Extra scene:

Okay, I said the epilogue would be the last but an idea about afterhours!Lauren hit me and won't let go so... here I am again. (Thanks to SGAConvert's 2nd to the last chapter.) More jealous!Bo, more Teresa (because I really like her and I think we need more of her) and more fluffy Doccubus flirting.

I think this turned out longer than any other chapters. So much for just an extra fluff. It even has serious stuff by the end. Doccubus defies pure fluff when I write them.

It is a nice way to end a good day, Bo thought, as she and Kenzi entered the pub. Sure, the Light fae are still in disarray and Dyson is still missing but she finished a relatively easy case today and actually got paid. She was also able to feed earlier from a bunch of drunken humans in a club and now Kenzi's suggestion of a nightcap at the Dal is more than welcome.

Trick greets them cheerfully and as he prepares their drinks, he asks about their day. Kenzi answers him, boasting of her "awesome skills", while staring intently at the glass he was slowly filling with beer. Bo only looks at her amusedly before she hears a familiar laughter.

It makes her turn around and she recognizes that back immediately. Lauren. Her heart picks up the pace and she starts feeling excited until she realizes that the doctor is not alone.

"...right Bo?" Kenzi asks, distracting her. "Tell Trick I totally kicked that guy's ass."

Bo blinks at her best friend and swallows. "Uh, yeah totally, Trick." She looks at the smiling barkeep and tries to elaborate. "Kenzi's a hero. Heroine. Whatever." Then she takes her own beer and drinks down roughly half of it in a gulp.

Kenzi and Trick are now looking at her weirdly but Trick only shakes his head and smiles before leaving them. The goth girl though, can't let it go that easily. "Geez Bo, way to sound enthusiastic. I only saved your life."

At that, Bo manages a small glare for her smart-aleck roommate. Kenzi only grins wider. "What? It's true. Without me, you're as helpless as a tiny baby bird. I have to mash up the worms and feed them to you."

Bo cracks at that and her glare is replaced by a soft snort and a wide smile. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Thin line between genius and crazy, I always say." Kenzi states. She takes a drink of her beer before looking around. "What caught your attention anyway?" She's barely finished asking her question when she saw the culprit. "Aha!" Kenzi crows, pointing at the doctor and the reaper at their own semi-secluded table.

Bo waits for Kenzi to say more but the goth girl only turns back around and noisily smacks her lips after taking a long pull from her drink. Impatient, Bo nudges her best friend. "Aha?"

Kenzi looks back at her and says, "Well what do you want me to say?"

Bo frowns at her and shrugs. "I don't know! Should I go over there?"

"Sure."

Kenzi grins at the frustrated look that the succubus is sporting but she relents and elaborates. "It's a free country Bo-Bo. You can say hi if you want. Just count me out. You know I don't like drama. Or death. Or doctors, for that matter. The only D's I like are dogs, dice and Dumbo." At her roommate's skeptical expression, Kenzi frowns and says, "Hey! That elephant was cute!"

"Okay, well, thank you for that advice Kenz, totally helpful." Bo knows she's snarking at the wrong tree but the irritation and, damn it, jealousy she's feeling since she saw Teresa with Lauren is making her restless.

"Hey!" Kenzi protests, looking irritated now. "Don't you use that tone on me, mister!" She pushes Bo and says, "Now go get your girl already. And quit making that frowny face. Don't you know that you get more flies with honey than vinegar? I read that in a fortune cookie once. But in your case, it's more like your milkshake attracting wayward doctors to your yard." With another push, she gets Bo to start walking towards Lauren's table.

"Don't worry about me! I'll find my way home!" Kenzi adds to Bo's retreating back.

xxx

Bo hears another laugh spill forth from Lauren and her jaw aches from all the tension of trying not to scream. She has to slow down to make herself relax before she talks to them.

She approaches from Lauren's back so Teresa is the first to note her presence, smiling in recognition. "Bo, well met."

