It was a two hour drive back to the city. Bo couldn't shake the trailer and she was sure they were heading into a conflict that might not have a favorable outcome. When the city was in sight they made their move to box her in. Gunshots rang out.
"Stay down!" Bo yelled, swerving to divert the gunfire.
They accelerated, pulling away from the pack. There was still no shaking them as they took the off ramp as recklessly as before. The smell of gasoline and burning oil invaded the car. The Camaro was crying uncle. She had been red-lining since they left the motel and the car was showing its misgivings about the way Bo was driving her.
Bo sped through the city, trying to shake the remaining two cars that followed them. It was no use using the side streets because they knew exactly where Bo was headed. The only logical move was to get there first.
Bo jerked the wheel and took the corner dangerously close to the parked cars that lined the street. She slowed only long enough to disappear down the back alley to the Dal. When the car skidded to a stop, Bo spoke again. "Inside. Leave the bags." She kicked the door open and unloaded her passengers as the headlights shone into the alley. Bo and Kenzi ran for the door to the Dal as Bo retrieved the bags from the car, calmly following the women inside.
Bo appeared atop the stairs in the Dal and dropped the duffle bags. "Sanctuary!" Bo called out to no one in particular.
There were a few people having a quick breakfast before heading out to work, as there always were, reading the newspaper at their tables. Trick walked out from behind the bar. "Bo, you can't just call sanctuary whenever you're in trouble."
"It's not for me, it's for Lauren," Bo replied.
"Bo, a human?" Trick was beside himself. "I can't extend sanctuary to a human, especially one that is not owned by you."
"Please. Do it for me, Trick."
"Bo, this is very unorthodox."
The door behind Bo flew open, attracting the attention of the bar patrons as Kenzi and Lauren ran to the other end of the bar. Bo turned to face their pursuers with her dagger drawn. Six armed men strolled into the Dal.
"We've come for the doctor," the large foot soldier said.
Bo looked between the men and Trick. "Trick," she pleaded.
"Bo, I can't."
"Trick," she said again, tears welling up, "Don't do this."
Trick looked at Lauren who stood beside Kenzi. Lauren's eyes were downcast, but Kenzi's dared Trick to deny her friend this favor.
"Step aside, Succubus," the leader pressed. "The Morrigan wants her head."
She knew an all-out armed brawl was neither in her, nor Trick's best interest, but he left her little choice. "Sanctuary has been invoked, everyone out!" Trick bellowed.
Chairs scraped against the floor as the bar patrons started to slowly file out. "This isn't over," the thug said.
Trick pointed at the door. "Go and tell the Morrigan that sanctuary has been called and leave us be."
"We know where you are now, Doctor," the man taunted as he directed his men to leave.
"Go on, get out of here," Kenzi waved her arms at the men.
Trick lay the polishing cloth over his shoulder and walked towards the bar with a sigh. "Who's thirsty?"
The Dal was a quieter, gentler version of itself since Trick had called sanctuary for Lauren. The usual suspects drifted in and out of her days as they came and went drinking and playing pool. She stayed below most of the time, raiding Trick's extensive library. He was the keeper of so much knowledge, Lauren found herself obsessing over reading as much as she could while he extended protection to her.
It was Thursday. At least it was Thursday when she started drinking, no telling what day it was anymore. Lauren propped her head up on the bar. There was a whoosh of air and the seat beside her was occupied.
"So it's true what they say, doctors do always land on their feet."
Lauren regarded Tamsin coldly, barely turning from her beer to set eyes upon her.
"Look, I'm not sorry for what I did. I started the ball rolling but you're the one that gave up on Bo."
"I never gave up on Bo. And you would be wise to keep any other opinions to yourself."
"Suit yourself," Tamsin spun on her stool and walked towards the pool table where Dyson was snapping a shot into the corner pocket.
