Chapter Four

It didn't happen but every day, but when it did Bo thought all was right with the world: shower sex with Lauren.

Saturday mornings could be chaotic, sometimes even more so than a weekday where both of them had to get their daughter ready, and get themselves ready, quickly. But today that wasn't the case. They had woken up and fed Charlotte but she decided, finally, that sleep was more important than staying awake. That gave them some much needed quality time.

"She'll be okay, right?"

Bo only looked at her with a blank expression for a moment. "Babe, you're really worried about that while I'm starting to get undressed in front of you? I'm definitely losing my touch."

Lauren looked up at her as she sat on the toilet seat. "I always worry. She's a baby, Bo."

"And she's sleeping peacefully in her room. The front door is locked and bolted and we have the baby monitor in here so we'll know if there's anything wrong." She pulled Lauren up into a standing position so she could put her arms her. "So I think you should be thinking about what I'm going to do with you as soon as I take all of these pesky clothes off."

Bo didn't wait for Lauren to respond. She only leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips before moving away just enough so she could take off her shirt. That got a positive response from Lauren, who only began to undress as well. In the past, they probably would have undressed each other, really made a game of it, but dealing with a sleeping baby meant cutting down on some of the foreplay. Though Bo thoroughly enjoyed unwrapping Lauren's gorgeous body, sometimes sacrifices just had to be made.

One of the reasons they had chosen their apartment was that the bathroom was practically enormous and had all the modern features that Bo figured they would have if they ever bought a house. It had a separate bathtub and walk-in shower, along with separate areas for both Bo and Lauren each morning. They never had to worry about invading each other's space.

Lauren was naked before Bo and walked away to turn on the shower. That act alone almost caused Bo to rush things. Her love of Lauren's body knew no bounds and her eyes moved over it as she started the shower and began to test the temperature. She looked back at Bo and winked before stepping in.

Bo knew her eyes were completely blue now. There was something about seeing Lauren under the spray of the shower that got her turned on in the best way. She was instantly soaking and quickly joined her in the shower, successfully pinning her against the wall.

"Do you have any idea what seeing you like this does to me?" Bo asked before placing kisses on her neck then moving up to her ear. "Your body is perfect."

"Mmm, I wouldn't go that far."

"I would."

They shared a kiss before Bo began to work her way down in her body. She was incredibly thankful for the extra-large shower stall that allowed her to move freely over Lauren's body without having to worry about unexpectedly hitting the glass or the faucet. There was an incident like that once or twice at Lauren's old apartment, another reason they picked the apartment they had.

She kissed over her body, loving the sounds coming from her fiancé. Bo was trying to distract her from worrying too much about leaving their sleeping daughter and it sounded like it was working. While Bo also worried about Charlotte all the time, she knew that there were times she didn't need to. That didn't seem to translate to Lauren.

She was only able to get to her stomach, kissing gently over the toned muscles, before she felt Lauren pulling at her to stand again. Once she did, Lauren took her face in her hands before leaning in and giving her a slow kiss that made her weak at the knees. The way her tongue moved into her mouth was something Bo had never felt before. It was one of thousands of reasons that attracted Bo to the doctor.

That was one thing many Fae never understood and would likely never understand: her love of Lauren, a Human. She had been told countless times that she would be better off with her own kind, that she could feed properly and if she chose to be with just one Fae, their time together could be measured in centuries instead of decades. The heartbreak and painful mourning process that would result from Lauren's death could be avoided if she chose not to be with her.

Bo was brought out of her train of thought by Lauren softly caressing her face. She opened her eyes to look into Lauren's light brown ones and could see the concern there. It was then that she realized that her hands had stopped moving over her body.

"Honey, stop all of that."

"What?"

"You know exactly what I talking about." Lauren kissed her again, rubbing her nose playfully against Bo's before moving away. "We're happy. We have a little daughter together, a family, and we're going to get married. We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for."

"Sorry, sometimes my mind wanders."

"Make sure it wanders to good places." She moved them so they were under the spray of the shower a little more. "I love you so much."

Bo opened her mouth to say something, to return the words of love, but Lauren ran her hands over her breasts and soon one of her hands was between her legs. All Bo could do after that was let out quiet moans and hold on to her fiancé as she began to thrust into her. Lauren paid close attention to her neck as she did and that only made Bo's eyes roll up to the back of her head.

"Let go for me," Lauren whispered into her ear before kissing it. "I loving see it almost as much as I love you."

