Hey everyone

Welcome back as we cruise along with yet another Arundel chap!

So...a lot of what makes up the story of the Heir of Arundel is recounting how and why Bo changed from this lovable teenager, to a much more jaded version of herself when she is older. What you guys have also been curious about -rightly so!- is the hows and the whys of Bo and Lauren splitting up, and to start giving you the answers to those questions, and also to flesh out this story, I need to stay in the Arundel of twelve years ago for a while... So, expect lots of drama, twists and turns, heartbreak, romance, friendships developing, people changing, growing up and a mystery at the very core of all of it.

Big changes are in the works, but this chap is rather light still on drama, heavy on adventure and a little steamy on the romance side of things.

Enjoy the read.

Replies to reviews as always at the bottom of your page.


The Heir of Arundel: Chapter 7

Twelve years ago

Arundel Castle

The practice courts

"Dys!" Bo shouted as she saw her brother emerge from one of the equipment tents around the practice courts.

"Hey sis." "Did you find Lauren?" "What was that all about?"

"Nothing, uhm she forgot to return a book to the library." "You know how she gets distressed about upsetting Master Anthony." Bo said quickly. Master Anthony was one of the Arundel's teachers and he also managed the Arundel library. He had taught both Dyson and Bo and when Lauren was around, he would teach her too.

"Oh, alright." Dyson said accepting his sister's explanation.

"Have you seen Tamsin?"

"Can't say that I have." Dyson replied.

Bo frowned. "How come?" "You guys are friends." "She wasn't at the dinner table yesterday and I didn't see her at breakfast either."

"I might have told her to stay away from you, and me."

"What?" "Why would you do that?" Bo asked surprised.

"She crossed a line, Bo." "The way she went after you in the arena, it was like she wanted to take your head off…"

Bo frowned at her brother. "Dyson, she was trying to win!" "Of course she wasn't going to hold back!" "I wouldn't want her to!"

"It was more than that, Bo." "It was personal."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly proud of the way I behaved towards her either...so, I have some making up to do."

Dyson tilted his head looking at his sister. "You're just like mom you know." "Always trying to fix things."

"And I can't fix this thing with Tamsin?"

Dyson exhaled. "Tamsin is one of the good guys, sis." "Truly, but she's got a rough past and sometimes she just lashes out because of it." Dyson paused. "I think I just talked myself out of being angry with her." He said good-naturedly.

Bo chuckled. "I'll tell her when I see her."

"She might be at the encampment in the outer courtyard." "If she is, expect her drunk."

Bo frowned. "Oh, okay."

The outer courtyard encampment

Tamsin groaned, and held her hand up to the sun. Today of all days, why did this morning have to be one with clear blue skies. The brightness of it all was too much. What time was it anyway, she wondered. Hmm… Tamsin burped, a rancid smell of morning breath mixed with alcohol emerging. It was a God awful smell, but a small smile formed on Tamsin's lips remembering the party from last night. Granted, she was a bit fuzzy on the details, but she had felt on top of the world. She'd sung, danced, laughed may have even made out…who was to say? Who cared? And had passed out with her two best friends of all times, Mr Beer and Mrs Wine! Though truth be told, she should have known better than to mix the two, but lessons learned and all that. Tamsin scrunched her nose. Morning afters sucked because at some point the realization always set in that you needed to get up and get going. True, it didn't filter in as quickly as on a regular morning, but the entire camp alive with excited pages running around checking armor, gathering their Lord's equipment, running to the kitchens for a quick breakfast, practicing on a make-shift arena with wooden swords was hard to ignore. Still, Tamsin had an unfathomable talent for sleeping, so when she leaned back and found that someone's shield made the perfect headrest, Tamsin slowly drifted back to unconsciousness. And ever so blissful it was.

"Aaah!" Tamsin screamed bolting upright. She was soaked to the bone, and standing over her, chuckling down at her was Bo Brat of Arundel holding an empty bucket. Tamsin's eyes blazed blue "What the hell!" she snarled.

"Morning." Bo said with a smirk on her face.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Fairy Princess." Tamsin said snarling. The blonde could feel the water dripping from her, her annoyance only growing seeing the amused smile on Bo's lips.

"You're lucky I made Dyson a promise, or I'd wipe that smirk right off of your face." She snapped.

"Sure, cause that worked out well for you last time." Bo replied.

"Ugh." Tamsin grunted. "What are you doing here, princess?"

"I wanted to apologize."

Tamsin laughed. It was the last thing she thought she'd hear coming out of Bo's mouth.

"For being an insufferable brat?" "The arrogant, little, self-righteous, judging, prejudiced, annoying child that you are?" Tamsin noticed gleefully how Bo's smirk disappeared from her face, she was getting a kick out of this. Nothing like rubbing salt in a wound, but again, Bo surprised her with her answer. Instead of stomping off furiously, the Obscura just answered.