Lauren exhaled and tapped a finger on the bar top. Dyson and Tamsin laughed about something. It was Night of the Living Exes in the Dal tonight and none of them were Lauren's. Bo's exploits would always follow her into their life together. Knowing that was one thing, getting used to that fact was another thing altogether.
Another whoosh of air, this time a familiar scent followed and Bo was sliding onto the stool beside her.
"Hey Babe," Bo kissed her cheek. "I-" She paused to look Lauren over. "No offense, but you look a little rough. What have you been doing?"
Lauren lifted her head unsteadily and smiled at Bo. "Drinking mostly. I had to stop reading because I couldn't see straight anymore. Oh, hey, what day is it?"
"Thursday," Bo replied, confused.
"Still?" Lauren asked in disbelief.
"I think you're cut off," Bo lifted the beer away from the doctor.
"Hey," Lauren protested.
"What's gotten into you?" She pulled the hair away that was obscuring her face. "I've never seen you drink all day."
"I don't know if you've noticed," she started shakily, "but I don't have a lot going for me right now."
Bo squeezed her shoulder. "You have me."
"And you have Tamsin." Lauren didn't let Bo's eyes escape hers.
Bo pulled her hand away from Lauren's shoulder. She slumped onto the stool. "What about Tamsin?"
"She came to see me before I left. You can imagine what we talked about."
"Lauren, I don't know what to say."
"About what? Kissing her or leaving Taft's compound with her instead of me?"
"Woah, I didn't kiss her, she kissed me."
Lauren made a face and took her beer back.
"What was I supposed to do? Deck her for kissing me? You know how people get around me. I can't help it."
"You can't help it," Lauren repeated, setting her jaw and wiped the condensation from her beer with her index finger.
"If I've done anything to make you believe that I didn't want to be with you, I'm sorry. But ask yourself why you're taking the word of another Fae over mine?"
"She came to my home, Bo, like a mistress on a vendetta and said things that I can't forget."
She watched the turmoil play out on Bo's face, the anger and the shame as she looked over her shoulder at Tamsin playing pool with Dyson.
"Just one sec," Bo said, distracted as she stood and walked to the pool table. Lauren watched as Bo read Tamsin the riot act. She couldn't hear everything that was being said but by the way Dyson chalked his cue stick as he looked over at Lauren, she knew something she had said had hit the mark.
Bo yanked Tamsin away from the table and dragged her to the bar where Lauren still sat.
"Hello," Tamsin said with a sickeningly sweet expression, jerking her arm away from Bo. Her lips curled and her eyes squinted.
"Tell her." Bo stood behind Tamsin and pushed her.
"I kissed Bo."
"I think we're past that revelation," Lauren said.
"This isn't just about Tamsin, is it?"
Tamsin backed away from them. "I'm just gonna-" she pointed her thumbs back in the direction of the pool table where Dyson was racking another game. She slinked away, looking over her shoulder at Bo and Lauren who were gradually inching closer to one another.
"I watched you and Tamsin leave me behind without so much as a look back at the building. I never thought you would leave me there, Bo, even as I lied to your face for Taft's benefit, I thought she can still see that I love her in my eyes."
"What was I supposed to do, Lauren, you told me you loved me."
"Some might think that a nice thing to be told." She sipped her beer.
"Sure, if It weren't in the past tense. I thought we were over." Bo poked at the ice cubes in her scotch glass. "You've done nothing but push me away since you were attacked-"
Lauren stiffened as she heard Nelson's words in her head- How do you go back to a mortal life after that? It was a question she had been pondering for months on her own and now with Bo again, the answer was even harder to pin down. She had been taken inches from death by a high school kid in love with a Fae. There were little parallels to hers and Bo's relationship but Lauren felt as if Nelson's Fae girlfriend had somehow stripped him of his humanity. She knew Bo to have more humanity than most humans so why this statement bothered her so much was puzzling. And then she came to it. At the core of it all was the fact that she had changed and she was continuing to change in the Ash's service. The deeper she delved into the Fae, the more that Lauren knew about them, the more normal they all seemed. She had fallen in love with a Fae and worked closely with others so when a psychotic human teenager broke into her apartment and beat her in the name of his Fae girlfriend, Lauren received the message. She had called for the break because she was losing herself to the Fae, and even if Bo was included in that, it was unacceptable.