A couple more well-timed thrusts and Bo was done for, trying her best to muffle her cry. She knew that she could probably risk being a little louder but didn't want to take that chance and then wake up Charlotte in the process. Lauren began to kiss her a second later though so she didn't have to worry about volume, just about making her orgasm last.

After a couple minutes, they broke away from each other and Bo took the opportunity to move them and press Lauren against the shower wall once again. It was time for a little payback.

"You know, we could have taken Charlotte with us," Bo commented as she walked down a store aisle with Lauren. She pushed a cart as Lauren paid close attention to the shelves.

"We could have but that would ruin the surprise," Lauren said, not looking at Bo.

"Babe, she's not going to remember being here and watching us pick out her Christmas presents," Bo pointed out. "She's a baby. We can give her a toy she can bite on and she'd never notice anything we put in the cart."

Lauren finally looked back at Bo and there was a scowl on her face. "Would you want to deal with her when she starts to cry and won't stop? Or maybe when she starts getting red-faced and we look like the worst parents in the world. We'd be running the risk of not being able to get all of our shopping done and needing two trips. I'd like to get everything done in one."

Bo knew she had a point but she didn't want to admit it. "Charlotte is an angel in stores . . . most of the time."

That comment got Lauren to raise an eyebrow. "Unless I'm suffering from hallucinations, I believe I have a memory of a certain 'angel' screaming so loud at a grocery store two weeks ago that I thought bottles would break. I had to go back later in the day for the rest on our list."

"I have a vague recollection of this event," Bo admitted.

Lauren shook her head. "She's fine with Emma. We haven't used her as much in the last few days and I want to make sure we stay at the top of her list. I don't want some Fae couple stealing her out from under us because they want her there 100% of the time."

"Who thought we would be in danger of losing a good nanny because we want to spend time with our child?"

They shared a laugh and started looking closely at the toys in the aisle. Bo was thankful that everything in the store was categorized so someone like her, who had no idea what toys were and were not appropriate for a baby, wouldn't be able to screw up. Of course, she also had Lauren, who always seemed to have read up on everything they brought prior to Bo knowing it even existed.

"What do think of this one? It has a lot of objects for her to play with and explore, plus it's educational. We can teach her shapes and colors."

Bo raised an eyebrow. "Educational? Does she really need educational gifts when she has the world's smartest Mommy to teach her?" She looked over the toys in the aisle and picked up a stuffed hippo. "What about something like this? She can cuddle it and sleep with it. It's practically multi-purpose."

"She needs toys that simulate her mind, Bo. A lot of toys do both now but you have to able to know what the best ones are."

"As long as they don't pose a danger I think they're fine."

Lauren put the toy in the cart and took Bo's hand. "Honey, just look: Charlotte can push different buttons and they make sounds. It's so interactive."

Bo smiled, always happy to see a smile on Lauren's face. "I'm sure she'll love it, babe."

"We can get the stuffed hippo, too. She'll always need something to cuddle."

"We can't go too overboard though. If Charlotte gets too many toys we'll need to get a house," Bo joked.

She didn't get a laugh from Lauren though. Instead, her fiancé stopped looking at other toys and looked at Bo with wide eyes. It was the first time either of them had ever mentioned buying a house, even to simply joke. They had always been fine living in their nice apartment that was close to both the Dal and the Marquis Medical Clinic.

"House?"

"It was a joke, Lauren."

There was a moment of silence before Lauren started pushing the cart again and Bo began walking behind her, silently cursing under her breath. She knew that wasn't the right thing to say, especially since she knew Lauren well enough to know that she was debating the pros and cons of buying a house in her head at this very moment. That was something Bo learned about Lauren quickly once they moved in together. Every decision was a logical one.

"Come on, let's go to the DVD section," Lauren said suddenly after a couple minutes of silence. "We can get some Baby Einstein ones."

"Sure," was all Bo could say as she followed her.

"I am so stupid."

"You're not stupid."

Bo sat at a table with Dyson at the Dal going through a new case that she had gotten earlier in the day but she couldn't concentrate. All she could think about was the mistake she had made the day before with Lauren.

Even though they hadn't mentioned it after the toy store, Bo could tell Lauren was thinking it through. There was always a way Lauren did everything while she was having an internal debate that Bo was able to recognize now that they had lived together for a couple years. Unless it had something to do with Charlotte, she was slightly distracted in answering anything and she was a little distant from Bo, something she really didn't like.

"I planted a seed in her head, Dyson," Bo exclaimed. "She's starting to think over everything and that's never a good thing. Maybe she'll realize she's not happy."