Bo is about to reply the same when Lauren turns to look at her. She instantly notes the doctor's flushed cheeks and the slightly glazed look in her eyes. After-hours-Lauren. A brief burst of delight fills her for a moment before she remembers just who is sharing after-hours-Lauren's company.

"Hey guys," Bo says, only waving at Teresa's direction when she gets distracted by Lauren's wide and happy smile at seeing her.

"Bo! Hey! What're you doing here?" Lauren asks excitedly.

Bo smiles at her enthusiasm and notices that Teresa is doing the same. The reaper waves a hand at one of the vacant chairs and Bo accepts the invitation to take a seat. She looks back at Lauren and explains about her day and how she and Kenzi had ended up there for a nightcap.

"How about you guys?" Bo asks, trying to sound casual. She's sure that she has failed from the knowing glance Teresa shot her. Still, the reaper only answers her question. "I had to drag this one out of the lab to take a break."

Bo nods at that, knowing how Lauren gets so caught up in her work that she forgets to take a breather for herself. She is about to tease the doctor about her work habits when she registers the look that Teresa has thrown in Lauren's way, and the subdued expression on the doctor's face.

"What is it?" Bo asks, confused at the change in the atmosphere. She reaches out for Lauren's hands unconsciously, wanting to offer comfort to the suddenly sad-looking doctor.

"It's the Ash Bo..." Lauren explains, glancing quickly at Teresa before looking Bo in the eye again. "You remember what Reese is, right?"

"Yeah, she's a reaper...oh," Bo frowns as it finally dawns on her. She scoots closer to Lauren, squeezing her hands tighter. "I'm so sorry, Lauren."

Lauren only nods while Teresa pushes forward a shot glass filled with liquor towards her. "Drink some more." Teresa turns to Bo, "I was supposed to leave weeks ago but something has kept me here. I only realized it yesterday that it was the Ash himself."

Bo reluctantly lets go of Lauren's one hand to allow her to down the shot. She watches the graceful line of the doctor's neck as she tilts her head back to swallow before turning back to the reaper. "So this whole fiasco was probably some kind of an all-you-can-eat buffet for you, huh?"

Lauren immediately pulls away. "Bo! Don't be rude!"

Bo shrinks from the doctor's stern glare, embarrassed and infuriated at her lack of control. She is about to apologize when Teresa speaks up and the reaper's tone makes her pay full attention to the words.

"She is still young Lauren, and we must give her some slack," Teresa says, patting Lauren's arm gently. She leaves her hand on top of the doctor's arm though, and Bo is keenly aware of that gesture even as she continues to listen to Teresa.

The reaper continues, "...but I do take exception to that all-you-can-eat remark. For humans, does it not suggest a certain allowance to be unnecessarily greedy and stuff themselves to breaking point just to get their money's worth?" She raises an eyebrow at Bo and her next words are so cold, that the succubus has to fight not to visibly shiver. "Certainly, this tragedy has been an unexpected feast for me but I do not rejoice in it and I am not a stupid beast that could only fall ravenously upon their food. I only take what I need, nothing more or less. If you continue to imply otherwise, I will be forced to take measures Bo."

Teresa's eyes are pits of utter darkness and Bo understands then why reapers are highly feared. She has seen flesh eaters, pixies, wisps and more but it is only now that she understands what inhuman looks like. She feels frozen in her seat and jumps at the touch on her hand.

It is Lauren, reaching out for her. The doctor's touch grounds Bo back to the present and allows her to take a deep breath. She bravely looks at Teresa in the eye and musters a soft, "I'm sorry."

In the blink of an eye, the black, black eyes disappear to their normal "human" look and the reaper graciously nods at Bo. Then Teresa fills Lauren's shot glass and pushes it to her.

Bo accepts the drink gratefully and downs it quickly, grimacing slightly at the taste of tequila. She turns to see that Lauren is smiling again at her and she returns that smile gladly. Lauren is still touching her arm but she flips her hand to entwine their fingers together. Lauren's smile only grows wider.