"Yes, for that."

"Hand me that towel." Tamsin croaked, pointing at a spot behind Bo. Bo handed her the towel and Tamsin started drying her hair with it, she scrunched her nose as a horrible odor entered her nostrils. Tamsin smelled her armpits and almost passed out from the stench.

"You stink." Bo said.

"This apology of yours is starting off well." Tamsin rolled her eyes.

"Just making an observation." Bo said scrunching her nose "It's pungent." "You need a bath."

Tamsin stifled a chuckle. "Those diplomacy lessons sure weren't wasted on you, huh?"

"And you majored in sarcasm?"

Tamsin chose to ignore Bo, but she liked that Isabeau of Arundel wasn't the type to back off. The blonde sucked in a deep breath and coughed. "Dear lord,.." She said as her bodily odor filled her nostrils ".. I really do need a bath."

"I'll ask the maids to draw you one at the castle."

"Hmm." Tamsin grunted her consent. "Walk with me." She said getting up, you can make good on that long ass apology you owe me."

"I'll apologize for what I need to, but I'm not groveling." Bo stated as the two of them started walking towards the castle.

"Oh, you're apologizing!" "For your rude behavior and the fact that you just threw a bucket of water over me!"

"I'm not apologizing for the water." Bo countered. "As far as I'm concerned, I did you a favor by waking you up." "Your page gave me the bucket, told me it's the only way to get you to wake up when you've been drinking."

"Good lord, can no one be trusted?" Tamsin mumbled glaring in the general direction of her page, then turned her attention to Bo again. "I am dealing with the Mother of all hangovers here, start on that apology already!"

Bo grunted. "Look,..."

"No wait." Tamsin smiled as Bo rolled her eyes.

"Do you want me to start or do you want me to wait?" Bo asked aggravated.

"Let me just savor this moment." Tamsin said with a wide, smug grin as she stopped and looked expectantly at Bo.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Immensely so." Tamsin confirmed looking almost elated.

Bo grunted. "I wanted to apologize for what I said to you the first night we met." "I should have been welcoming you to the castle and the tournament, instead of jumping to conclusions and saying what I did." Bo was glad to get her apology out. She didn't know if it was going to make a difference in how the blonde Commander felt about her, but that didn't really matter she supposed. Bo was just happy that she'd been able to explain that she hadn't intended to hurt Tamsin. The thought that she had, had bothered her, and her mother and father had taught her better.

"And why did you react like a spoiled brat?"

"Because I thought you were flirting with me just to get a rise out of Dyson."

"Actually, I didn't know he was your brother, but Dyson's reaction was fun."

"He tends to freak out about my innocence." Bo rolled her eyes. "He wanted me to tell you he's not mad anymore, by the way."

"So I am back in the good graces of the goody-goody Arundel twins." Tamsin said sarcastically. "Yay me!" "Guess that means I can come to the Great Hall again tonight."

"Only if you want to, I hope you do." "I would really like to get to know one of my brother's best friends." Bo said.

"Well, I am partial to free booze." Tamsin hummed.

The qualifying race

A couple of hours later

Bo lay low on Nox, her entire body was tuned into the horse, streamlined for their flight together as the powerful animal underneath her sped through Arundel forest. This leg of the race was timed. No more than three riders at a time took off in their attempt to travel the twenty kilometers in a qualifying time. Lauren had taken off fifteen minutes before her in another group, and Bo had been partnered up with Tamsin and Brandon of Rochester. She had lost the pair some seven kilometers ago when the course had forced them to wade their horses through the river Arundel. Bo had waded Nox through it on many occasions, but her companions had found their horses far less willing, and the brunette had been able to take advantage.

Laying flat against Nox, the Obscura smiled;she loved the rush of going fast, taking risks, the adrenaline that surged through her blood, the wind that blew through her hair, and her muscles all in tune with the powerful beast under her. Bo was making excellent time, and was feeling comfortable and sure her time would be good enough to qualify, when all of a sudden Bo's senses went haywire, her eyes flashed white. The brunette didn't hesitate, reigned in Nox and came to an abrupt standstill. "Tamsin." she breathed as Bo tuned into her Fae powers. The young brunette turned Nox around and spurred him on, back in the opposite direction.

