Chapter Four

Bo was back at the Light Fae clinic in the early afternoon, deciding to sit with Trick while she waited for Lauren. If she was lucky, her grandfather might even wake up while she was there and she would be able to get some answers from him.

Her relationship with Trick had been almost nonexistent in the last ten years and that was something she was beginning to regret. They had their differences, and those differences at times seemed monumental, but he was her only family. She never knew her father and her mother had left was she was only a toddler. Trick really was all she had.

She would be lying if she had she never missed home while she was away. Bo had gotten mixed up with a less than desirable group when she first landed in Europe and had almost flown back after six months. That would feel like admitting defeat, however, and that wasn't an option. Instead, she worked her way out of the group and continued on her own.

When she walked into the room, she was surprised to find Lauren there, taking his vitals. "Well, I wasn't expecting to see you until later."

Lauren turned around and offered a smile, but it was a tired one. Bo wondered if she had slept at all since their night together. "Your grandfather has been slowing some positive signs this morning. I think he'll wake up any time now."

Bo smiled. "That's great news, Lauren. Maybe I can get some answers about what happened."

"I'm sure he'll have to be interviewed by Dyson once he regains consciousness."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll get right on that," Bo said sarcastically, remembering her conversation with the detective earlier in the day. "His partner told Kenzi they were being put on another high priority case."

Lauren didn't respond to the comment, though to Bo it looked like she might want to. Instead, she looked at her watch. "I have to complete some notes and then I'll be ready to go. Shouldn't be more than a couple hours."

"I'll be right here."

They exchanged smiles before Lauren walked out of the room. Bo watched her go, fully admiring the view, before she walked over to Trick's bedside and sat down. She looked at the man, noticing that he did indeed look better than he had the day before.

Coming back to where she grew up and reuniting with her best friend had made her realize how much she missed Trick and his advice. Much of her life right now was in flux and sometimes her grandfather had a way of wording things that made the inevitable decision make sense. It was something she needed when it came to how to deal with the Ash and with Lauren.

Of course, wanting his advice wasn't always something she desired. When she was a teenager, that was the last thing she wanted. She thought Trick was too stuck in the past and that there were more important things than staying and embracing the path in front of her. Then there was the fact that Trick didn't want to take a stand on how the Fae treated humans. To Bo, they were equals and shouldn't seen as labor or a food source.

All Trick told her during their arguments was that change takes time and forcing the issue would cause more harm than good. That answer wasn't something Bo accepted and when she realized that the role Trick wanted for her with the Light Fae would involve treating humans poorly, she knew she couldn't stay. She hadn't even tried to fight the issue. She only left at first opportunity.

There was a part of her that thought it might have been better for her to stay. She could have pushed the issue and fought for what she believed in. It wouldn't have been easy though and at eighteen, she was all about taking the easy path. Being around other Fae colonies that didn't treat humans like dirt helped her mature into the person she was today, but maybe staying could have prevented the Ash from doing what he had to Lauren.

Bo noticed that Trick began to move on the move and her eyes lit up. It felt like whoever had tried to kill her grandfather failed and that felt incredible. "Trick?"

He groaned and opened his eyes, looking around the room before they settled on Bo. "Ysabeau?" he whispered out hoarsely, letting out a little cough at the end.

"Don't talk yet. Let me get you some water." Bo noticed a small pitcher of water and a cup at the end of the bed and poured a small amount into the cup. She helped him take a few sips before setting the cup down. "Better?"

He nodded. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

"You're at the Light Fae clinic. You were poisoned and you've been unconscious for days." Bo paused, thinking of the call she received. "I got a call that you might be dying."

"I see," he said quietly and Bo could tell he was trying to piece everything together. "Do you know if I'm going to die?"

"No, Trick, you're not going to die," Bo said, smiling. "Your doctor is a genius and she was able to figure out how to get the poison out of your blood." She reached out and placed a hand on his. "She said you should make a full recovery. What do you remember?"

He looked away for a few seconds before making eye contact again. "The last thing I remember was being at the Dal and looking over some papers. Then I felt a little dizzy and fell when I tried to steady myself. After that, nothing."

Bo nodded. "Your assistant found you and got you here. Why do you need him anyway? From what I heard, he doesn't care about what goes on at the Dal."

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "That's a long story, Ysabeau."

"Well, it will be awhile until Lauren gets back so we've got some time," Bo responded, leaning forward as she sat next to him. "I want to find out who did this to you so they'll pay for it."

"It's not that simple," Trick said, opening his eyes again. "Nothing is with the Fae."