Dyson started laughing at the comment. "That's ridiculous. The two of you have been a happy couple since you decided to make it completely official. She agreed to marry you just a few days ago. Lauren wouldn't do that if she wasn't happy. Plus, there's Charlotte."

"And she's the perfect mother," Bo said, a smile forming at how Lauren interacted with their daughter. "But she doesn't really need me for that either."

"Stop beating yourself up over all this," Dyson said before leaning in closer. "You protect both of them with your life and as much as I have always hated to admit it, you and Lauren are the perfect match for each other. She's definitely going to need you if Charlotte ends up being Fae."

That was a long shot and Bo knew it but decided not to go down that route. Children where one parent was Fae and the other Human always ended up as Human but Charlotte's conception was unlike any other pregnancy. It was one of the reasons Lauren was paying close attention to Charlotte's health outside of a regular mother's worries.

"Besides, have you ever thought that maybe she actually wants to buy a house?"

Bo snapped out of her train of thought at the question and looked at Dyson in disbelief. "Lauren's always said how much she likes where we live. It's close to the Dal and the clinic. It has enough place for the three of us and has everything Lauren and I wanted in an apartment."

"But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to get a house."

Oddly, that was something Bo hadn't even considered. She figured if Lauren had to change something in their lives she would simply say it. She had always been more direct than in what she wanted, especially once she was pregnant. The direct approach was the best way as far as she was concerned and that was part of the reason her response had Bo so confused.

"I guess you might be right."

Dyson laughed. "I love when you admit that."

"Well, don't let it go to your head." Bo smiled as she looked down at her drink. "I never even thought about getting a house before. I mean, the clubhouse was a house . . . barely. I don't think that would even count."

"Oh, it doesn't. I bet with Lauren's skills you would find a pretty nice house, one where there's plenty of around for Charlotte to run around outside."

That comment got Bo thinking. Even though Kenzi would probably tease her forever, she could be one of those suburban moms that attended barbeques and events at school. She wondered if they could find a house in a good neighborhood. She didn't think she'd ever actually lived in a good neighborhood before.

"I see I got you thinking about it."

Bo shook her head. "Yeah, but now's not the time for that. I need to find this missing Human. The pay is decent and actually real this time. Not like that last time where I got a favor. I don't like working for favors."

"On the up side, you never know what that will come in handy."

"Favors don't buy nice things for my daughter." Bo picked up the couple sheets of paper she had with the information on the missing teenager. The young man had run off to be a street artist and his parents wanted to track him down. "At least I can make sure the Barrett's have piece of mind that their kid's okay."

"Then you better start tracking down that kid." Dyson stood up. "I know Mark just started with the department and he's only been a cop for a few months but he could probably help you out if you need it. He has the access I don't anymore."

Bo stood up as well, knowing that she would need to be home in a few hours and wanted to see how far she could get on the case. "I'll keep that in mind. I better get out of here if I want to get a good start on this one."

"If you need any help, call me."

She drank the rest of her drink and smiled. "Thanks, Dyson."

Charlotte hadn't been a very good sleeper the last couple nights and that meant Bo and Lauren didn't get much either. Lauren had been concerned that she might be getting a cold so they had been keeping an extra-special eye on her. So far it hadn't been too much of an issue but since Lauren was a doctor she kept a close eye on if she had symptoms like a runny nose or fever.

It had been four days since Bo had mentioned a house to Lauren and they still hadn't had a serious talk about it. That was fine with Bo. She didn't know what was going through Lauren's mind and sometimes she thought that was a good thing. Her mind went a mile a minute and at times it was hard for Bo to keep up with her when she was deciding something.

After her talk with Dyson, Bo was coming around to what a house could mean for them and all the positives that came with it. She knew that Lauren was aware of Fae neighborhoods in all parts of the city so even finding one where they wouldn't have to explain any odd happenings that seemed to follow them everywhere wouldn't be hard. They could also check any Fae neighbors out in Lauren's database that she had formed from her work with both the Light and the Dark.

These had been overwhelming her mind as she took her turns in trying to comfort Charlotte as she refused to sleep and ran a slightly higher than normal temperature the previous night. She had tried rocking her in her room but when that didn't work so she walked out to the living room and laid down on the couch, letting Charlotte rest on her chest. She rubbed her back gently and closed her eyes as well, careful to not lose her hold on her daughter.

She heard the front door open and close and looked down at Charlotte to see the little girl was finally sleeping. The image made her smile and she wished she had her phone nearby so she took take a picture to add to the hundreds of other pictures already on her phone. Her daughter was just so cute and finally looked like she was feeling okay.

