CHAPTER 5

Kenzi sighed as she waited for the microwave to do its thing and finish heating up their dinner. She took a moment to look at the four year old blonde sitting at her table and she shook her head in sadness as she realized how much this child was missing by not really knowing her parents. As unfair as it was it was how things would be though and she hoped that one day after the little girl grew up to be a woman that she would find a way to forgive her for all the secrets and lies she would endure throughout the upcoming years.

After that day at the clubhouse Kenzi did as she promised and got herself and the child far far away from all of the chaos and destruction. She never heard from Bo or Lauren again as expected and she spent countless days wondering what happened to them and if they were okay or...no, she couldn't go there. The only reason she knew what was what was from a few late night visits from Tamsin. The Valkyrie was always in full battle mode however and her instructions to Kenzi were clear and not to be argued with. Keep the child safe and keep her hidden.

So, Kenzi did what was needed. She moved them around from place to place until she felt she'd found a safehaven for them to reside in. The little town she'd stumbled across one day was the perfect hiding place for them and she decided to put roots down here and give the child at least a hope of a normal upbringing. Between tractor races and farmers markets it was literally the most nondescript place on the planet and Kenzi was sure even if there were Fae around that they didn't know who she or the child were. The town had a removed from society feeling just like Kenzi wanted and it had been their home since she found it.

DING

"Okay munchkin, dinner time."

Kenzi took the hot plate out of the microwave and set it down in front of the young blonde who looked at it with a toothy smile. "Fish sticks!"

Kenzi laughed and nodded as she cut up a few pieces for the child and put them on a paper plate. "Yeah, it's not exactly gourmet dining but the box said it had all of the necessary vitamins and stuff so eat up kid."

The blonde smiled happily and munched away on the previously frozen food as Kenzi shook her head with a small smile. If ignorance was bliss then this child was in for one hell of a ride. But there was one thing Keniz knew for sure. Fae, human, whatever, it didn't matter. There was nothing this kid couldn't handle. Just like her parents. She was going to be okay.

xxx

The sound of metal clanking echoed throughout the room as the blonde entered the visiting area. She took a seat at the little glass booth across from the prisoner who has not only a look of shock but also curiosity. She picked up the little phone sitting on her left and waited for the blonde to do the same.

"Well well, look what the cat dragged in."

The blonde smirked slightly as she leaned back in the seat. "Evony. I see prison hasn't changed you much."

Evony laughed and waved her hand nonchalantly. "You know me, nothing a girl can't handle. But I hear a lot has changed with you. Tell me Valkyrie, how's that little agency of yours holding up?"

Tamsin laughed and looked at Evony incredulously. "Oh you mean the little agency that has kept your ass behind bars for the last fifty or so years?"

Evony shrugged and gave her a bored look. "Sweetie...if you think I'm being held here against my will you must have knocked that pretty little head of yours. I must say the accommodations could use some upgrading but all in all it's the perfect retreat from the shit storm going on out there."

Tamsin laughed. "The shit storm you created you mean?"

Evony gave her a somewhat proud smile as she nodded. "Who doesn't like a little chaos in this world? Besides, what harm did it really do?"

Tamsin's face contorted in anger as she glared at the former Morrigan through the glass. "What harm did it do? I don't know what you remember Evony but almost bringing the end to both the Fae and the humans is more than just a little chaos."

Evony laughed and gave her a curious look. "Look at you being all pro-human all of a sudden. What happened to you Tamsin? Since when does the strong proud Valkyrie care about the pathetic humans?"

Tamsin sat back in her chair angrily. "It's more than pro or anti human Evony. Your actions could have ended this world as we know it."

Evony shrugged. "Well with the Succubus out of the way what does it really matter? No one else is going to come swooping in to save the day Tamsin. So get over your shit. This is how the world is, how it was meant to be. Get used to it or get out of the way."