Now at full speed again, Bo's thoughts spiraling towards Tamsin, she rounded a corner of the track and saw Brandon of Rochester barreling down towards her. A wild look in his eyes, one that told Bo he wasn't stopping made the brunette's breath hitch. Bo yanked Nox' reigns hard and only nearly missed a head-on collision with the seemingly possessed rider. Bo cursed loudly as Nox bucked. She clenched her legs tightly around the mighty beast's belly, pressing her feet inward hard to keep from falling down. Bo held on onto one of the reigns, while the palm of her other hand shot up to Nox' neck. Her touch was soothing, and soon enough, Nox had settled. Quickly and swiftly, Bo turned Nox back into the direction she needed to head and took off again. Tamsin's distress was becoming more and more palpable and fear began to grip Bo's heart. There wasn't any time to waste.

"Tamsin!" Bo shouted off of the top of her lungs, bringing Nox to a sudden halt in the middle of the forest road. Her instincts were telling her that Tamsin had to be somewhere around here, but she didn't see the blonde. They were about five kilometers from the Arundel river crossing site, and near one of the larger gorges the river had carved out. Bo took a deep breath and tried to feel where the imminent distress was coming from. One large inhale, one large exhale and then the Obscura suddenly shot off through the woods and the dense tree line there. Bo jumped off of Nox when the gorge drop came into view. She quickly tied her horse to a tree, then moved closer to the edge to see if she could spot Tamsin. She glanced over, she estimated the drop to be about fifty meters. "Tamsin!" Bo yelled again. The brunette was hoping the blonde would still be able to respond, she was about to call out again, when all of a sudden she spotted what looked like a blonde head of hair in the middle of the river. Tamsin's body was not moving, she was not responding to any of Bo's yells, instead it hung lifeless in the middle of the river, stuck on some fortunate piece of old driftwood.

"Jeezes!" Bo breathed, she blinked, judged the distance and then let herself roll back into the shadows as she dematerialized from one spot and materialized down at the river next to Tamsin a moment later. Tamsin looked horrible, she was white as a sheet and her entire face was covered in lacerations and bruises, caked with mud and dirt, her hands looked in a similar state and judging by the amount of involuntary twitching and wincing Bo knew the blonde was hurting all over her body. Bo was grateful for the wincing and twitching, it meant Tamsin was still alive which was more than Bo had expected when she had first spotted the commander down in the middle of the river.

"I'm here, Tamsin." Bo said as she put her hands under the blonde and scooped her up in her arms. Bo made it out of the river and onto the river bed with the blonde unconscious body and laid her down against the incline of the hill. She needed to get the blonde resting over her shoulder if she wanted to have any chance at climbing the fifty meters hill back up again. Pushed up against the side, Bo lowered her shoulders under Tamsin and was able to lay her over her shoulder. At a slow but steady pace, the brunette trudged her way upwards again, fighting for every meter of progress she made. None of them came cheap and or easy with the sharp edges of the rocks under her hand cutting into the soft tissue of her palm, and Bo almost buckling under the weight of Tamsin.

"Hang on, Tamsin." Bo said as the rise and fall of Tamsin's chest had suddenly stopped when they were only a good ten meters away from the top. "Damn it!" "Hang on!" Bo yelled, and with one giant effort, achieved what she had never been able to before, Bo managed to dematerialize and cross the last ten meter of her tough climb with Tamsin on her back, before materializing again next to Nox. Bo balanced Tamsin on Nox' back, the brunette spurred the beast on again and sped through the woods of Arundel.

Arundel Castle, finish line

"Help! Tamsin!" Bo shouted as the finish line and all of her friends came into view. Lauren was the first to run up to her, the Elf's attention immediately focused on Tamsin. Bo only had eyes for Brandon of Rochester as she pinned him with a furious stare. With one leap she was off of Nox, within seconds she was at his throat, moments later he was pushed up to the stable wall, Bo's entire weight pushing against him, fixing him in place.

"What did you do Rochester?" "What the hell did you do?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Brandon shouted out.

"Bo!" Dyson shouted as Bo kneed Rochester in the stomach.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" Bo's voice dropped to an eerie low level as her eyes flashed white.

"Bo!" Dyson shouted again as he pulled Bo off of Brandon, and held her firmly in his grip.

"He ran Tamsin off of the road!" Bo yelled.

"What?" Brandon scoffed. "You're crazy!" He yelled back at Bo, then turned to Dyson "Your sister has a very active imagination!"

"Liar!" Bo spat and ripped free from Dyson's hold to lunge at Brandon again, but the oldest Arundel was able to restrain his sister before she could get her hands on Brandon once more.

"I saw that look in your eyes!" Bo raved struggling against Dyson's vice lock "You almost ran me off the road!"

"Enough!" Dyson barked. "Bo!" "Calm down!"

"Rochester, we will talk later!" "This isn't over!"

Rochester stomped off with Bo hissing and seething at him. When he was out of view, and Bo's breathing had calmed again, the tall, blonde man let go of his sister, turned and quickly walked up to the group of people that had gathered around Tamsin.