"This is not supposed to be a pity party though." Teresa says, after she asks for another shot glass from a passing server. "I brought Lauren here for some fun."

Bo remembers her earlier jealousy but feels comforted by Lauren's hand in hers. "I saw you two laughing earlier. I didn't mean to be a downer..."

"You're not a downer Bo!" Lauren protests immediately, squeezing her hand. "We were just reminiscing a little." She shoots Teresa a look which Bo classifies as naughty. The tension in her stomach is suddenly back with a vengeance.

Teresa returns the naughty look and Bo hastily fills her new shot glass with tequila and gulps down the drink. Her burning throat is not enough distraction and she struggles mightily against the conflicting urges of either growling at Teresa or grabbing Lauren and running away.

Because Lauren is not hers. Not officially anyway. They've spoken on the phone a couple of times since their "talk" but it had been stilted and awkward, both fearing to push for more. So Bo can't just kiss Lauren right now in front of Teresa, no matter how much she wants to. Right? Right.

"Oh?" Bo asks again in that casual-but-not-really voice and fidgets with her shot glass. "What about?"

Bo is more than surprised to see Teresa smile genuinely at her. She doesn't like the reaper, finding her cold and condescending (and also because of her history with Lauren), but that smile tells her that the reaper probably doesn't feel the same with her.

"Hmm, well how about a certain doctor who mistakes a medication for a certain clan in France, resulting in turning their skin color to blue." Teresa grins wildly at that and Bo watches with her own reluctant half-grin when Lauren lunges across the table to try and smother the reaper's words with her free hand.

"Reese!" Lauren yelps, embarrassed. She takes a quick glance at Bo, sees her grinning and attempts to explain. "I didn't poison them or anything. It was the right medication. It just needed some tweaking." She turns back to the still grinning reaper and glares. "How was I supposed to know that they would react like that?"

Teresa takes Lauren's hand off her mouth and cradles it on her own. Bo feels her grin slipping again and she has to fight another violent urge to throw something at Teresa's face.

Her companions don't notice her struggle because they are too busy giggling over something that Bo has missed over her dark thoughts. Bo only relaxes again when Lauren pulls free from Teresa and downs another shot.

"Well, what about that time a certain reaper reassured me that she would be the designated driver and then turned out had no idea how to operate a car and almost crashed us?"

Teresa didn't look as embarrassed as Lauren was but there was a hint of fondness in her face anyway, as she gazed at the doctor. "I never needed to drive so I didn't see the need to learn," she shrugged as she explained to Bo. "I saw humans driving and I thought it would be easy."

It continued that way for a while, Bo listening to their stories and getting a little more upset by how much they obviously care for the one another. She only stays because Lauren doesn't let go of her hand and she can't make herself drop it to escape.

Lauren only lets go, reluctantly Bo thinks, when she stands to go to the bathroom. The silence she leaves in her wake is instantly awkward. Bo is uncertain what to do and stays silent. Teresa looks at her for a moment before sighing. "Do you know why I came here in the first place?"

Confused by the tone, Bo turns to look at the reaper. "You were visiting Lauren," she answers readily.

Teresa nods and says, "Yes, but I wasn't supposed to come for a couple more months. I came because of you." Bo is beyond confused now but Teresa doesn't really give her time to react, heading straight to another question that throws her.

"Do you know how Lauren and I met?"

Bo's fists tighten instinctively as the reminder of Lauren's near death affects her once again (never mind that it was so long ago, and she didn't even have an idea that Lauren existed). The reaper must see the answer in her face because she only nods. "She was broken before I met her, with the loss of her mate. And Lauren had never really shaken that loss away. Hidden it perhaps, but it was always there to colour her every action."

Teresa pauses to play with her shot glass a little. "I saw her by accident at this fae gathering one day, about a year after I ... well, 'rescued' her, I suppose." She looks up to Bo. "She caught my interest immediately. A very intelligent human that had seemingly adapted so quickly to the fae and been trusted with our histories and our health. I lingered long enough to know that she was also a great lover..."

