Bo knew her mother was gone, disappeared, but she wasn't sure how she felt about this fact. Sure, she had only just met her and the woman was crazy, but she was still her mother. There was something glowing, some spark of humanity in her eyes before she ran away. Bo couldn't help but linger on that thought.
Lauren's formula had worked somehow. Bo only had to scratch Aoife's skin with the dipped blade, and the doctor's genius paid off. The other woman stopped fighting her and ran, knocking Bo over into some wreckage so that she could not catch her. She didn't know what Lauren's formula did exactly - she only understood half of the words the doctor used when explaining it - but it had worked. She did understand that. Science kicked ass.
Staring at herself in the mirror, Bo couldn't decide which dress to wear. She was supposed to meet Lauren at the Dal later. It was Lauren's weekly leave, the one night a week the Ash let the doctor loose from the compound, and the Dal was neutral ground, so Bo had suggested meeting there for drinks. This way, their meeting wouldn't be that suspicious. The problem was going to be keeping her libido in check; she wanted to celebrate and thank the doctor properly.
Kenzi walked in the room and scooted herself across the bed, chuckling at Bo's indecisiveness before telling her to go with the one that showed off her assets more. The young girl was only mildly offended when Bo had said she had private plans, so she began teasing her about her "date" with Lauren.
Bo couldn't help but smile at the feeling that thought gave her. It wasn't a date, but it sure felt like one. She definitely had the date jitters, which was silly considering the two had already seen each other naked and spent an amazing and dramatic two weeks together at the farm.
Then, Bo would remember that Lauren had left her, had refused to fight. This caused the woman to reel in her emotions and desires. She was afraid of losing herself in the doctor again, so she willed herself to calm her succubus-enhanced hormones and made sure to feed before she got to the Dal. When she walked in and saw Lauren sitting in that same spot she had seen her a few weeks ago, perched in the corner at the bar, Bo wished she had eaten more than a snack because she felt extremely hungry again and knew she had a craving for the blonde.
Even though she knew Lauren felt her presence, Bo stayed back and watched the woman before approaching the bar. She still looked extremely sad and tired, but there was a hint of hope in her aura that caused Bo's own energy to tense in anticipation. Why did she want this woman so much? What was it about Lauren that caused the succubus to feel like a lovestruck teenager?
The blonde was sitting there at the bar, acting like she didn't notice Bo staring at her. For some reason, knowing that the connection they felt went both ways, despite Lauren fighting it, made Bo's confidence return. The longer she stared at Lauren, the higher the doctor's energy became; the succubus in her was extremely happy to know she could have such a massive effect on the blonde without even being that close to her. That is what made Bo finally move towards her, though she did make sure to invade the doctor's personal space by scooting the unoccupied stool next to her much closer. She ignored Trick's unreadable stare at viewing this action. She was still mad at him.
"Why hello, doctor. Fancy meeting you here." Bo decided playful was the best approach. She was in a good mood, so why not try to see if she could make it even better.
"Oh! Did I get the day wrong?" Lauren was only given the same day off every week, so Bo chose to ignore the doctor's panic. The blonde was extremely tense.
"Lauren, relax." The two of them just stared longingly at each other for awhile before Trick made his way over to them.
"I noticed the lack of a fae war, so I am assuming you miraculously managed to get through to your mother." The way Trick was staring between the two women made Bo feel defensive. "Should I be worried?"
"Not at all." Bo arched an eyebrow, challenging the old man to say something. By the way he kept looking at them, she knew he meant more than just her mother's disappearance. "We need tequila, and lots of it."
"Sure." Trick's steeled jaw and narrowed gaze told her that he wanted to talk about this further, but that he was backing down for now. He left them alone to prep the drinks.
"I can't drink tequila right now; I tend to lose control." Lauren looked panicked about the prospect of losing said control, of loosening and relaxing. Bo leaned forward into the doctor, twirling her finger around the wavy locks falling over the blonde's pink dress shirt. She loved this shirt on her.
