Well, I have to say I am so delightedly surprised by the warm reception this little ditty has received. I've still got a giant case of writer's block on Close to Home so thought I'd give you another leg to our girls' road trip. Plus, I think we could all do with an extra injection of sap these days! A massive thanks to all the lovely people who have reviewed/followed- nice to see some familiar names; Joannrbb, Dragonly00, Bahh & Mustwe and big welcome on my crazy but happy little wagon to Reikilady, , Monstermommy101 & Eric.
Enjoy guys! Spread the fluffy love!
Chapter Two
Bo shot up in bed on feeling the coolness of the sheets beneath her outstretched hand, the now empty space beside her where the achingly comforting warmth of a certain blonde had been only a short time before. Blinking dazedly at the old-fashioned radio clock flashing an alarming red she took a second to get her bearings in the unfamiliar room. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling balcony windows that remained closed from the night before. Bo listened hard but there was definitely no sign of Lauren's gentle presence in the room. She's gone, she thought frantically, feeling a surge of blind panic envelope her chest. In that brief moment, a tempest of paranoia began to swirl through her brain, each idea more awful than the last until her fears began to spiral; Where the hell did she go? Did something make a grab for her while we were sleeping and I missed it? Did she just decide to make a run for it during the night? What if none of last night was real? What if I was just her ticket to freedom? Had Kenzi been right after all? Did I do something wrong? Oh god, what have I done?!
Her fingers flew to her face and she began to rake desperately through her hair, her heart threatening to pound its way out of her chest. She needed to calm down. Carefully, she thought back over the previous few hours, willing her unruly imagination to slow its relentless pace. She couldn't remember any obvious indication that Lauren was upset or had any intention of disappearing. Then again, it wouldn't be the first the she had misread the mysterious blonde's agenda now, would it? The little voice in the back of her mind noted snidely.
In fact, aside from a few stolen kisses and touches, they had spent the night entirely chaste, Bo determined to allow Lauren complete control over however fast or slow she wanted to go. So instead of making mad passionate love with wild abandon, they had spent the night getting to know each other on equal terms as two people should without either the imminent threat of annihilation or the memory of Nadia's ghost looming over them. They talked until the small hours of the morning, exchanging childhood stories, their hopes and dreams, shared regrets and the terrors that tormented them in their darkest hours. It was a new experience, sure; intense in its own way but it had also felt so…normal. Perfect, actually.
For the first time in she couldn't remember how long, Bo's hunger had not been the driving force behind her heart. She had to admit, that for someone who had always been so fiercely independent, learning that she needed to feed off others just to survive had been a bitter pill to swallow. For a long time, it had left her feeling like a leech but with the help of her friends she had slowly started to come to terms with it.
Oddly enough, she found she had little desire to feed from Lauren. Or at least not in the same way. Her relationship with Dyson had begun out of the necessity of satisfying her cravings, the need to survive. Eventually it had developed into a sort of dependency. When she looked back now, she couldn't help but feel a little bit disgusted with how much she had come to rely on the Shifter, however well-intentioned. No, everything was so different with the beautiful blonde doctor; her support was quieter, less obvious perhaps but steadfast all the same. With Lauren, Bo dared to dream of romance, all that old-fashioned courtship stuff…a future with a white picket fence.
Still, she was nothing if not a realist. She knew that at some point on this trip her hunger would once again gradually start to rear its ugly head. She knew she would have to stop off to pick up the occasional snack, she thought wryly. That was her way of trying to normalise it, she guessed. A part of her still hated it, hated to admit to the necessity of having to feed elsewhere if she would not take from Lauren but she hated the thought of putting the other woman under pressure to perform even more.
That's if she even comes back, her little voice nagged again sourly but then just as the thought crossed her mind there came a loud clunk, followed by the creek of the bedroom door being unceremoniously shunted open. Bo's eyes instantly widened in incredulous relief at the sight of the very woman shuffling through the doorway, jostling two steaming mugs of coffee and a mountain of freshly-baked pastries while simultaneously trying to manoeuvre the old-fashioned brass key from the lock.