"How is she?" Dyson asked Lauren who had been tending to Tamsin.

"Stabilized, I managed to heal her most severe wounds" Lauren said visibly drained. "But this was touch and go Dyson" "If Bo had been only a little later..."

Dyson sighed "Thanks, Lauren." "Maybe I should start calling you doc, huh?"

Bo pushed herself through the circle of people and bent down next to Tamsin. Tears welled up visibly as she looked down at the face of the fragile, still unconscious blonde. Tamsin was still white as a sheet and covered in bruises and cuts, but at least the look of 'death" had left her features and she was breathing regularly. Bo sighed in relief.

"She'll be okay, Bo." the Elf said reassuringly.

Bo exhaled relieved. "Good."

"I can get my father to heal the rest of her wounds, but even then she'll need rest." "Her body needs to recover from the trauma." Lauren stated.

"That's okay, no need to call Lord Owain." Dyson commented. "Tamsin can heal herself, I know what she needs." "Let's just take her to the castle and get her into bed." "Once she wakes up, I'll fix her up."

"I've already told Liam to bring a stretcher and fetch Augustus." Lauren replied.

Dyson nodded. "Good."

Lauren bent down again to check Tamsin's pulse. Satisfied that it was stable, the Elf tried to push herself upright again, but was unable to and lost her balance.

"Lauren!" Bo shouted, she caught the blonde in her arms right before she was about to hit the ground.

"Take her to the castle, Bo." Dyson said. "Healing Tamsin must have drained her more than she thought." Bo nodded as she wrapped an arm under the unbalanced Elf.

"Can you walk when I help you?" Bo asked the blonde gently.

"I don't know." The Elf said right before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out.

Lauren's bedroom

Several hours later

When light filtered back into Lauren's sensory perception, it was that of candles and a burning fireplace instead of the sun. Bo's familiar, warm voice was the second thing the elf noticed.

"Hi." she coed. Bo was holding her hand, and she gave it a squeeze. Lauren smiled.

"Hi." she said back."How's Tamsin?" Lauren asked.

"She's okay." Bo sat back down again on her chair next to Lauren's bed and was stroking Lauren's hair. "Thanks to you." Bo had brought Lauren up to her room, had the maids undress her, and had then tucked the elf into bed. When the soothing thought that the elf was okay and she was just sleeping, had finally settled into Bo's mind, the Obscura had made her way to Tamsin's room. She'd found her brother there in the corner of the room watching over the blonde as she slept. Lord Owain had been by, and had confirmed his daughter's assessment.

"And you." Lauren sighed "If you hadn't gotten her back as quickly as you did, she would have died." "What happened, Bo?"

"I was ahead in the race; Tamsin and Brandon were behind me." "And I sensed she was in danger, so I turned round." Bo exhaled "Brandon nearly collided with me two minutes later, the look he had on his face was filled with rage." Bo's expression was distant, almost vacant. She was staring at Lauren's hand, but she was lost in her memories.

"It was frightening." "I knew he wasn't going to stop." "I don't know how to explain it, but he looked mad, possessed." "And I just knew he had hurt Tamsin." "And, and…. I could feel her breathing get shallower, her body temperature dropping, her heart slowing…" Tears welled up in Bo's eyes, her voice was shaky at best. "I didn't know if I could get there in time." "Then when I found her, when I saw her, I... I thought she was dead." "She looked dead." "I couldn't sense her anymore, I guess by then her vitals had gotten so low.." Bo paused, wiped at her eyes, swallowed and continued. "There was this blonde lifeless body in the middle of the river and I just kept thinking about what I would have to tell Dyson, or her family."Bo said emotionally. The blonde Elf pulled Bo off the chair and into her embrace on the bed.

"You saved her." Lauren said, and softly kissed Bo's head while her fingers ran soothingly down Bo's side. Bo inhaled deeply, when she spoke again, her voice was laced with anger.

"I know Brandon did this to her."

"Do you have proof?"

"There was a second set of tracks." "Which is flimsy." "I just know." "And when Tamsin wakes up…"

"She might not remember." Lauren cut in.

"Huh?" Bo sat up, pulling out of Lauren's embrace.

"She took a nasty fall, the damage to her skull was extensive." "You may not have seen it, but it was fractured in several places." "Blood was leaking into her brain, it's why her vitals were steadily dropping." "Honestly, it would surprise me if she remembered anything from this week."

"So Brandon might get away with this?" Bo asked her voice rising in anger.

"If there isn't any concrete proof and Tamsin doesn't remember…"

Bo's fists clenched as she cursed. "The tracks…"

"I have no idea what time it is, but it's dark outside." "You'll have to wait till morning."