"Well, that needs to change." Bo looked to the door, almost hoping Lauren would walk through it so she could ask some questions, too. "Even if I'm the only one trying to find out what happened, I'm going to and I don't care what side they're on. They made a big mistake when they tried to kill you."

"I see you haven't lost your protective streak."

Bo let a small smirk show. "I don't think that's something that's every going away."

Someone walked into the room and Bo knew it was Lauren without even having to look up. She had a very distinct smell that had Bo smiling before she even turned her head. She kept a hand on Trick as she looked at the doctor. "He's awake."

Lauren smiled. "I see that." She walked over to the bed and stood beside it, making eye contact with Bo on the other side before focusing on Trick. "You gave everyone quite a scare, Trick."

He smiled tiredly. "Hello, Dr. Lewis. I didn't realize you were the doctor my granddaughter was referring to earlier."

"Yes, I've been monitoring you since you arrived and found an antidote to the poison you ingested. You had a dangerous amount of mycorr in your system."

"What's that?" Bo asked immediately.

"It's a poison that attacks your blood," Trick said before Lauren could answer. Bo could tell that the news was something he was taking seriously. "You managed to get it out of my system? I've had someone try to poison me with that before. I almost died and it was only a few drops."

"Times have changed since then," Lauren said, smiling kindly. "The antidote essentially cleaned your blood as moved through your body. The side effect is that it will leave you fairly exhausted for a couple more days. I'd like to keep you here until at least tomorrow so that we can monitor your vitals. After that, I won't see any problem with releasing you."

"That's great, Lauren."

"Well, I'll let you two catch up," Lauren said, giving the pair a nod before walking toward the door. Bo left Trick's side and walked quickly to meet her at the door, wanting to make sure they were still on for later.

"Hey, are you still working? We're still on for tonight, right?"

Lauren lowered her gaze to the ground. "I figured now that Trick was awake you would want to stay with him."

"He's not going anywhere," Bo said quietly. "He needs to rest anyway and that means I can take you to dinner." She grinned and did her best to ignore Trick watching them. "Come on, I know you need a night off. We won't leave the Light's territory, I promise."

Raising her head to meet Bo's eyes, Lauren nodded. "Okay, give me a few minutes and I'll meet you out front."

"Perfect." Bo let her leave the room before walking back to Trick's bedside. She knew him well enough to know exactly what he was thinking. "I know you have something to say."

"That's dangerous, Ysabeau," he said calmly. "Not only is Dr. Lewis a human, but she also belongs to the Light."

"Lauren doesn't 'belong' to anyone," Bo said the moment Trick finished speaking. "She is her own person and the Ash forced her into servitude."

Trick opened his mouth to say something but stopped and let out a slow breath. "Now is not the time for a discussion in Fae politics. Just be careful. If I know you, you've already had words with the Ash about what happened to me. Don't give him a reason to go after you."

"I can take care of myself and protect the people I care about." Bo wanted to argue further but could see he was tired and she didn't want to make Lauren wait. "And I don't want Lauren to be punished. We won't leave Light Fae territory tonight and I'll stay off the Ash's radar for now. But I won't drop how humans are treated here."

"I have no doubt about that."

Bo gave him a smile. "Get some rest and I'll be back tomorrow."

With that said, she walked out of the room to meet Lauren.

"Is this okay?" Bo asked as she pulled her car into the entrance of the hotel. "I wanted to take you someplace nice but then I realized that you were probably tired. Then I thought maybe relaxing and ordering room service would be better for you."

"This is fine, Bo," Lauren answered from the passenger seat. "You're right. I am a little tired."

"Well, the hotel has great food."

"It should. It's one of the best in the city."

Bo nodded. "I'm pretty good at what I do in Europe so I have the money to stay somewhere nice, for a little while anyway. I didn't exactly have anyone to stay with when I came back, though I bet Kenzi would let me stay with her if I need to."

Lauren didn't say anything else and they were silent as they got out of the car and Bo handed over the key to the valet. Bo led the way as they walked through the lobby and to the elevator, making their way to the room. She made the point to ignore everyone else, not wanting to make conversation with anyone who worked there. She had noticed that a couple of the staff were both Fae and nosy, a combination she didn't need tonight.

"Wow, this is nice," Lauren commented when they walked into the room. "What is it that you do?"

"I'm a consultant of sorts," Bo answered, walking to the small table where she'd left the room service menu. "I know a lot of Succubi are escorts but that never appealed to me. So I find missing people, recover property, that kind of thing."