"Y'know, it's just as well surgeons require a steady hand! Not that I could really call myself a surgeon per se but…I have had to perform a few emergency procedures that weren't strictly procedure but…" she heard Lauren ramble on good-naturedly. Bo, however, remained fixed in place on the bed, stunned into disbelief after having pessimistically convinced herself that Lauren had made a run for the hills.
Of course she came back you idiot! She kicked herself.
"I hope you're hungry, Bo." Lauren's voice floated through as she finally managed to kick the door shut behind her, still without spilling any of the precious liquid, the thick carpet making the movement twice as difficult where it scraped across the floor. "Mrs. M downstairs sent…" She trailed off as she caught the look on Bo's face and her eyes immediately darted around the room for some Fae threat that the Succubus had had to fend off all on her own while Lauren fetched croissants! "Bo, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned when the Succubus was still yet to utter a word. Bo only continued to stare at her, warm curious eyes transfixed on the unusually casually dressed woman in front of her. The Succubus took a second to take in the loose white shirt, her honey-coloured waves lightly tussled, the low-slung bootcut jeans, all the way down to the low-heeled tan boots. How could this woman look so relaxed, standing there holding a hearty breakfast in those skilful hands and yet still be utterly breath-taking at the same time?
"I thought you'd left." She finally answered in a small voice.
"What?" replied Lauren, confusion knitting her eyebrows as she came to sit next to Bo on the bed, placing her precious cargo on the nightstand. "Honey, why on Earth would you think that?"
"I don't know, I guess I panicked," said Bo uncertainly, "I woke up suddenly and you were gone. The sheets were cold beside me so I guessed you must have left a while ago. I just…I'm so sorry Lauren." She finished miserably, hanging her head, embarrassment leaving her unwilling to meet the other woman's level gaze but Lauren was far from angry or disappointed. In fact, she felt thoroughly contrite. If she were completely honest, given her behaviour in the recent past, it was perfectly understandable that Bo would come to that conclusion and the thought made her sad. Tentatively, she reached out her fingers to softly urge Bo's chin up to face her.
"I'm the one who should be sorry Bo," she began. "I went out early this morning for a walk in the woods. I just wanted some fresh air. It's been a while since I had to chance to enjoy the birdsong, the rush of the stream. You looked so peaceful here that I didn't want to wake you, you were so tired last night. On the way back I thought I'd bring you some breakfast before Mrs. M cleaned it all away. Turns out we're the only guests anyway," she chuckled, "it's all freshly baked in-house so if we didn't eat it then it would all go to waste anyway. I think she's baked enough to feed a small army but then I told her you were a hungry girl." They shared a grin as Lauren slowly realised what she'd said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
"It's okay Lauren, I overreacted this morning. These do smell really good though," she said, changing the subject. Her mouth-watered as she eyed the delicious-looking golden pastries piled high on the top plate. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, warm fluffy muffins, croissants and other delightful treats that the Succubus couldn't even begin to pronounce was heavenly. The two women exchanged a warm glance while Lauren proceeded to offer one of the now cooling coffee mugs to Bo while she busied herself with sliding another plate out and divided up their shared bounty.
Conversation after that was quiet but easy, a few words murmured about their plans for the day; the aim was to reach Thunder Bay by the evening. An easy poodle of around eight hours from where they were but Bo had no interest in merely pelting along the highway. After all, what was the point in that? They would find a nice stop somewhere for a picnic lunch, provided the weather held, that was.
A few minutes later and Bo flopped back against the headboard, replete; half of their meal still left behind on the giant plates.
"Mmph, Good?" Lauren mumbled around a final mouthful of flaky, buttery goodness. The Succubus nodded in satisfaction, patting her stomach contentedly.
"Hell yeah! The house might be creepy but that old lady can bake!" she said, "I really love those little square ones with the sticks of chocolate in them."
"Pain au Chocolat," explained Lauren, "not the healthiest of breakfast items but…" she shrugged, making the most of her last sips of caffeine.
"Hey, think we have anything to wrap the rest of these up in? We could take them in the car for munchies." Asked Bo brightly, not wishing to waste the remaining tasty morsels.
Lauren paused for a moment before her eyes lit upon an idea;
"I have the perfect thing!" she said, raising a finger. "Let me grab the car keys a sec…and I promise I won't go anywhere." She added teasingly.