When Lauren looked up Bo had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"It's fine. I'm fine." She still knew how to hide her pain. "I was protecting you."
"I've heard that before," Bo mumbled, looked into the glass and downed the rest of her scotch.
"I know," Lauren stared at her beer. "I couldn't let Taft think we were together." Her thumb traced the handle of the mug. "I couldn't do the things he would have made me do to you." Lauren looked away.
"Lauren how-why did you ever get tangled up with that guy? He's not an ex you were withholding, is he?" Lauren smiled then. "I mean, that's okay if he is-I'm just trying to figure this out."
Lauren placed a hand atop hers. "He wasn't my ex."
"Kind of relieved, not gonna lie," Bo smiled, trailing a finger up Lauren's arm. "I knew you wouldn't have dated an honest to goodness mad scientist."
"He was a colleague and he made me feel special and important when I wasn't getting that anywhere else." Lauren looked at the bar, unable to meet Bo's eyes. "He used my loneliness against me and he manipulated my ambition."
She covered Lauren's hand and squeezed. "Lauren, the guy was a nut job, you can't blame yourself."
"I was the final piece to his puzzle, Bo. I'm the one who made his horrible dream a reality."
"You're also the one who single-handedly made sure he wouldn't hurt any more Fae."
"If I had known earlier…"
"Don't do that to yourself. You righted the wrong. The Fae owe you."
Lauren laughed. "I'll expect the certificate in the mail."
Trick freshened their drinks and left them to their conversation without a word.
"I want to keep you safe, Lauren."
"Bo…"
"No. Don't tell me this was all a mistake because in my heart I know you don't believe that. Tell me you don't believe that." Bo blinked the tears from her eyes and Lauren's heart was broken one crack at a time. She placed her hand on top of Bo's to still them from shredding the bar napkin. Bo looked up, eyes full of worry. "I didn't drag you back here and risk our lives for nothing, did I?"
"No," Lauren shook her head. "I'm glad you found me, I just haven't found myself yet."
The room was tiny. Reminiscent of a room in a convent. There was a small window at the ceiling for light and ventilation, though Lauren never felt a breeze. She sat in the ancient chair reading beside her bed in a room beneath the Dal, today her attention was taken by one of Trick's Fae encyclopedias. Her attention drifted from the text and she thought about Bo and the events of the past week. They had shared a tender moment and then Bo had whisked her away in grand getaway style, returning her to the city where her oppression threatened her happiness once again. Who was she kidding, she was the one threatening her own happiness and if she kept pushing Bo away, one of these days she's wasn't going to be there anymore.
A knock sounded at the door. Lauren sighed. It was probably Bo and Lauren didn't know if she had it in the reserves to fight anymore. She stood and walked the few short paces to the entrance to her room and pulled the door open. Kenzi walked in. "Hey Doc." She was two steps in when she spoke again. "Rock the Casbah, indeed. Someone needs to tell Trick that it's time for a new design concept."
Lauren was taken aback by the younger woman's presence. It wasn't often that Kenzi came to visit on her own, so imagine her dismay when she realized this was the second time in a little over a week that Kenzi had sought her out. She stood by Lauren's bedside table turning something over in her hands.
"Is something wrong?" Lauren was concerned.
She held up the druid's potion before setting it on the bedside table. "I need you to take care of this for me."
Lauren swallowed and took a step forward. "Of course. Can I ask what changed your mind?"
"You." Kenzi shrugged. "If I can make a difference as a human without the super powers of the Fae, I can be special too."
"Kenzi," Lauren started, "you are special. More than anyone knows I'm sure."
"Aw, Doc, you always know how to sweet talk the ladies."
Lauren smirked. "I have my moments."
