As usual would love to hear from you guys. Again, this is a reupload from my Wordpress site, that has not been maintained for a long time now. So some of you might have read it. The story has been edited a bit for the next chapters.
Chapter 2
"Please… I need to make things right." she said.
The hooded figure raised its head slightly tilted its head to one side seemingly assessing her.
"I need it back. Whatever it takes." she begged again.
The figure raised a gnarled finger. The long, cracked and yellowed nail scraped sharply along her neck down to her clavicle. She flinched as blood trickled down her neck. Rain clouds shrouded the full moon as thunder roared and shook the pines, stirring up the sleeping birds. Heavy rain was threatening to fall. Through the shadow that the hood cast on the figure's face, she could see it grinning. Never in her entire life had she thought that she'd be back in this nightmare. She had promised herself that this part of her life would never happen again. Yet here she is, again.
"You would give anything to get it back?" the hooded figure hissed at her, amused. She looked down, her fists clenched. Nothing matters more now. She looked into the hooded figures eyes and nodded intently.
"Yes." she was committed.
"Then it will be done."
The figure took of the hood, then placed both hands on her head, it's claws digging into her skin. Pain shot through her entire body. She resisted the urge to scream. She deserved this. Those terrible things that had happened, this was her atonement. Her legs buckled and her body gave in to the pain. She fell to her back as she was released. The drops of rain that fell on her face helped little as the pain turned into an unbearable burning feeling coursing through her veins.
"This will be over soon, at least." she thought as the darkness engulfed her entirely.
The "Manananggal" is an ancient underfae that is usually invoked by powerful dark faes as a guardian. This Underfae feeds on human organs. It has also been known to attack fae sometimes when it is provoked or what it's guarding has been compromised. It slices open the torso of its victim and exposing the organs. It will then continue to burn the organs to "cook" them to it's liking. This Underfae is usually stealthy and cunning that a few have lived to have seen it and lived to tell the tale. Knowledge of how to kill the creature or it's weakness is yet unknown.
"Well that helps a lot, doesn't it?" Dyson frowned at the book and looked at Bo.
"Hey, I saw the drawing, I didn't really read everything. Complete and unbiased my ass!" Bo glared at him.
She picked up a bar stool that was lying on the floor, set it up next to the bar and sat on it. She propped her arms on the bar and laid her forehead on the cold wood.
"If only Trick or Lauren was here…" her voice muffled by her arms. Dyson walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll find a way, Bo. We always do, right?" Bo looked up at him and managed a smile.
"Yeah. I guess we'll have to figure this out somewhere safer." Dyson nodded.
"I'd take you to Kenzi, but it is not safe for her for now."
Bo stood up and started for the door. "I know, The situation is complicated enough as it is. I don't want to put Kenzi in any more danger." Dyson followed her.
"The police should be outside anytime soon. I need to talk to them and look at the victim as well. Maybe it'll give us more information on this creature." Bo nodded, lost in thought.
"Will you be alright?"
"Yeah. I'll be somewhere safe."
"I'll call you as soon as I'm done here." Dyson said as they both exit the Dal.
Bo drove around the apartment's block thrice, turned back twice, until she decided to go inside anyway. She had debated with herself while at the Dal if she would come here. It would be too painful, but she felt like this was what she needed. Right now, this is home.
The brunette slowly stepped inside Lauren's apartment as if by doing so, it would lessen the pain that immediately came flooding in once Lauren's scent that lingered touched her nose. She inhaled it, welcoming the pain that came along with the feeling of safety and assurance. She walked toward Lauren's work table. Her slides and microscope, along with tbe controlled cultures she was last working on was still there. The petrie dish that held the culture overflowed with what looked like bread molds and blue slime.
"Gross!" Bo grimaced.
She then laughed softly as she remembered the time they decided to stay in for three days at the old house. She could remember Lauren explaining to her about how her cultures where growing so out of control that her actual controlled cultures have mutated. She doesn't exactly remember what Lauren was saying nor did she understand what she was talking about. She was too busy admiring Lauren's beautiful face. The creases on the sides of her mouth that deepens in a sexy way when she smiles. Her perfect eyebrows that almost meet everytime she is deep in thought over her science. The large golden curls that rests softly on her cheeks to her shoulders, and flows down elegantly to the curve of her breasts. The perfect pinkish white skin that almost glowed against the sunlight. She had marveled at how Lauren could smell so sweet. Bo smiled bitterly realizing how long that moment had been. How different things are now. The brunette inhaled deeply, refusing the tears that threatened to fall.