"Oh, Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Doctor!" called Bo to Lauren's back as she finally hopped out of bed to throw some clothes on. She was just putting her hair up in a high ponytail when Lauren re-emerged carrying what looked like the fanciest Tupperware dish the Succubus had ever clapped eyes on. Taking it gingerly between her fingertips, she turned it carefully, inspecting the fancy clips around the edges and the used specimen labels complete with struck out lettering stuck firmly to the lid while Lauren slipped into the bathroom.
"Uh, Lauren, did you just get this from your science kit?" yelled Bo over her shoulder, holding the tub at arm's length as though it contained a source of concentrated uranium.
"Yes dear," replied Lauren, the humorous tone clearly discernible even through the distinct scrape of brush on tooth. *swish, swish, spit*
Bo continued to eye the container suspiciously, looking up to find her blonde companion leaning with her arms folded on the bathroom door frame, a look of tolerant amusement crossing her features. "Something you'd like to ask me Bo?" she said innocently. The Succubus swallowed, trying desperately not to look like a complete wimp she felt.
"Umm, well, has this had something icky in it lately? Or, actually, ever? I don't think I really wanna be picking the goo from of one of your lab experiments out of my food." She asked, wrinkling her nose.
"It's a specimen case, Bo," replied Lauren with a sultry sense mischief, sashaying towards the other woman intently, valiantly hiding her glee at Bo's obvious consternation before taking the tub and scooping up the remaining delicacies in a great swoop, securing the lid tightly much to Bo's horror.
"Lauren, I don't-"
"Last week it contained specimens of edible flowers that I was trying to cross-pollinate at the behest of the Ash's kitchens" she interrupted with a knowing grin and handing the box back to Bo. "Apparently, he thought chef's food was becoming bland!" she laughed as she returned to the bathroom, leaving Bo to gawk at the woman's unexpected display of sauciness. Kenzi had it all wrong, Lauren knew exactly how to get a rise out of someone!
The road heading towards Thunder Bay straight out of Sault Ste. Marie was proving decidedly twisty-turny and Bo was glad she wasn't having to navigate this particular stretch in the dark, she only hoped the road would get straighter once they started approaching their destination when the light did start to fail. She had to admit though, the winding curves had certainly provided some spectacular views of Lake Superior along the way and getting to share it all with the special person sitting beside her was the icing on the cake.
After about an hour or so of sharp hairpin bends and tight corners Lauren spotted a sign for Agawa Bay ahead and something in her gaze lit up.
"Oh Bo, it's such a shame we came along here in October. I'd love to see the Agawa Pictographs someday but the viewpoint only opens May to September." She said with just the slightest pout. Now if Lauren hadn't started enthusiastically rattling off her numerous facts about the First Nations tribe Ojibwa of the Anishinaabeg and how the Great Lynx they depicted in stone known as Mishipeshu was actually a very early species of Fae then she would have no-doubt noticed the playful glint in the Succubus' sideways glance, that devious little smirk she got when she knew she was about to break the rules and damn the consequences. This was Lauren's trip and if she wanted to go clambering over a load of old rocks with fancy pictures on them then that was precisely what they were going to do.
About half an hour later Bo found the turn-off she was looking for and pulled into a dirt track a little way past the sign for Agawa Rock. Just because the official trail route was closed didn't mean they couldn't pick their own way through the trees down to the shoreline.
"Bo? Why are we stopping? Do you need to-"
"Shh!" Said Bo, pressing a finger to her lips. "You said you wanted to see some old rocks so we're going to see some old rocks" she stated firmly.
"But Bo, we can't!" the blonde squeaked and Bo huffed.
"Well, I'm going anyway. Are you really just going to let me wander all around the cliffs by myself? I mean, anything could happen to me out there all alone." She said plaintively before clambering out of the canary Camaro.
"Fine!" grunted Lauren, "I'm coming!"
"Bet your sweet ass you are!" blurted Bo, slightly more lasciviously than she'd intended as she hooked her hand around Lauren's. "Sorry, I guess that didn't come out right" she blushed. Lauren merely intertwined their fingers and wondered when they had suddenly gotten so precious with each other.