Bo is surprised to feel the table edge bite fiercely at her palm and knows that her eyes are also bleeding sapphire right now. Teresa only waves a negligent hand away at her reaction and continues. "I thought that would be the end of it, but I met her again and the same attraction and curiosity was still there, and continued to linger. At some point over that year I even seriously contemplated buying her from the Ash..."

This time Bo cannot help the harsh growl from escaping her lips. Her body is tense like a coiled spring, ready to jump on the aggravating reaper across the table. Teresa frowns at her as if to say Will you please stop interrupting me every two seconds? and turns back to her tale, dismissing her again. "I said I contemplated it, I didn't actually do it. And I wouldn't have gone with it in the end because my lifestyle does not really lend itself to keeping a full time pet."

Bo finds herself growling again and really, if she was thinking more clearly she'd be more impressed with her decent impersonation of Dyson's growl. But she's still tensely in place, unwillingly listen to the fae in front of her belittle Lauren.

"Years pass and Lauren only digs deeper under my skin," Teresa says, now looking quite bemused. She went back to playing with her shot glass. "I don't know how she did it but I found myself liking her and treating her as an equal. I grew fond of her. Imagine the strangeness of that, me caring for a human." Teresa looks so earnestly bewildered about it that Bo can only blink as she begins to calm down again.

"Anyway, we began to meet regularly then, maybe three or four times a year; and we kept in touch by phone or email. We don't gab about the minute details of our day to day lives, no. We aren't that kind of friends but Lauren became a comfort to me and I became hers." Teresa finally lets go of her shot glass, positioning it near the centre of the table and looks her in the eye again. "One day she calls me to talk about this new fae that the Ash has discovered. A baby succubus that refused to align itself. Even through the phone lines, I could sense how excited she was. That was such a surprise because after all, as a rule, Lauren reserved her excitement for her science. But there she was, talking about you."

Another short pause.

"About a couple of months after, she's back to her usual self and she doesn't mention you at all. I eventually got that whole Mesmer thing out of her and I suspect by now you two have talked about it?"

Bo nods reluctantly.

Teresa continues. "Then that's fine. I want to talk about you, anyway. Like I said, I came because of you. I wanted to see you and meet the person that has caught my Lauren's eye so thoroughly."

Now Bo can't help but fidget under the reaper's scrutiny. Suddenly that gaze seemed heavier than it was a second ago.

"I've seen you look at me," Teresa says, smiling that maddening mysterious smile of hers. "...and I've seen the way you look at her. And I know that you care for her a lot. That's very good..." Bo startles badly when she sees a big-ass scythe materialize in Teresa's right hand but before she can move to try and escape or something, the reaper is suddenly looming over the table, her other hand is on Bo's shoulder, forcing her to sit still.

Bo's eyes can't decide where to rest: the deadly scythe or the wide creepy grin that has bloomed on Teresa's face. She's forced to stare at Teresa's eyes when the reaper leans closer and whispers, "...because my little one deserves only the best for the rest of her short life and I intend to see that she gets it. Do you understand?"

Bo swallows heavily and bravely tries to return the reaper's gaze. She is really frightened right now, but she tries her hardest not to appear too intimidated. Teresa must see something in her gaze because she straightens up and the scythe disappears like smoke. She's smiling at Bo now and squeezing her shoulder in what feels like acceptance. "You're a good person Bo. Take care of her."

The reaper turns just in time to see Lauren coming towards them. The doctor still looks buzzed-happy and only smiles at them both. "Sorry about that. There was a long line in the bathroom."

Bo can still feel her heart pounding somewhere in the vicinity of her throat so she only smiles and nods. Teresa however, grabs her jacket draped on the back of her chair and hugs Lauren. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." She exchanges a last solemn look with Lauren before turning to Bo, who has also stood up. "Bo," Teresa murmurs, hugging her as well. "Well met."