Tamsin gave Evony a smug look as she stood slowly. Stretching out to her full height she looked down at the prisoner mockingly. "That's right Evony, this is how the world is. But you got one thing wrong. The Succubus as you call her has been out of the way yes, but is she gone? That's the question."

Tamsin hung up the phone and turned to walk out of the visitor area. She had given Evony just enough to think about and now she just had to sit back and see what her next move would be. Evony was unpredictable and Tamsin needed to find out just how much Evony knew about everything.

xxx

"Kenzi?"

The blonde teenager walked into the living room holding a notebook she'd found in one of the boxes that they'd never gotten around to unpacking...for the last decade or so. Kenzi sat up and looked at her curiously as she took the ear plug out of her ear. Since hitting the teenage years Kenzi had been much more relaxed with her parenting style and basically treated the blonde as an adult. Which is funny because in actuality the blonde was probably light years ahead of Kenzi on book smarts. But, like her mother, what she had in book smarts she lacked in street smarts...or so it seemed.

"I don't know. Let's see…" She took the notebook and opened it immediately recognizing Bo's handwriting. Kenzi almost gasped at the reminder of the live she previously had. Her reaction caught the attention of the blonde however and the teenager smirked as she snatched it away to look at it herself. Kenzi sat there slack jawed trying to wrack her brain to try and explain what was going on as she watched the pages turn quickly knowing the words contained on them were being memorized almost instantaneously.

"What is a...Succubus?"

Kenzi gave her a blank stare as she tried to think of something. "Wh-what?"

The blonde pointed at one of the pages. "Succubus. What is it?"

Kenzi laughed nervously as she took the notebook back and sat on it. "Something you'll learn about when you get older young lady."

The blonde put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Hey, I wasn't done looking at that."

Kenzi shrugged. "When you get older you will get to see. For now, this isn't for the kiddies."

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Kiddies? Come on Kenzi...what is that?"

Kenzi looked around and tried to think of something before she finally sighed loudly. "Okay okay. If you must know. Once upon a time a long, long time ago, I tried to write some fictional stuff. Turns out I sucked at it."

The blonde looked skeptical. "That's not your handwriting."

Kenzi growled slightly. "I said it was a long time ago."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Okay okay. So you wrote about this...Succubus?"

Kenzi shrugged not knowing how to continue on with this ridiculous conversation. "Yeah."

The blonde looked thoughtful for a second before shrugging and turning to walk away. She smiled over her shoulder and laughed. "Well if that's the case then you need some grammar help mama."

Kenzi growled and threw a pillow at her retreating form. "Yeah yeah laugh it up kid. And i told you NOT to call me that!"

Laughter could be heard down the short hallway as the blonde made her way back to her room to finish her homework. She wasn't sure what the big secrecy was about the notebook but she decided to let Kenzi have this win. For now. She walked into her room and shut the door behind her as she settled back down at her computer to keep working on her book report.

She spent an hour or so breezing through her assignments before curiosity got the better of her. Looking around suspiciously, even though she was alone, she smiled as she opened a new browser window on her computer. She pulled up a Google search page and sighed as she held her fingers over the keyboard for a second. Not knowing why she felt a need to find out more she typed a phrase that would begin her lifelong search: Succubus.

xxx

RING RING

"Yes?"

"She's here director."

"Send her in."

Tamsin leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling for some much needed help. She wasn't sure if it was time to push the panic button but she had a feeling if she waited any longer things would end badly for all parties involved. The sound of the door opening snapped her back to the moment and she let the cold stare settle onto her face as the blonde moved into the large office. She motioned for her to sit as she leaned forward in her large desk chair before deciding to stand and make her way around the desk. She leaned on the edge as she crossed her arms and looked down at the blonde with a neutral stare.

"Dr. Dennis. Thank you for coming so late."

The blonde nodded not knowing why she had been summoned to the Director's office. After not having ever seen the Director in her whole career at the agency the fact that she'd now been called to an in person meeting was making her concerned. She nodded and looked up at the tall blonde woman patiently. "Not a problem Director. What can I do for you?"