Shaking her head slowly, she turned and walked up the stairs into Lauren's bedroom. She opened the door, again taking a deep breath before going in. She reached for the switch and the light softly illuminated the room. It is still tidy, thanks to her lover's obsessive compulsive disorder. To her left is Lauren's walk in closet, beside the door to the bathroom. To her right is a white, steel table that looked like it was a piece of metal sheet that was bended in a rectangular form, with rounded edges. Bo loved that table, it looks elegant had commented that it was as sexy ad Lauren. Besides, it is sturdy, as she and her lover proved more than a couple of times. Large books, mostly related to free radicals lay neatly on the table beside her laptop and a photo of them. Bo picked up the photo. They were both laughing, evidently happy. Her nose was wrinkled and pressed on Lauren's cheek while Lauren was looking down, her cheeks blushing. She ran a finger along Lauren's face. It was Kenzi that took the photo. She had said thst it made her vom but whatever rocked her boat, she was cool with it. Kenzi told her that she was geniunely happy for Bo. Her heart clenched and her stomach churned. She placed the photo back on the table. The white vinyl blinds in front of her covered the window of the fifth floor apartment of the apartment building. The cityscape would be breathtaking this time of the night. She and Lauren cuddled on the couch beside it every night she was here. It was one of those moments that she wished never ended. She had been scared of tragic love stories, especially this one with Lauren. She had never felt so much tidal waves of emotions like she had with herm. She decided against opening the window and moved to sit on the bed, feeling the soft white sheets under her hands. Bo knew she would just be torturing herself when she chose to stay here for the night. But tonight, this would be the sweetest torture.
She sat on the cold sidewalk, eyes filled with tears as she weakly called out to her mom in between sobs. She was told to wait for a while but had been distracted by the colorful balloons that she chased and the the clowns that scared her silly. Now she doesn't know where she is or where her mom is. She buried her head between her arms as she hugged her knees tightly. Her brown curls bounced as she sobbed.
"Here…" she heard a voice beside her and a soft warm scarf wrapped around her shoulders.
His eyes hazel and the short large curls that had escaped from his knitted dark red hat complimented his cheeks that blushed in the cold day. He was dressed in oversized coat, suede pants and thick leather boots. She squinted as the sun that went through the blond hair of the boy blinded her for a moment. He looked like an angel. The boy smiled. She smiled back wiping her tears with her tiny mittens.
"Thank you." she replied shyly. The boy sat crossed leg in front of her, not minding the damp, muddy sidewalk.
"What's the matter? Are you lost?" The boy reached out and touched her shaking hands.
She nodded. "My mom left me for a while but I think I wandered away from her. Now I… I don't know where I am." She said starting to cry again.
"Hey…" the boy moved in closer to her squeezing her hands. "You know what, my dad always to me, that no matter what happens, moms and dads, they will always find you."
"They will?" she asked, looking at the blonde boy, her voice breaking.
The boy nodded and smiled again. She noticed that the boy's chin had a "dimple". And that when he smiled, his teeth doesn't show. Instead his lips stretched to a thin line and the tips of his lips curled mischeivously as small crescent moon-shaped dimples formed on both sides of his cheek.
"I'll stay with you until your mom finds you." the boy declared. He didn't need to ask her. She did not oppose. Instead she wrapped the scarf the boy gave tightly around the neck.
"Cold?" the boy asked. She nodded silently. Her sobs had subsided and the tears have dried up. The boy sat beside her on the sidewalk and put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulders. It made her laugh a little. The boy was ridiculously smaller than her and had to make an effort to reach her shoulders.
"This would help. I had read from my dad's books that another person's body heat could help when you're cold. Of course it also said you have to be naked to effectively transfer body heat from one person to another…"
"Ewwww…" she said pulling away. The boy laughed and raised his arms up.
"I wouldn't do that! Gross!" he burst out laughing. She laughed with him suddenly forgetting why she was here in the first place.
"I think I'm warmer now." she said in between the giggles. "How old are you?." she asked trying to start a conversation.
"I'm five and a half." the boy proudly said holding up his chin.
"I'm turning six in a few days." she replied.
"Then officially I'm the first person to say this to you. Happy birthday!" the boy giggled and beamed.
"Thank you! No one ever gives me gifts except my mom on my birthday anyway. So it doesn't matter." she said.
The boy eyebrows met in a frown."Everyone should have gifts on their birthdays! And I'll give you one." he stood and looked around. "Come on!" he held up a hand to her.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Wait and see."
The boy took her to a small shop selling trinkets. He pointed at a glass box that displayed trinkets of sorts. One caught her attention. It was a tiny silver music box, just enough to fit inside both her hands. Inside were two blue sapphire ballerinas facing each other in an arabesque. She stared at it for a while, entranced by the hues of blue that danced through the sapphire in the afternoon sunlight. She hadn't noticed that the boy had went over to the store clerk. She saw the boy give a roll of bills to the clerk who immediately took the music box out of the shelf and gave it to her. She turned the music box's handle and it started playing "Le Cygne" while the ballerinas moved in unison. Her face brightened. The boy was smiling satisfied at his accomplishment.
"Beth! There you are!" they heard someone call as they walked out of the shop. "Where have you been I've been looking all over for you!" her mother hugged her tight.