"It's 8pm, you were asleep for over five hours." Bo said. The reminder of Lauren's comatose sleep suddenly made Bo's mind jump "Wait.." "Are you okay?" "Are you hungry?"

"Slight headache still." Lauren said smiling up. "I could eat, but the Great Hall…"

Bo nodded already picking up on the thought that the Great Hall right now for Lauren would be too busy, loud and crowded. "I'll go grab us a couple of plates from downstairs." "We can eat our food here."

Lauren smiled "We haven't done that since you were seven." "We had chicken and mashed potatoes with sprouts"

Bo laughed. "Gods, the workings of an eidetic memory!"

"I remember because I had such a good time." "I'd never eaten in bed before." "I don't think food has ever tasted as good as it did that night."

Bo grinned widely at her. "Give me a couple of minutes." Bo pecked a soft kiss to Lauren's cheek and then bolted out of the room in search of food. Lauren leaned back against her headrest contently. They were going to have a quiet dinner away from the hustle and bustle of the Great Hall in the privacy of their bedroom with candles and a fireplace brightly burning. Lauren sighed happily. It felt like a date, a romantic date, and as that thought settled in Lauren's mind, her stomach twisted in all sorts of knots.

The Great Hall

Bo walked into the Great Hall to find it alive with merry enjoyment as it had been for the last couple of nights. Minstrels were playing softly in the background, and the conversations were animated. She spotted her brother at their usual table talking to Anne and George. Rochester was nowhere to be seen. Smart move" Bo thought. Bo didn't know if he had stayed away on his own accord or if Dyson had told him to stay away, but she was glad for it because she knew she wouldn't be able to control her temper if she saw him now. Bo grabbed two plates from one of the side tables and made her way over to Dyson.

"Hey sis, how's Lauren feeling?" the oldest Arundel asked concerned.

"She's okay, she just needs to rest." Bo said with a small smile "I just came to grab us some food to take back up, she's feeling rested enough to deal with all of this.." Bo pointed at the lively chaos of the Great Hall while scooping up sausages, potatoes, chicken and vegetables for Lauren and her.

"Don't blame her." Dyson said.

"How's Tamsin?"

"Awake, brought her a plate twenty minutes ago."

"Does she remember what happened?"

"Haven't talked to her about that yet." "Figured it was best to give her some time to recuperate, but I suppose we can talk to her in the morning."

"And Rochester?"

"Haven't seen him since he stomped off."

"Scared or guilty?" Bo asked as she grabbed a bowl of rice pudding.

"Blowing off steam?"

Bo shook her head. "That look on his face when he almost ran me over…." "I just knew then and there…"

"I believe you, sis, but I'm going to need more than just your intuition." "You know that."

"We're Obscuras Dy…"

"That's why it's good enough for me, but that's not how the world works…"

"Lauren said Tamsin might not even remember." Bo said.

Dyson frowned. "Let's just hope she does."

"There was a second set of tracks when I found Tamsin."

"We'll go have a look at first light." her brother said.

"That's okay, I can check for tracks on my own." "Why don't you talk to him?" "He'll be more inclined to talk to you than me at the moment."

Dyson chuckled lightly. "Can't blame the guy."

"I should have gone back straight away." Bo sighed and mumbled. "What if Rochester was out covering his tracks?"

Dyson frowned. "You think he'd go that far?"

"There's something off about him, Dyson." "I felt it then, I feel it now." "Tell me you don't!"

The oldest Arundel exhaled and nodded his head. "There's a certain darkness to him, I agree, but you know as well as I do that that is true for many people." "We're not mind readers, sis."

Bo nodded. "But, say I'm right, say he did attack Tamsin." "If he's capable of attacking her, he's capable of covering his tracks, and maybe then he's capable of trying to finish what he started…"

Dyson blinked. "Bo…"

"Better safe than sorry, Dyson." "Just put a sentry out by her room?" "If this was all some accident then you can laugh at me later…"

Dyson contemplated her words. "Fair enough." "Can't hurt, I'll take care of it right now."

Lauren's bedroom

Lauren was sitting in front of the fireplace, on a comfortable pile of blankets she had snatched from the bed as Bo pushed her way through the door. She was quickly on her feet when she noticed Bo was trying to balance four full plates of food and a bowl of rice pudding. The elf took two and set them down on the low table in front of the fireplace that already had glasses and a jug of water on it. Bo followed suit.

"Sorry that took so long." Bo said. "Ran into Dys."

"Tamsin?"

"Awake, but out of it apparently." "Dys is talking to her tomorrow."

Lauren nodded her head, sat back down, patted a seat for Bo next to her-who took it- and looked at the rich spread of food that was displayed in front of her.

"Were you expecting other people?" Lauren queried. "Because that kind of defeats the purpose of a romantic dinner." The Elf said with a grin.