The Valkryie sighed as she uncrossed her arms and braced them on the edge of the desk. She kept her eyes down and spoke in a low, quiet voice. "Nothing you hear can leave this room. What I'm about to tell you will anger you and raise questions that I don't know if I can or am prepared to answer. But it MUST remain confidential. Understood?"

The doctor nodded slowly. "Understood."

Tamsin exhaled and finally looked at the doctor with sad eyes. "I don't know where to begin but probably the easiest and most shit storm way is by answering your question from long ago."

The doctor looked confused. "My question?"

Tamsin nodded. "When you first started working here you went to Cade with a file on a Fae disease you couldn't identify. You wanted to know why you couldn't find any literature on it. Ringing a bell?"

The doctor inhaled deeply as she nodded. She wasn't sure where all this was leading but she knew all of her work, her research, the countless hours she spent trying to solve the mystery that had plagued her every day of her life...it would all become clear. She nodded silently as Tamsin stood up and walked back around her desk. She took a seat and hit a few buttons on her computer causing a screen to drop down next to them. "The disease impacted a clan of Fae in the Amazon where a human doctor, Lauren Lewis, found a cure at the request of the Light Ash at the time. Well, forced to find a cure really, but anyway she found the cure and in the process became property of the Light. Years later she met Bo Dennis...Succubus and the one that according to the Elders was to come and unite the Light and Dark."

The doctor watched the images flash on the screen causing her to gasp out loud. The images were identical to the ones she'd seen all those years ago on the disk that was sent to her when she started at the agency. She looked up at Tamsin with a frown on her face as she tried to control her anger. "Who are these people?"

Tamsin sighed as she hit another button and the screen retracted into the ceiling. She folder her hands and looked at the blonde sympathetically. "Bo and Lauren became friends then more causing an uprising within the Fae when it was discovered a Fae and human were...shall we say involved. Because you see, Bo was supposed to rule all the Fae. And people didn't want her and her bastard human companion unifying the Fae and the human race forever. That was her thing. Human and Fae living in harmony. Anyway, through some cooky science and some help from certain Fae who shall remain nameless they had a child. But it was at a cost...the leaders on both sides put a bounty on their heads and ignited what was the most violent war the planet has ever seen. Countless Fae and humans were killed as the violence didn't stop until they were dead."

The blonde could feel her natural calmness and level headedness dissipating quickly as she gripped the arm of the chair she was sitting in. "Who. Are. They?"

Tamsin looked straight ahead, almost as if remembering a dream, as she finished her story. "Once pronounced dead the violence stopped and the two sides were able to live in harmony once again. Just like it was supposed to. The plan worked. The fighting was over and the Fae agreed to resolve their differences without a leader. It was enough to bring peace. The only thing she ever wanted."

The doctor felt some of her anger disappear as she looked up in confusion. "Plan? Who's plan? Who is she? And what happened to the child? Why are you telling me this?"

Tamsin finally looked over at the doctor and smiled sadly. "I know you have questions and we will answer them."

The doctor sighed exasperatedly. "We?"

Tamsin nodded and motioned behind the doctor. The door to her office opened and Tamsin had an uneasy look on her face as she took a deep breath. "Dr. Dennis, meet Bo Dennis and Lauren Lewis. Your parents."

The blonde doctor turned around in shock as the stood up slowly. These people...simply names that she'd spent every fiber of her being researching were now standing in front of her. In front of her. So she could talk to them. Ask them questions. Find out what the hell was going on. And, to top it all off they weren't just there...she found out they were her parents. She stood there silent for a second before doing the only thing she could do. After almost sixty years of trying to solve a mystery all of this was too much and she could feel herself blacking out as she hit the floor. Fainting wasn't the most graceful introduction she could have had but it was happening. Hopefully when she woke up this all wouldn't have been a dream and she could finally get the answers she was looking for.