"I'm sorry mom I got lost."
"It's okay baby. Who's your friend?" her mom asked.
Just then a man approached the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Ready?" he said as he put down a large suitcase.
The boy nodded. "Yes daddy." the boy turned toward her. "We have to go. It was nice meeting you."
She nodded as the boy turned to go with his dad.
"What is your name?" he asked facing her again but walking backwards.
"I'm Beth." her hand clutched the music box tightly. "You?"
The brunette's eyes widened in shock as her friend said "I'm Karen. Happy birthday, Beth."
Bo woke up the next morning feeling a bit refreshed. Bothered by the dream, yet inexplicably refreshed. She had never slept so well in days. Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad thing after all. She decided to take a long, hot shower and afterwards see if Lauren had left food in the fridge. As she came out of the shower, she couldn't help but smile at the scent that's tickling her senses. It was Lauren's shampoo and body bath. Bo couldn't explain it, but everytime she smelled this scent of Lauren, pleasant memories just come rushing in and it brings back feelings of happiness, and love for the woman. She had put on a robe and opened the door to the bedroom.
As soon as the door fully opened she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened as air completely left her lungs. For what seemed like forever, she stood there staring.
"Bo?" deep-hazel eyes, curved yet slender body, smooth white skin, large golden curls.
She gripped the door knob of the bathroom hard to steady herself.
"Lauren?" she said, in a whisper.
Bo didn't know how long they stood there staring at each other. For what seemed like forever, they where both speechless. The brunette decided to make the first move. Her body still dripping from the long shower, she took a step forward as drops of water from her body seeped into the carpet where she walked barefoot. Lauren's eyes panicked. She backed to the table where her now turned on laptop was, kncking over the picture of her and Bo. The brunette stopped.
"I won't hurt you Lo." she said gently. Not wanting the blonde to panic completely and run out. "Please, let's just talk."
"Why are you here?" Lauren heard her own voice break. She looked at Bo, slowly assessing her from head to toe. She paused halfway, and shook her head to clear it.
"Sorry I um.. needed a place to sleep for the night. The clubhouse had been compromised and this is the safest place I could ever think of going at the moment." Bo explained hurriedly.
She was ravishing her unconciously. The doctor was wearing a white fitted tank top, gray leather jacket, light blue jeans that hugged her legs tightly and dark gray boots to match. If things were different between them, she would've stripped this woman off her fancy clothes in an instant and have her way with her on that table. Bo could see the Lauren's aura from where she was standing, and it didn't help with her desires for the doctor right now. Her eyes started to show hints of glowing blue.
Lauren swallowed and nodded. "Of course." She avoided the succubus' gaze. She had to look down. Seeing her like that, body glistening with the drops of water, her hair dripping, and that towel that she could easily remove from the brunettes body. She could not bear it.
"You can use my clothes if you want." she said pointing to the closet.
Bo smiled and nodded and then awkwardly walked into the closet.
Lauren fidgeted as she waited for Bo to get dressed. Bo emerged from the closet wearing a black tank top that tightly hugged her body and covered little of her cleavage and a faux leather pants that she barely used. She was still barefoot. It made her all the more apetizing to Lauren. The blonde wondered which of her lingerie she wore. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. She has to think rationally and forget about the breathtaking brunette that stood before her.
"Can we talk? Over breakfast maybe?" Bo asked, hopeful.
"I don't think there's food left in the fridge." Lauren said. "I checked before going up."
"Oh." Bo was disappointed. At least this conversation had stayed civil. "Maybe we can buy breakfast outside? Please Lo, we really need to talk. We deserve that at least."
"I understand, Bo. But I can't be seen wandering outside." the blonde said.
"Right." Bo sighed. "Well let me make you coffee, then?"
She was frustrated. Why is she in a hurry to go? Am I that unimportant to her now?
Lauren saw the panic the flashed in Bo's eyes as she realized that Lauren did not want to stay.
"I guess I can stay a while."
"Alrighty!" Bo suddenly cheered up and bounded downstairs. Lauren followed suit. Just as Bo reached the bottom of the stairs, there was a knock on the door. The brunette opened it.
"Dyson!" she said. "You're early!"
She was hoping Dyson would come later in the day so she and Lauren could talk.
"We have a development on the case that I wanted to talk…" Just then Dyson took a whiff and tensed up. A low growl came deep in his throat as his eyes turned dark, teeth bared.
"Dyson, what is it?" Bo was startled and took a few steps back just as Lauren came to the door.
"Hey, Dyson." she smiled acknowledging him.
"Lauren?" Dyson's eyes showed confusion as he relaxed.
"I'll go make coffee for us, then you can tell me all about the development." Bo turned and walked toward the kitchen, oblivious.
Dyson waited until Bo was out of pulled Lauren outside the door and whispered in a hissing growl. "What in the hell did you do, Lauren?"