"And it's all legal right?" Lauren playfully smirked with her question, letting Bo know that there was nothing too serious about the question.

"It's borderline, but I don't purposely break any laws."

"I see." Lauren smiled as she walked over to Bo, taking the menu out of her hand. "So, what do you recommend?"

"Oh, everything's good, I'm sure. Pick whatever and I'll call in the order." Bo watched as Lauren looked over the menu carefully, seemingly weighing the options of each choice. She thought she looked so adorable. "What do you think?"

"I think I'll have the salmon," Lauren answered, handing the menu back.

"Good choice," Bo said, turning away from her to pick up the hotel's form. She quickly placed their order along with a bottle of wine and the lemon tart for dessert. "Should be ready in about 30."

Lauren sat down in one of the chairs at the table and Bo did the same. "I know you have things you want to ask me, Bo."

"Of course, I do," she agreed. "Lauren, did you sign anything? I mean, is there a way for you to leave the Light Fae. Have they ever hurt you?"

"These are all the questions you wanted to ask me the first night but thought the conversation would be too awkward, especially since you just met me, right?" She didn't wait for Bo to answer before continuing. "No, I didn't sign a legal document as it were but I did have to pledge my life to the Light. I was told it was mostly ceremonial and for my own protection."

"It sounds like the Ash did a lot for 'your protection'," Bo commented. "Has he ever hurt you or had you hurt?"

There was only silence for a minute and Bo began to ask again when Lauren started speaking. "When I first started, I was scared and excited. I tried to see it as an opportunity no one in my field was doing and I went with it. I studied about the Fae first though and not of some of their ways."

"What happened?"

"I spoke out of turn when I was treating an Elder. I didn't realize I was only to speak to the person next to him and when I wouldn't do it, he got angry. I was thrown in the dungeon for four days so I could learn some manners."

"Lauren, I'm so sorry." Bo reached out to grab Lauren's hand but she moved them to her lap.

"I learned fast after that," she continued. "I didn't want to go back to the dungeon or the face another punishment that would cause me to scream like I heard through the walls. In time, they've also realized what an asset I am. Now if I make a misstep, I'm either locked in my quarters or I'm told to stay working at the clinic. I like to think I have some value where they wouldn't physically hurt me."

For a moment, Bo wasn't sure what to say. She had never had to worry about speaking to the wrong person or messing up some random Fae tradition. Hell, because of her family she got away with things other Fae probably wouldn't. "I want to help."

Lauren let out an exhausted sigh. "Bo, we've been through this. You can't help."

"I don't think that's true. There's always a way with the Fae."

A quiet chuckle escaped Lauren. "I never expected you to rhyme."

"Well, I want to help and I don't think I'll be able to take no for an answer," Bo said, smiling. "I know I haven't known you for very long but I want to get to know you better. And I don't want the Ash or anyone else to decide that for us."

She could tell Lauren wanted to say more but they were interrupted by a knock on the door, announcing the arrival of their food. Bo stood and answered the door, letting the attendant bring the food in and set it down on the table, then giving him a tip and sending him on his way. When she sat back down, Lauren was looking at her food with interest.

"Does everything look alright? Cause I can get them to come right back," Bo said, slightly concerned that this semi-date would be ruined because of the food.

"No, it looks wonderful," Lauren said, looking up from the food. "I was just thinking about the last time I had someone try to wine and dine me." She let out a chuckle. "It's been awhile."

Bo smiled, deciding that she could use the response to her advantage. "Well, then it is my luck to have the opportunity to wine and dine the gorgeous Dr. Lewis." Her smile widened to a grin as she saw Lauren blushing. "Luck I'll definitely take advantage of."

It looked as though Lauren was trying to think of something to say, but instead took a bite of the salmon and smiled, closing her eyes as if to concentrate on the flavor. Bo watched her before taking a bite on her own. She decided to let the doctor lead the conversation at the moment. There were still no many things she wanted to ask, but she realized that Lauren was tired and probably not in the mood for an in-depth conversation on Fae politics.

"This is so good, Bo," Lauren said after a few bites. "I don't think I've had anything quite like it."

"I'm happy you like it. How is the wine?"

She took a sip and took a moment, as if to savor the flavor. "It really complements the salmon." Her eyes seemed to twinkle and Bo's heart skipped a beat. "Solid A game tonight."

Bo laughed. "I am a Succubus."

"Funny, but dinner is not what I think about when I consider what a Succubus's A game would be centered around," Lauren commented. "It's not something I've read about."

