae, but her perseverance and Lauren's loneliness eventually wore her down. Being a fairy she didn't need to feed off humans to survive, which was a huge plus. And she was beautiful, smart and totally into Lauren. Lauren enjoyed their relationship and liked Karyn a lot, but it wasn't what she had with Bo. Lauren had told Karyn about Bo and their history, and she seemed jealous of it, so Lauren was careful not to mention Bo around her after that. Which worked out fine anyway, since just the sound of her name still brought back tons of memories, both good and bad. Sometimes she wondered if she was being fair to Karyn, not being able to love her as fully as she deserved because such a large portion of her heart was still in love with Bo. But she kept on because she hoped that someday she could let go and love someone as strongly as she had Bo.

Finally groaning at her own misery, Lauren got up and headed up the stairs to try and save the woman she loved so someone else could love her.