Bo turned her head as Lauren walked into the living room with a box in her hands. She set it down on the floor next to the couch and knelt next to Bo's head. "The two of you are so cute like this. I'm happy I took a picture before I left."

"I'm happy someone did. And I'm happy she's sleeping."

"Me, too. It's been a long couple of days."

"I guess she just likes using my chest as a pillow," Bo commented, winking at Lauren.

"Then that is something I have in common with our daughter," Lauren responded. She leaned in and kissed Bo on the lips before standing and gently feeling if Charlotte felt warm. "Do you think we should risk it and put her down in the crib?"

"I'm okay with her being here." Bo craned her head to see what Lauren had brought in. "What's in the box?"

"It's one of four . . . and there's a bag, too." Lauren opened it to reveal a wreath. "We don't have any decorations up yet."

Bo slowly sat up, careful not to move Charlotte from her chest as she did. The little girl squirmed a little at the action but she didn't wake up. She figured that it was because she had been up so much in the last two days that she had to have been exhausted. "Last year we put up a tiny tree, a couple stockings, and that was it. All this new stuff because of Charlotte?"

"Yes," Lauren said simply. "Last year we didn't have to think about a child but now we do. I just . . . I just want to have some good Christmas memories like the ones I had when I was little." She paused. "Did you have some when you were little?"

"Yeah, but that feels like another lifetime," Bo said quietly. "After I found out I was Fae, everything changed."

Lauren looked down at Charlotte then back at Bo. "Go put Charlotte down. I think she might actually sleep for a while."

Bo nodded and carefully walked back to their daughter's room and placed her in her crib. Lauren had been right. It really did look like the baby would sleep for a while and Bo knew that she also didn't feel warm anymore. Charlotte didn't even wake up when she set her down so that was only confirmation at how tired she was.

Walking back to the living room, she noticed that in her absence Lauren had brought two more boxes into the apartment and was taking a couple items out of it. She also noticed that the largest box had a picture of a tree on it. "We're going to put up a tree?"

"I thought we probably wouldn't have time to go and cut down our own. Not this year, anyway," Lauren said, pulling a stocking that had "Charlotte" stitched on it. "Maybe when Charlotte is a little older and can help us pick out a tree."

Bo walked over to the box and looked over the instructions. "Guess it doesn't look too hard to set up. Decorations and everything else we need are in the rest of the boxes?"

Lauren nodded. "I think we have everything we need and later I can start planning what to make when everyone comes over for Christmas Eve."

"You're really getting into this, aren't you?" Bo asked, smiling at the look on Lauren's face.

"I am," Lauren said. "I didn't always have the greatest memories of my childhood but there are a couple good Christmas ones. My brother and I would wait up for Santa on Christmas Eve, thinking that we could catch him eventually. We even put up traps one year but we didn't think it through and then spent the early morning hours of Christmas at the emergency room."

Bo laughed. "How?"

"Michael and I were both into science and putting things together so we modified a bear trap and set it up by the tree. We didn't think someone like Santa could ever be injured but we didn't think that our Dad would be putting presents under the tree." She paused and shook her head. "He got fourteen stitches in his leg."

"Was he mad?" Bo asked. She used her knife to open the box containing the tree and sat on the floor, keeping her attention on Lauren.

"Oh, yes," Lauren answered, letting a chuckle escape. "He yelled at us the entire time we were at the hospital and when he was getting stitches. It wasn't until the painkillers kicked in when we got home that he calmed down and we were able to open presents."

"I can honestly say I never did anything like that."

"What did you do?"

"For a couple years, I sang in the children's choir at church on Christmas Eve," Bo answered, thinking about some of the more pleasant memories she had with her parents. "My mom and dad would sit in the front row. They looked so proud and my mom always took pictures. When I was a little older we would go caroling with a couple other families then have hot apple cider before I would go to bed."

"No Santa?"

Bo shrugged. "Maybe for a couple years but not really. I never got my picture taken with Santa or anything. Not until this year, anyway."

Lauren smiled. "Guess you're having some firsts like Charlotte, too."

"I guess I am," Bo agreed, smiling. She stood up and started pulling out parts of the fake tree. "Come on, let's get this place looking like Christmas."

A/N: I really appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and follows for this one. I love reading every one of them! I'm trying to keep a good pace on this so I can get at least one chapter a week out. Please let me know what you thought of this one! Twitter: hayley128. :)