"Ah, so you've read about me," Bo said, leaning forward slightly. "Please, enlighten me with what you've discovered about my kind."

The blush on Lauren's face was bright even though Bo could tell she was trying hard not to. "Well, you can control people with your touch. Get them to do anything you want, really. If you wanted to, you could have used it on me."

"But I didn't," Bo said immediately, "and I won't. Not ever. I didn't even feed when we were together."

Lauren leaned forward, looking intrigued by Bo's comment. "Why was that? I'm sure you can control how much chi you take from a human. You could have fed and not killed me."

Bo took ate a little while she thought about the best way to respond. She wanted to be honest, but she also didn't want to scare Lauren off. The connection she was feelings was too strong for her to lose right now. "I can still feed without taking chi when I have sex. It's just not as strong. I didn't take any with you because it was different."

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't about me and what I needed," Bo answered. "That night was about you. I wanted to give you an intimate moment and taking chi would have . . . cheapened it in a way."

"Oh." Lauren looked down at her food. "So this is pity."

"No, it's not." Bo reached out and covered Lauren's hand with her own. "I don't pity you, Lauren. I think you might be the strongest person I ever met and I feel so much when I'm around you. It's strange. I've never felt like this before and I didn't think I ever would. It's not in a Succubus's nature to fall for someone."

The expression on Lauren's face was one that Bo could only describe at shock. "You have feelings for me?"

Bo shrugged. "Yeah, and that's new for me."

Lauren put her fork down, food now forgotten. "Bo, it took some time, but I've had to come to terms with my life with the Fae. I belong to the Ash and the Light. You can't change that."

"But I think I have to try. I know you don't think anything can happen, but I want to find a way. Now that Trick is awake and on the road to a full recovery, he can remind me of the ins and outs of Fae law here."

"What do you mean, 'remind you'?" Lauren asked.

"Because of my powers and who my grandfather is, Trick had me all set to become the Ash's head of security once I was fully trained." Bo paused and smiled. "But then I would have had to have chosen the Light and I didn't want to choose a side at all. It was one of the reasons I left."

"How did you get away with being unaligned? I thought choosing a side was mandatory for all Fae."

"It's mandatory here, but not everywhere," Bo answered. "Tell you what: let's finish the food and then we can relax and I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Lauren smiled. "Deal."

After dinner, Bo moved them to the bed, where they relaxed against the pillows and watched some movie they found on one of the channels. It played in the background as Bo talked to Lauren about not choosing either side.

"So I left because Trick was afraid that either the Ash or the Morrigan would come after me if I was unaligned in either territory. I think he might have been a little embarrassed, too. Here was this powerful Light Fae Elder, the Blood King, and he couldn't even get his granddaughter to follow the rules."

Lauren nodded, looking as relaxed as Bo had ever seen her, not be mention beautiful. "Where does your friend Kenzi fit into all this?"

"Well, it's common for Fae to go to human schools and I was no different. I knew what I was, but I was taught from the time I can remember that I was never to talk about it, so I never did. I acted like I was an everyday, normal human kid so I had human friends." Bo smiled. "Kenz and I met when we were maybe seven or eight. Her home life sucked, something she never fully talked to me about, but she was funny and loyal and just fun to be around. Leaving her behind really sucked. I'm glad I found her again."

"But you told her about the Fae."

Bo nodded. "I felt I had to and I had to claim her. Besides, she was always so resourceful in high school and that kind of talent doesn't go away. She pretty much lived on the streets when she was a teenager. Because of the Fae, I couldn't help."

"And now you can make up for lost time."

"Yeah," Bo said, smiling. "So, what else do you want to know?"

Lauren looked away for a moment, as if she was debating what she should ask, before looking at Bo with a determined stare. "I'd like to see your powers. I've never seen what a Succubus can do."

"Oh, I think you've seen what a Succubus can do," Bo said, smirking.

"You know what I mean," Lauren said, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Come on, show me."

Bo turned her body completely toward Lauren and reached out. "Give me your hand."

Lauren sat up a little and smiled as she held out her hand for Bo, who gently held it between her two hands. She thought for a second that she really shouldn't be doing this, but she knew how to control what she was doing so it wasn't as though Lauren would ever be in any danger. She let out a breath as she sent a pulse through her hands and into Lauren, watching to see what the effect would be on her. The doctor jumped the moment she felt it, but it didn't look as though she had any discomfort.

"Did you feel it?"

She nodded. "Yeah . . . it's calming and there's something in my brain that's telling me I should do what you want."