Over the next half hour, the Succubus tugged her along through the dense brush towards where the tourist trail picked up. At the very end where the trees met the cliff and the view cleared to the spectacular backdrop of Lake Superior in all its glory, Bo hopped over what seemed to her to be the most utterly ineffectual little wooden gate before turning back to help Lauren lift herself over, leading them both down the narrow, treacherous path along the cliff face.
Fortunately, it was another crisp, clean Autumn day and the lake was unseasonably calm otherwise the doctor would never have let the pair of them get this far. Carefully, they edged their way along the cut stone walkway and even Bo found herself marvelling at the ancient tan-coloured images, listening carefully to each of the blonde's carefully modulated explanations of each depiction. Yet again, she marvelled at the way this woman's mind worked, the way her mouth wrapped around the longest words with ease, the way her tongue danced over each syllable with the greatest eloquence. She found it completely beguiling. So wrapped up was she, that she barely noticed when Lauren offered to turn back. Lauren stared at the Succubus with something akin to awe;
"My god, you were actually listening to me." She said, still somewhat taken aback.
"I always listen to you Lauren," she replied warmly, "granted, I might not always understand the things you say" she chuckled, "but I'll always listen."
Once again in the most surprising of times, the sparks begun to fly. Here on this breezy Cliffside where the railing rattled and the water began to lap a touch more vehemently against the shoreline, where the echoes of ancient ancestors still whispered to those who would listen the pull between the two women crackled, seeming to burn ever brighter, drawing them inexorably closer until-
"Oy! What are you two doing down there?!" Came an angry voice from somewhere up above. Shielding her eyes with her hand, Lauren could just make out the uniformed figure of a park ranger emerging from the treeline, presumably out on a random patrol.
"Bo, I told you this wasn't a good idea," warbled Lauren nervously.
"Run!" shouted Bo, laughing loudly to the tune of the man's grunts of protestation as she grabbed the blonde's hand and the pair of them scarpered back along the path towards the woods.
They were decidedly out of puff by the time they reached the car and screeched off into the waiting sun, both women giggling like schoolgirls. It was a moment Lauren would remember and be grateful for the rest of her very human life.
Thunder Bay proved to be yet another very picturesque stop for the night. After taking a final leisurely drive around the bay itself they finished the day by sharing a wonderful dinner in a rather swish restaurant in the centre of town at Lauren's insisted expense. She was determined that as Bo was doing all the driving, her contribution to their trip would be the feeding and resting of her…girlfriend? In wishful thinking terms, perhaps but it was probably too soon to be thinking like that, she chided herself.
The hotel they had chosen for the night was as swanky as the guesthouse in Sault Ste. Marie had been dated and plain. After their adventure earlier, Lauren thought Bo deserved to be especially pampered and she'd secretly booked them both an indulgent massage for the following morning before they set off again for the next stop.
They walked the short stroll back to the hotel from the restaurant hand-in-hand, enjoying the simple pressure of their intertwined fingers that implied a closeness that had yet to really be discussed.
"Bo?" Lauren asked quietly.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you, for today, I mean. I had such a wonderful time." She said, leaning into the Succubus' face with an indulgent smile.
"Hey, I was impressed! Never knew you could be such a troublemaker!" Bo teased back, holding up her free hand. For longs moments, Lauren didn't say a word and yet again Bo had the sneaking sensation that she was missing something. She'd heard that most people had hidden depths, that still waters ran deep and all that stuff but this woman was an echoing well all to herself and Bo wondered if she would ever find the bucket or if she'd spend the rest of her days helplessly tossing away her pennies.
"Well, it's been a long time since I had the chance to be a rule-breaker" said Lauren thoughtfully.
"No, I guess not, huh? How'd it feel?" Bo slipped a sideways glance, ruefully aware of how pleased with herself she was at the perpetual smile that had yet to leave the blonde's face since their morning escapade.
"It felt good," she admitted, "I love it and I love-" she stopped herself short. Just what had she been about to say? Luckily, Bo didn't press the matter, quite content with the doctor's almost slip.
The rest of the evening passed easily, Bo ruminating over Lauren's near-revelation as she held her in her arms through the night, happy just to watch her would-be lover sleeping soundly. Yes, she thought, that was enough…for now, anyway.
Hope you enjoyed that folks. Also, just to be clear, I DO NOT advocate breaking and entering as an acceptable pastime, haha!