Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al.
Words couldn't describe how breathtaking Lauren looked in her wedding dress. Bo had seen her in it a number of times already for fittings and things, but seeing her in it while she waited for the music to play so that she could walk down the aisle was a magnificent sight to see. In true Lauren fashion the dress was simple and it fit perfectly considering the mishap that had happened a few days ago. The dress was made of white chiffon and had a v-neckline. There was white beading on the straps that held it up and there was some beading on the torso of it as well. The embroidered parts of the dress shimmered in the sunlight that filtered through the trees and only added to how stunning Lauren looked. When Lauren began to walk down the aisle Bo's breath caught in her throat. She became mesmerized by the woman as she walked down the white cloth that made up the aisle with her dad. Bo imagined that Lauren was walking towards her several times already but the ever present ache that was in her heart reminded her that that wasn't the case and she had to fight to keep the smile on her face. Lauren flashed her a quick smile then she took her place next to Amy.
It was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding. The venue that Amy and Lauren had chosen was in a section of the public gardens that was in the park that was located in the middle of the city. The area that the wedding was being held at was part of the tree sanctuary so there was a lot shade but some sunlight managed to get through the dense leaves. The setting made it feel as though they were getting married in some enchanted forest. The whole thing was amazing and Bo couldn't think of a more ideal setting for Lauren to get married in. Bo was desperately trying to keep her gaze from staying on Lauren but it was a hard thing for her to do since the woman was so beautiful. Lauren's blonde hair had been curled and was cascading down her exposed back. The happy smile that was on her face matched the joyful twinkle that was in her eyes and there was nothing but adoration for the woman that was in front of her in them. Bo bit the inside of her lip and looked away. It was going to take a miracle for her to make it through the ceremony without crying. But she knew that once everything that was said and done she was going to give into the anguish that she had been burying and mourn the loss of the woman that she loved more than life itself.
"Marriage is not just a union between two people who have found a profound love for each other. It is also a partnership. A partnership that tells everyone, friends, family, and others; that you have chosen this person to share your life with and that you accept and love them for who they are." The justice of the peace said as he smiled at the two women standing in front of him. "Love is something that cements a relationship together but without the bricks of respect and loving a person for who they are it can cause gaps within the foundation that is needed to have a successful marriage."
Bo drew a slow, deep breath in through her nose. She wanted to bolt from the place. There was no way she could stand there and listen to the man go on about love and celebrating it when the love of her life was marrying another woman. She blew out the breath that she had drawn in and focused back on the man. "Amy and Lauren have decided to embark on a journey that will give them not only tremendous joy but also take them through events that will challenge the both of them," Bo wanted to roll her eyes. She and Lauren wouldn't have challenges if they had been together. Sure the two of them bickered a lot but at the end of it all she would love Lauren regardless. There was no way Amy was ready to face the difficult challenges that would come. She had only been with Lauren a little over three years and she had yet to see the worst of her.
"Yet if they lean on each other in those trying times and share their thoughts and feelings with one another then their foundation will only fortify itself," the man said with a hopeful smile on his face. Bo found herself growing more agitated the longer the man droned on. None of this was right. She was the one Lauren told everything to. Amy wouldn't be able to handle those aspects that made Lauren, Lauren because she hadn't seen them yet. She had only experienced the good. Bo was Lauren's foundation and Lauren was hers. No, none of this was right.
Bo focused on the justice of the peace's mouth as he spoke then she glanced at Amy and Lauren. The longer she stared the tighter the tension in her chest became. This wasn't right. It should have been her and Lauren and nothing else. The universe didn't put Lauren in Bo's life for her to get married to someone else. She was put there to show her happiness, love, support, and everything else that made her life fulfilling. Bo gave a slight shake of her head and murmured, "No, this isn't right." The tightness in her chest grew to an excruciating point and Bo started to think that she was going to have a heart attack but that's not what was causing the tightness. Bo took several glances out at those looking at the happy couple that was in front of them. Everything about this was wrong.
"Now the two brides would like to exchange vows that they have written for each other," the justice of peace said before he gestured to Lauren. The decision to find out who would say their vows first had been decided with a coin toss which had been flipped by Bo. How had she let it come to this point?
Lauren opened her mouth to say her vows but then she looked back at Bo with a confused look. Bo's heart was pounding in her chest. Had she said something? It was hard for her to tell with all the blood rushing in her ears. "Bo?"
Bo took a deep breath then she was able to hear the words that she had already spoken. "I love you." The air grew tense but Bo felt an overwhelming sense of relief come over her and as she stood there staring at Lauren she found the courage and strength to share with her, her true feelings. "I love you, Lauren. And I don't mean in some small you're my best friend way. I'm talking take a bullet for you, stand outside your room window with a fricking radio over my head, kind of love you." A torrential outpouring of words began to fall from her mouth. "I have been in love with you since we were sixteen and staring at the stars in the middle of the baseball field. But I couldn't bear the thought of losing you after having lost my parents so I buried it. I buried it so far and so deep that I wished to every deity that I could think of that it would go away. But it didn't. The longer I repressed it the more in love with you I got."
"I thought if I found someone who I could love half as much as I did you then I would be fine. I would have something that resembled love and I would have my best friend. I would have everything except what I really wanted but that was fine. I was willing to accept that and it worked for a little while and then Ryan came along and he saw right through me the night you met Amy." Bo shook her head as tears began to fill her eyes. "I didn't expect you to fall in love with her and I for damn sure didn't expect this, but I was willing to do it because not only do I love you but you are my best friend. But Lauren this isn't right and I should have told you a long time ago but I was a coward. I'm even a coward now, doing this on what should be the happiest day of your life but I couldn't do it. Not when I know that you can everything you want and more with me."