"I know." Bo arched an eyebrow in challenge again, only this time it was more 'come and get it' instead of the 'go away' challenge she sent to Trick. Lauren didn't get a chance to respond as Trick laid several full shot glasses on the table, along with two salt shakers and a bowl of limes. He sent Bo another warning glance, indicating with his eyes to the blonde, but she ignored him once again. He seemed to huff at this, but he still left them alone.
"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?" Lauren was staring at the small glass in her hands, her voice soft.
"Not at all." Bo knew exactly what she meant, and she had every intention of finally having that talk. "I want you; that never changed, and you know that I know that you still want me. I've just decided to fight for that, for what I know we can have, no matter how stubborn you are."
"I am sorry." Lauren's deep brown eyes showed a haunted expression when they finally met Bo's. "I wish I could make you understand why this is for the best."
"That's where you're wrong. This is the worst thing, not the best." Instead of leaning in even further, knowing the blonde would probably pull away, Bo just dropped her voice, hoping no fae with some weird super hearing power was eavesdropping on their very public discussion. "I didn't at first, but I get why you left me now. For the smartest woman I know, you can be really dumb sometimes."
"I want you safe." The blonde maintained eye contact, and Bo knew if they weren't so close right now, it would be hard to see the tears brimming behind Lauren's eyes. "It doesn't matter what we feel for each other; I will not be the reason you're dead."
"There has to be a loophole. How did your mother get around it?" Bo had been curious about why Lauren's parents could crossbreed, yet Lauren wasn't willing to fight for the same thing. It was one reason why she was so hurt by the doctor's actions.
"It's complicated." Lauren leaned back against the wall, trying to escape the close proximity without being too obvious.
"It doesn't have to be if you'd just tell me." Bo was close enough to her, and they were hidden well enough, that she felt comfortable placing a hand on the doctor's knee. "Tell me so I know how to fight for you."
"My parents were never in love; it was an arranged marriage between the fae elders and my father's parents. His parents went to an Oracle, found out my father will be Prime Minister one day, an important politician. The fae decided to use that to their advantage, no matter the consequences of my parents' coupling." Lauren finally downed the tequila that she had been playing with; Bo decided to make her feel better by downing a shot, as well. Granted, it made Bo feel better, too, if only for a moment.
"Meaning children; meaning you." Bo nodded that she understood, though she did hold back from commenting on how shady and shitty the fae world really was. "That doesn't explain why you decided that being a slave to the Light was a good idea."
"I didn't know any of this until after I declared my fealty. I didn't know who I was, who my family was, until later. The Ash and Morrigan were going to call a hit on my brother and sisters, afraid they would find out about the fae, too. The One Rule is really the be all end all." Lauren hesitated before picking up another shot. Bo mirrored her action, though she could tell the blonde was not really ready to talk about this. "I offered my servitude in exchange for their lives, guaranteeing I would find a way for them to never find out about the fae."
"Why choose the Light?" They downed their third shot, and Bo noticed Lauren start to loosen a little.
"I…well…the Ash and the Morrigan gave me a similar choice, like you were given."
"They made you go through that test? But you're not fae!" Bo saw the people sitting around them had turned at her slight outburst, so she just smiled at them before turning around and quickly slamming her fourth tequila shot.
"Not like yours exactly. They more…took turns trying to convince me which side to choose. I was given two days with the Morrigan and two days with the Ash."
"What happened?" Bo was actually afraid of that answer.
"Well, I wasn't given flowers and candy. They each had their own methods, but I…didn't like the Morrigan's, even if I still wasn't a fan of the Ash's." Lauren took Bo's last shot, sucking on the lime harshly, her face turning a bright pink. Bo could read the discomfort from the memories, so even though she really wanted to know what had happened, the succubus let it drop. "I made a choice. I still stand by that choice and accept the consequences."
"That's still shitty." Bo looked at Lauren; really looked at her. She was so…beautiful and tragic. "Come home with me."
"What?" From her expression, the quick consumption of tequila had caught up with Lauren.
"Come home with me." Bo was serious, and she wanted Lauren to know how serious she was. "Tonight, it will look like any old fae/human feeding. Nobody will think anything of it. You were seduced by a hungry succubus; that's all they will know."