Bo smiled. "I didn't use much power so you shouldn't feel that compelled. It took some training, but I can use as little or as much as I want. It's come in handy over the years."

Before she realized what was happening, Lauren leaned in, closing the distance between them as she pressed her lips against Bo's. There was no way Bo could to anything but give into the kiss, especially since it was something she'd been wanting to do for a while. At the same time, she gently pushed back so Lauren was resting on her back and she was hovering over her.

As they kissed, Bo felt Lauren's hands move to her back, encouraging her to rest more of her body on her. The move caused something in her brain to trigger, remember something that she had promised herself earlier, and she broke away from Lauren. She took a breath to settle herself and the urge to take Lauren now coursing through her veins.

"What's wrong?" Lauren whispered, looking confused as her eyes met Bo's.

Bo placed a hand against Lauren's cheek, caressing it slightly so the doctor wouldn't assume the worst. "Lauren, you've been awake for two days. I think you might need some sleep and I don't want you to think that I brought you here just to have sex."

"Didn't you?"

There was a part of Bo that wanted to take offense to that but when she could see that there was no malice in the question. "As odd as it might sound coming from a Succubus, no. I really just wanted to see you away from the Light and their compound and this is the other option. The only other place I have is the Dal and that's weird."

A smile appeared as Lauren moved a hand from Bo's back to her head. "Why would that be weird?"

"Because if we ended up doing anything there, it would be having sex in my grandfather's bed. Weird with a side of gross."

Lauren chuckled and Bo smiled at how carefree she looked. "Yes, that wouldn't be ideal." She paused and while she did, Bo left as though she was looking into her soul. "If you're worried about the pulse you gave me, don't. I want this."

The look in her eyes told Bo not to argue with her so all she did in response was pull Lauren to sit up with her. They undressed each other again but it was different this time. Instead of Bo taking the lead, Lauren was the one directing the action. She quickly got Bo topless and was quick to place kisses over her chest, hands roaming over her stomach and breasts. It was all Bo could do to keep her concentration and get Lauren's bra off, her hands feeling something else.

"Lauren," she said to get her attention.

Lauren moved away and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but stopped as she noticed that Bo held the Ash's symbol in her hand. She let it drop but moved her hands to the clasp, carefully taking it off Lauren. Looking at the necklace in her hand, she wished she could simply throw it away.

She looked back into Lauren's eyes. "When you're with me, he's not. Nobody owns you."

The necklace was tossed on the nightstand and they kissed again, this time with more passion. Bo wanted to take charge, everything in her was screaming for it, but she ignored it and let Lauren push her onto her back. She found that the doctor had amazing hands and they moved with purpose as they roamed her body.

Bo moaned out her name as Lauren's mouth closed over a nipple, lightly sucking while her fingers were on the other. She didn't stay there for long, even though Bo could tell the other woman definitely liked her ample chest, and was soon moving lower. Her hands moved to Bo's pants, unfastening them and pulling them down. She moved off the bed completely to taken them off, along with her underwear, and then took off the rest of her clothes. Bo grinned at the sight, thinking how it had been a long time since she'd seen anyone that beautiful.

"Lauren, come here."

Lauren complied, crawling back up her body until her face was just inches from Bo's. Wrapping her arms around her, Bo pressed their bodies together and almost immediately felt Lauren move against her. They kept kissing passionately as they moved together, slow at first but then increasing the pace. Bo couldn't stop the moans from coming out of her every time Lauren's thigh pressed into her and she made sure Lauren felt the same.

Lauren's lips moved to her neck and Bo knew she was close. She thought about saying something, wanting Lauren to know and wanting her to say the same, but she cried out before that happened, coming hard against her thigh. A few more well-placed thrusts and Lauren did the same, crying out into the room as Bo held her tight.

For a few minutes, neither said anything. Bo allowed Lauren to move off to her side but kept her arms around her, wanting to keep her close. Once again, the urge to cuddle during the afterglow was strong and Bo wasn't about to resist it.

"Bo?"

Bo kissed the top of her head. "What is it?"

"I'm scared of what the Ash will do to me. If I try to leave."

"I'll protect you with my life, Lauren. He'll have to go through me if he tries to hurt you."

"What if that's not enough?"

That was something Bo didn't have the answer to and she only continued to hold Lauren, feeling her relax as she drifted off to sleep.

A/N: sorry this one took so long! My only excuse is that it's summer and sometimes I'm outside instead of writing. Please let me know what you think! I'm really going to try to get a new chapter of Moving Forward next. Until next time! Twitter: hayley128 :)