"Ro..romantic, romance?" Bo asked, a feeling of apprehension settling in the pit of her stomach. "Ro, romance?" "Are, are…sure..?" Bo swallowed. Why was it so difficult to swallow? Or get words out for that matter? Gods, she loved how Lauren could make her all frazzled, but it was so frustrating too! She hadn't thought of romance. Lauren had been in a deep sleep for the last five hours, the last thing Bo was thinking about was Romance, especially the one with a capital R, which she thought Lauren was referring to. That wink seemed to suggest so. Oh. Butterflies.

"Very sure and definitely with a capital R." Lauren smiled.

Bo threw Lauren a mock glare.

"Loud thoughts!" Lauren laughed, then turned Bo's glare into a smile as she leaned into the brunette and softly kissed her cheek. Lauren reached out grabbed one of the empty plates Bo had brought, and piled some of the chicken and vegetables on it. She dug in leaning against Bo's shoulder.

"Yum!" She sighed contently. Bo smiled and grabbed her own plate choosing some of the sausages and the mashed potatoes.

"That was so good!" Lauren said twenty minutes later, licking her fingers clean and totally sated. "Gods, healing sure does rack up an appetite."

"Good thing I brought those four plates." Bo said staring at the now empty plates "I remembered how you were the day we saved that deer".

"I was in major scarf mode then." Lauren grinned as she laid her head back in Bo's lap and intertwined their hands.

"You ate an entire pig, single handedly I might add."

"I was hungry." Lauren whined.

"You were worse than Kenzi."

"Take that back!" "I am not worse than your cousin!" "That girl is a bottomless PIT!"

Bo laughed. She is! "But babe…an ENTIRE pig!"

"Kenzi was caught on numerous occasions plundering the kitchens of Eolas castle AND she holds the record of most pies eaten in five counties in Eolas!" "I conducted a study on her when she was there, her body weight ratio…"

"You ran a study on her?"

Lauren nodded enthusiastically. "It was fascinating, the entire time she was there she averaged 5 meals a day, which included an appetizer, main course and "again" on average two desserts." "Multiply that by the number of days she was here…"

"Gods, you're serious!" Bo interrupted. "Did you test her blood too?" Bo asked chuckling.

Lauren looked at Bo like she was crazy. "Of course I did." "What kind of scientist do you take me for?" "I took a sample every night."

"Wait…what?" Bo asked incredulously.

"I took blood every night." " I needed a baseline to compare the results to.."

"And she volunteered?" Bo interjected. Kenzi hated needles, Bo couldn't for the life of her imagine that Kenzi would be a willing participant.

"Ah." "I may have done that without her permission." Lauren admitted. "Hmm." she hummed somewhat uncomfortably.

"How the heck did you manage that?" Bo asked. Kenzi could fish out anyone trying to sneak up on her. The girl was crazy skilled that way, which made her fit into the family nicely.

"Uhm, I may have slipped a mild sleeping agent in her meals."

"What?"

"I couldn't very well let her knowledge of the study contaminate it!" Lauren defended. "Did I mention it was a mild dose?" she added meekly.

"I can't believe you drugged my cousin!" Bo said in awe. "You're scary." Bo looked at her with a sense of disbelief and awe.

Lauren smirked. "Best not to mess with me."

"I agree!" Bo put up her hands up in amused defeat "I hereby officially take back the fact that I said you were worse than Kenzi when it comes to eating."

"Hah!" Lauren beamed. "I knew it!"

"I do say you are the scariest person I know though!"

"Oh hush!" "As long as you bend to all my experiments, I am harmless." Lauren's tone had dropped considerately from fun and playful to a little cheeky, and the shift in tone hadn't been lost on Bo.

"I want to kiss you." Bo murmured as happiness tingled just behind her grin. Lauren cupped Bo's cheek with her palm, she pushed her torso up until she sat upright again, next to Bo. The giddiness from their laughing fit hadn't quite left Lauren yet, it felt a little bit like being drunk, her inhibitions lowered slightly, but then when she caught Bo's eyes, and the glint of wetness on her lips Lauren's breath instantly hitched, her demeanor suddenly serious. She felt drunk on the beauty that was Bo. Bo deepened their kiss, and her hand clasped around Lauren's body; the soft swell of Bo's breasts were being pressed up against the Elf. Candle and ember lights threw shadows on their kisses, and soft caresses. Lauren' felt her desire stir as Bo softly sighed against her lips, and asked: "Make love to me?" The Elf pulled away abruptly. With her eyes still closed, Bo's kiss still tingling on her lips, and her hands clenching next to her, Lauren spoke.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly. "Because it is okay if you are not, and I don't think I can stop again once I start again."