"Well met." Bo manages to say. Finally the reaper leaves and she is alone with Lauren, who she realizes is looking at her intently. "What is it?" Bo asks curiously.

Lauren offers her a shy smile. "Reese hugged you. She must've liked you a lot because she doesn't do that."

"Oh."

xxx

Lauren only grins after that and grabs her hand, pulling her to the darts area. And then Bo watches incredulously as Lauren drunkenly weaves next to her (she thinks Lauren is dancing to the beat of the background music in the bar, only in a slightly off-tempo way) and nails the bulls-eye with all three darts.

"What the...? How...?" Bo asks, confounded. Lauren chuckles as her dumbfounded expression and slithers closer, pressing their bodies together. She is still weaving to her beat and the slight rubbing between their bodies distracts Bo immediately.

"It's a hidden talent. I get to be a master dart player whenever I'm drunk," Lauren explains. "My theory is that, the alcohol manages to suppress my brain's higher functions allowing me to relax and not stress about force, angle and distance measurements. My body instinctively..." At this, the doctor gives a little shimmy that has Bo stifling a tortured groan. "...compensates and allows me to hit the target with a 95% accuracy," Lauren finishes.

She doesn't go back to gather her darts and instead raises her arms to rest them on Bo's shoulders. They are really dancing now (Lauren still following her off-beat way) and Bo savours their closeness. At last, after an unexpectedly trying night, she has the doctor for herself. Bo takes a deep breath, unashamedly smelling Lauren's scent (a confusing mixture of alcohol, sweat and cinnamon)and letting it relax her further.

They slow dance, keeping their bodies touching together and a comfortable silence falls for a moment.

Bo breaks it when she finally gathers enough courage to ask. "So... you and Reese? I mean, I didn't mean that the way it sounded!" Bo backtracks immediately. "I just meant, you said you were friends but I didn't realize that she was like your best friend. Like me and Kenz."

Lauren lifts her head from its resting place on Bo's shoulder and gazes at the slightly flustered succubus. She is drunk and warm and felt comfortable in Bo's arms right now. She had been miserable earlier, knowing that the Ash was going to die soon and Reese had managed to cheer her up a bit, but Bo's presence completely pushed her dark mood away. Now, she can see that the succubus was nervous and it baffles her.

"Is that so strange?" Lauren asks, pulling away a little.

"No, not at all." Bo is quick to argue, not wanting to make it seem like Lauren does not deserve a fae friend. "Just... I didn't realize. I was surprised."

"Oh." Lauren looks like she doesn't know what to say but she catches a fleeting expression on Bo's face and her drunken mind manages to connect the dots. "Oh Bo. I told you she's just my friend. There's no need to be jealous."

Bo blushes madly and tenses up against Lauren. She doesn't move away though, but Lauren has tightened her grip around Bo's neck just in case. "I'm not... jealous. Don't be stupid," Bo argues weakly, not looking Lauren in the eye.

Lauren squeezes Bo in fond hug and lightly kisses her right cheek. "You are so possessive," Lauren teases and at Bo's shy smirk, she adds, "and all of this for little old me. Maybe we need to check your eyes tomorrow but for now, let me just say that you really know how to make a woman feel wanted. Thank you."

Bo has pulled away completely from Lauren's embrace before the doctor could register the movement. Now, instead of the embarrassed, shy looks that Bo has been throwing her way, the succubus looks slightly offended and puzzled. "What do you mean check my eyes? What's wrong with you?"

Lauren laughs at that. Bo colours up and tries again. "I meant why wouldn't I be possessive about you? You're...," Bo falters for a second, her mind crowding with compliments she wanted to offer this woman in front of her.

Before she can say any of it, Lauren cuts in with a languid shrug. "Because I'm only human? And the Ash's dog at that..." She wanders away back to their table and Bo quickly follows her, more than irritated now. "Lauren! Don't say that!"