The tension in the air was so thick that Bo felt it closing in on her. Lauren stood there in a wide-eyed silence. As the seconds ticked by the reality of what she had done slammed into Bo and this time she didn't ignore her desire to flee. She dropped the small bouquet of flowers that was holding and fled from the wedding. As she rushed down the aisle tears blurred her vision and it wasn't until she was walking out of the entrance for the tree sanctuary did she allow them to fall. She felt relief because Lauren now knew the truth but at the same time she felt miserable. Because not only had she embarrassed her best friend on her wedding day, Bo also knew that Lauren would never talk to her again. She headed for the main entrance of the park then hailed a cab so that she could go get her car from Lauren and Amy's apartment building. As the cab made its way down the street Bo stared up at the roof of the car. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought about the love and best friend that she had just lost.
Two Weeks Later….
Bo was working from home again. She had been doing it for the last two weeks. Word of her infamous display of verbal diarrhea was still too fresh and she knew that Amy still had friends with her company. Bo was emailing one of the members of her team about a client that they were having trouble closing a contract for so she was going to take over the client and get the deal closed by the end of week. She leaned back in her office chair and looked up at the ceiling then her eyes landed on the picture of her and Lauren on the beach and she felt her heart break for the millionth time within two weeks. Lauren hadn't called her. Lauren hadn't come to see her. Lauren had cut Bo out of her life. Bo felt a prickling sensation in the corner of her eyes then the tears formed of them. The very thing that she had been afraid of had occurred and now she wasn't sure of anything anymore.
Bo wiped away an errant tear that had fallen then let her hand dangle over the arm of her chair. A cold, wet nose nudged her hand and she rolled her head so that she could look into the dark, questioning eyes that were looking at her. She smirked a little then scratched the top of the dog's head. "I'm okay Oscar. I just miss her."
Getting a dog had been a spur of the moment thing for her but between the drinking and self-loathing thoughts she was certain she was going to head down a path that she hadn't been down in a long time and the puppy prevented that. Oscar put his front paw on her leg and she chuckled a little then moved so that the four month old lab could jump up on her lab. She scratched him behind his ears and asked, "You wanna go play outside? Let's go play outside." Oscar yelped then jumped off her lab before he bolted from her office. Bo chuckled as she rushed after him. He was by the back door in the living room dancing around waiting for her to let him out. The two of them went outside and played and playing with Oscar kept the melancholy thoughts from her mind.
An hour later she and Oscar were walking up the steps of the back deck when the door bell rang. When Oscar didn't go running inside the house Bo laughed then said, "We need to work on your stamina buddy. You're useless as a guard dog if you get worn out after an hour of playing."
They walked through the back door and Oscar walked over to the couch then jumped on it. Bo watched him find his comfy spot before he plopped down. She shook her head. She had only had him for a week and he was already a spoiled puppy. The door bell rang again and Bo rolled her eyes as she went to go answer it. It was probably her neighbor checking to see if she was all right. Bo had gotten to know her neighbor that lived down the road since she wasn't in the city so much these days. The woman was nice but she always wanted to pair her up with her son. She chuckled as she unlocked the deadbolt. Bo opened the door and said, "Carol-" She stopped short when she saw who it was. "Lauren."
"I've gone through it all over and over again," Lauren said as she pushed past Bo to get into the house. "And the only thing I can come up with is that you're a complete moron. I wouldn't have stopped being your friend because you love me-" Bo went to go say something but Lauren held up her hand and said, "Shut up. I'm talking right now. You let all that out and I didn't get a chance to say anything so I get to talk. We have been best friends since we were fourteen and we have been through so much together and I wouldn't have thrown away the relationship that we had Bo. You're my best friend. I mean I held you when your grandfather passed away six years ago, I was there for you through every bad relationship, and I was there for everything that you went through. Whether I knew it or not I was always there for you and I made sure that I was available to you." Lauren began to pace and as she headed for the living room she stopped then she looked back at Bo. "You got a dog?" Bo nodded. The other woman shook her head, "He's already spoiled. I'll have to fix that when I move in."
Bo's eyebrows furrowed. She was certain that she hadn't heard correctly. "What?"
Lauren walked over to her and when she was close enough she said, "I said that I'm going to have to correct whatever you done to spoil the dog when I move in."
Okay, so she had heard correctly. "Move in?"
Lauren shook her head then she took hold of Bo's face and before Bo could register what was going on Lauren's lips were on hers. Bo tensed up at the contact then she melted into the kiss as her brain realized that she was getting the one thing that she had always dreamed of. Bo wrapped her arms around Lauren's waist and deepened the kiss. It lasted for several moments then Bo broke it and pressed her forehead to Lauren's. She had her eyes shut tight. If this was a dream she didn't want to wake up from it but at the same time she had to know. "What are you saying? What does this mean?"
Lauren placed her hand on the sides of her head then lifted it so that she could look into Bo's eyes. She grinned and said, "It means, you moron, that I'm in love with you too."
A huge smile broke out on Bo's face then she kissed Lauren again. She had so many questions and she wanted to know if Lauren actually wanted to move in with but for right now Bo was content to do the one thing that she had been longing to do since she was sixteen, kissing the woman that she loved.
Epilogue is next...