"Please, Lauren." Bo pleaded softly Lauren opened her eyes and saw a trembling Bo in front of her.

"You are so beautiful." Lauren said as her eyes raked up and down Bo's frame, and she saw the Obscura smile softly at the remark. "Can I undress you?" Lauren whispered in Bo's ear "You don't have to do anything, just stay there, keep your eyes closed."

"O…okay." Bo said swallowing.

Lauren's soft fingertips traced downwards from Bo's cheek to the strings that closed the leather surcoat Bo wore over her tunic. The Elf loosened them at a leisurely pace. Bo's breathing was shallow, the twitches of her lip betraying her nerves.

"I am just as nervous as you are." Lauren reassured. Her voice had dropped to a lower tone that felt to Bo as velvety and warm as the fire burning in front of them.

"But, you've done this before…" Bo said hesitantly.

Lauren reached for Bo's hand and intertwined their fingers, she brought the Obscura's hand up to her chest and laid the palm flat against her heart. "Not with you, and not for a very long time." Bo smiled feeling Lauren's heart pound heavily and rapidly under her touch.

Lauren's fingers disappeared under the leather surcoat and moved effortlessly to the back, pushing the garment off of Bo's shoulders, and letting it tumble on the floor behind her. Bo's tunic was next. Lauren's fingertips ran down Bo's side to the belt that bunched up the tunic in the middle and undid it. The heavy leather strip with silver buckle tumbled loudly to the floor, but neither of the women registered the sound, their other senses caught in the gravity of the other's proximity. Bo raised her arms as Lauren lifted Bo's tunic over her head. Bo's torso was left in nothing but her undershirt, a shirt very similar to the one Lauren was wearing. It was an off-white heavy and rather thick, yet soft cloth that hung loosely over Bo's frame.

"Stand up?" Lauren asked softly.

Bo opened her eyes for the first time since Lauren had begun slowly undressing her, and stood up as Lauren had asked.

"Can I kiss you?" the Elf asked gently.

Bo nodded vigorously.

Lauren leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the corner of Bo's mouth, then moved to the other corner and kissed the brunette softly there. Lauren had pulled away again to see if Bo was still okay with everything, but Bo didn't give the Elf the chance to get far, she pulled her back in and nipped at Lauren's lower lip. Lauren's hands, palms were suddenly cupping her cheek, her tongue flicked Bo's and Bo was more than happy to oblige by opening her mouth fully to Lauren's protruding tongue. Lauren broke the kiss, heavily panting.

"Baby, I need you to unbutton your pants and take them off." the Elf husked. For the second time that night, a hesitant "Okay." fell from Bo's mouth., but despite her nerves wreaking havoc with her coordination, Bo's pants were rather swiftly unbuttoned and removed.

"Beautiful." Lauren sighed out as she looked at Bo's shapely, toned legs. Lauren's roaming and wide eager eyes made the brunette blush, but there was something about Lauren's lustful gaze and tone that made her feel loved, beautiful and wanted and it went a long way to soothing her nerves. Not for the first time, Bo felt her body run hot and cold. Shivers versus liquid heat fighting for dominance as they coursed through her, the liquid heat winning the race as it settled between her thighs, and unleashed a want and craving Bo had not felt before.

The Elf sat back down on the rug and soft blankets in front of the fireplace and reached out her hand for Bo. The brunette interlaced their fingers and let herself be pulled down and into Lauren's embrace. Bo had held Lauren countless times before, but yet holding her now, feeling her pressed up against her was foreign to Bo. It was uncomfortable in the most wondrous of ways

"Lauren…" Bo drawled…"I, …I want…"

"What do you want? " Lauren fell into the deep waters of Bo's hooded eyes. Her gaze shifted to Bo's kissable lips, the warmth and comfort that lay there, the promise and allure of another kiss made her shiver in anticipation.

"You." Bo breathed out over Lauren's ear. "I don't know what I want." "But what you make me feel…, it's..."

Lauren rested her forehead against Bo's. "Your heartrate is elevated, your breathing heavy, your skin is flush, and I am hoping that liquid heat you talked about is running through you again and has settled between your thighs in a lovely pulsating sensation." Lauren said biting her lip. "I am hoping you are feeling all of that, because that is how I am feeling."

"It is?" Bo asked hesitantly. "You feel it too?"

"Yes." Lauren breathed out putting all of her emotion in the small word to Bo. "What you feel is arousal." "Your body's way of saying that you want me to touch you, that you want to touch me."