Lauren found her shot glass and re-filled it with tequila, downing her shot with a groan of appreciation. She turns back to Bo, still smiling that drunken lazy smile so negligently. "Why not? It's the truth, isn't it?"

Bo grabs her hand angrily but her voice is still even. She doesn't want to lose her temper (and God what does this woman do to her emotions? Even a rollercoaster comparison seems too tame right now). "I didn't realize afterhours Lauren could be so cynical."

Lauren playfully tugs back her arm, although she doesn't make a real effort to pull away. "Afterhours Lauren is fun because she doesn't let her brain do the talking, Bo. She lets go of her control and lets herself have some fun."

"This is fun? Putting yourself down?" Bo asks, furrowing her eyebrows in frustration.

Lauren draws nearer and looks at her with too much sympathy in her eyes, even with their drunken glaze. "No... alright fine," the doctor sighs, "I'm sorry about that, okay? I was just playing around. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just flattered that you could feel that strongly for me."

Bo gathers Lauren to a hug and squeezes her tightly for a long moment. When she moves away, she makes sure to keep her arms locked around the doctor's back to keep her in place. "I wish you could see the way I see you. You're beautiful and intelligent..."

Lauren's eyes glow with mischief and Bo already knows what the doctor is thinking, so she hurriedly presses a finger to Lauren's lips and stop her from interrupting. "And yes, everyone already knows that you're a brilliant doctor, but that's not all that I was referring to. You matter more than your intelligence, okay?" Bo says softly.

She sees Lauren's eyes cloud with confusion at her words so she continues, "I know you've thought of yourself as a tool for the longest time and you've measured your worth in your accomplishments with the fae, but I was talking about you as a person. Lauren, you are a wonderful, amazing person even without the smart thing going for you. You're an awesome friend and a caring person. You have a goodness inside of you...," Bo touches Lauren's chest in emphasis. "and it's so amazing that even with all that you've been through, you've never lost that. You're so strong, Lauren. And I am so lucky to have you in my life."

Bo watches the seemingly stunned Lauren process her words. She meant everything she said but the longer the doctor stays silent, the more she thinks that she has said something funny or overly mushy. (Damn, where was Kenzi anyway? She's supposed to keep Bo from doing that.)

Finally Bo registers that Lauren is giving her a hug and she hugs back just as warmly. "Bo," Lauren starts, " thank you." Lauren looks her in the eye. "I... I think over the years, I found it easier to hide behind my titles as doctor or the human ward of the Ash, rather than face life again... without Nadia." The doctor closes her eyes briefly as if in pain and Bo can't help but caress her cheek in comfort.

Lauren goes on. "You changed that when you became a part of my life but sometimes the way you look at me...no, the way you can see me... it's very scary Bo and I can't help but hide once more. You're the only one that has the power to break me again and it's so hard not to shy away from these feelings ..." She takes a deep breath and says, "But I don't want to be afraid anymore. I like that you're possessive of me and I'm never going to make fun of that again."

Lauren unexpectedly grins at her. "Although you can't deny that it is somewhat funny. You're the succubus. I'm supposed to be the one jealous of all the thralls you leave in your wake. And Dyson. " A weird silence falls between them and Bo looks awkward. But Lauren just shrugs and says, "It's fine, Bo. I'm good right now. We'll probably have to discuss that again sometime but for now I'm good, okay?" She starts to drag Bo back to the darts area. "How about you just show me your game? You should be getting enough practice with your throwing knives."

Bo grins at that and steals a quick kiss from Lauren's lips. "You're on."

As she watches Lauren gathering the darts, Bo suddenly remembers Teresa's threat earlier to treat Lauren right. It sends a cold, unpleasant shiver down her back but it wasn't the threat itself that galvanizes her thoughts. It is the sense of rightness she can feel. She will do her best to be good to Lauren (Bo can't outright promise not to hurt her because she has enough self awareness to know that she screws up a lot of the time.) because the doctor deserved it so much. That Lauren was allowing her to try was a big honour and one she will not waste.

END