Bo's breath hitched. "So much." Lauren closed her eyes and let her instincts guide her. Bo's slender neck, the tender skin, the elegant jawline, the softness and depth of color in Bo's hair were easily enough conjured up from memory. The Elf brought her hand up to the other side of Bo's neck, letting her fingertips and nails softly scrape the sensitive flesh. Bo's scent made the Elf dizzy, she smelled of rain, of leaves and Summer, of adventure, of all the years spent together, of all the memories shared, of laughter and joy. She was about to make love to Bo; her childhood friend, Bo the brat, her best friend, the little girl with the flowers, the young teenager with the eyes of wonder, the young woman who took Lauren's breath away, her love, her soul, and her lover…

Lauren's lips settled into Bo's neck with a kiss just beneath Bo's ear. Bo tilted into the blonde's warm, soft mouth in search of more contact. Each soft kiss between her ear and her collarbone tingled, and seeped into every nerve ending of Bo's body. The brunette whimpered when Lauren's tongue and lips traced back upward to her earlobe.

Lauren took a deep breath when she protracted herself from Bo's neck, and fixed her gaze on Bo's undershirt. A series of strings connected the two parts of the shirt all the way down the middle. Undoing those strings brought Lauren's hands dangerously close to the swell of Bo's breasts. The idea alone made Lauren bite her lower lip, her otherwise so steady hands were trembling slightly as they went to work. Bo's chest rose and fell quickly under the intimate touch. Lauren undid the last of the strings, then brought her soft hands back up to Bo.

"Baby..." Lauren's soft fingertips stroked Bo's cheek. "Look at me, please?" Bo looked up shyly.

"Are you okay with me taking off your shirt?" Lauren almost choked on her own question. Bo looked so young all of a sudden, so unsure of herself, so hesitant, lost, pale and it made Lauren's protective instincts run rampant. She wrapped her arms around Bo's lower back and pulled her in. Instinctively, the brunette clung to her, climbing all the way onto Lauren's lap and burying her head in the blonde's neck.

"It's okay, baby." The Elf said quickly, soothingly. "We can just stay here like this." Lauren could feel Bo swallow in her neck.

"I'm sorry." Bo muttered.

Lauren stroked Bo's back and sighed. She wasn't sure if she wanted the question on her mind answered. She was already so far gone, so ridiculously, hopelessly in love with Bo. The thought that Bo might confirm her worst fears was devastating, but she needed to know.

"Are you unsure…" Lauren swallowed. "About us?"


You guys wanted a love scene and there is the start of it! Good, bad? Too much, too corny?

Replies to reviews

Joan: Above is the start of a love scene. I have always imagined that if the two of them got together for their first time, that it would be slow, that Lauren would somehow have to explain it to Bo in her trademark sweet, yet geeky way, but that most of all, Lauren would just have a lot of patience, would let everything be on Bo's terms. I wonder what Bo is going to say. ;-)

J: The flashback I am writing in now (twelve years ago) is really the start of answering that question. :-)

Sylvy: oO! Glad to have you back, and great to read you loved Lauren's ranting. It was fun for me to write also. ;-) Good thing you're on board for the journey of this story, cause we have some ways to go before Lauren gets from under her marriage to Dyson. Promise we'll get there though! :-)

Koga: High five! Love the enthusiasm! :-) The heart wants what the heart wants, true! Three years isn't a lot. I think Lauren just freaks out because Bo is only sixteen, and the Elf has been so protective of Bo her entire life; the last thing she wants is to 'push' Bo before she is ready. Did you and your hubby start off as high school sweethearts too?

Guests:

1) Will homosexuality be discriminated against?

No, not really. Homosexuality is accepted in much the same way here as it is in the world of LG, but that doesn't mean that some people won't take offense to it, or that it isn't perceived as undesirable in certain situations.

2) Will they break up in the next chapter?

Hmm, no... they haven't in this one, and they won't in the next, but the break-up is coming up :-(

3) Did Bo and Lauren break up because of Lauren's engagement to Dyson.

You'll have to read the story for that one. ;-)

4) Does Tam love Bo?

Right now I think Tam is on her way to finding she can 'stand' Bo again. The relationship between them will change, however. Tamsin does know about Bo and Lauren, but at this point in time she is the only one that does. So no, Dyson doesn't know that his sister is in love with Lauren.

Dyson and Lauren's marriage is an arranged marriage. Lauren is most definitely not in love with Dyson, and she never will be. Her heart will always belong to Bo. (she said as much to Nadia in one of the previous chapters: Elves mate for life.) I suppose that doesn't exclude Dyson from having feelings for Lauren, nor does it suggest that he does. You'll have to read the story. :-)

I think Bo is really trying her best to accept the marriage between her brother and her former lover, but it is very difficult for her. How she deals with it further, we'll have to see!

Shomed: Awe! Thank you!

Guest: Bo ALWAYS wants a kiss on the lips from Lauren. ;-)