"I can't just have sex with you. It would complicate things so much more." Lauren didn't want to protest, Bo could tell. Her energy spiked exponentially in the last few seconds.
"While I would be a big fan if that's what happened, I don't expect anything. Just...I don't want to share you with everyone. This place is too public, you just told me something huge, and I know you want to leave. I just don't want you to leave without me again, so…come home with me."
Instead of protesting further, Lauren seemed to stare at nothing before slightly nodding and grabbing her jacket from behind her chair. Bo quickly ushered her out of the Dal and to the clubhouse before the blonde had a chance to change her mind.
Lauren imagined Bo pulling over on the side of the road and moving to straddle her in the passenger seat. When that didn't happen, she imagined Bo grabbing her, pushing her against the door to the clubhouse, and kissing her deeply. When that didn't happen, she imagined Bo picking her up in her supernaturally and naturally strong arms and taking her to bed.
Nothing happened.
Lauren was frustrated. What made matters worse is that she knew the succubus knew how she was feeling. They both seemed to be fighting their desires as they made it all the way to the clubhouse, sitting on the old couch and enjoying a shot of cheap tequila, with no touching at all. Bo had even made it a point to not touch the doctor when handing her the glass.
When Bo had suggested coming home with her, Lauren knew her nervousness would usually sober her, but she wanted to go so much that her logical argument, that this was going to make things worse and harder for them, went void in her mind. She had never allowed herself to be that vulnerable with anyone, especially since the littlest bit of information could be a person's, especially a human's, downfall in the fae world. In fact, she had never told anyone about her parents. As far as she was aware, only five people (besides her now deceased grandparents and the Oracle who "disappeared" after the reading) knew about her reasons for fealty: her; her mother; Gram; the Ash; and the Morrigan.
Lauren finally realized that she had shared something huge with Bo. This made her panic. Looking up, she noticed that Bo had sensed it.
"Hey, it's okay." Bo took her shot before laying the glass down on the coffee table. She took Lauren's empty one before filling them both and handing the doctor her glass, this time, their fingers touching briefly. "I wasn't kidding; I'm not expecting anything. There's no need to be nervous. We can just talk more, if you want."
"Talking." Lauren closed her eyes, letting the liquor burn the back of her throat as a distraction to the tingling in her stomach and throbbing in her lower half.
"Lauren, are you okay?" Bo moved forward and placed a tentative hand on the blonde's knee. Lauren was proud of herself for not physically jumping, even though her entire insides were at the simple touch.
"What? Hmm, just…talking is good. Yes to talking." The blonde cleared her throat before handing Bo her empty shotglass.
"You're a doctor. Shouldn't you be warning me about excessive drinking or something?" Bo chuckled before pouring them both another shot. Lauren lost count of her own consumption, but she knew her control was faltering. Her mind was already losing its logic; the little bit of control she did have was spent keeping her from just grabbing Bo and doing what she knew they both wanted.
"Normally, yes. We wouldn't want you to lose control, too; not since you've worked so hard to gain it." Lauren knew that the succubus was always worried about losing control with her feeding; she also knew that Bo could handle her liquor better than she could. "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a drunken succubus booty call. We don't know the effect that alcohol has on your abilities."
"Well, I can assure you that alcohol does not affect my ability to perform." Bo just gave that lusty stare she always did; the one that made Lauren's desire spike even more. "Besides, I think you already know that, doctor."
"I do, yes." Lauren leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and laying the glass on the table before folding her fingers loosely together. She couldn't look at Bo right now, or the tequila's effect on her would really take the reins. "I want to fight, Bo, for you. I just…know that I can't. If I do, one or both of us could end up dead. The thought of you dead is worse than the thought of not being with you, alive."
"It wasn't fair that you didn't let me have a say in the matter." Bo placed her own shotglass on the table before fully turning her body on the couch so that she was completely facing the doctor's profile. "You took away our last few days together."
"I'm sorry. I thought it would make things easier." Lauren moved her hands to cover her face, elbows still lazily resting on her knees.
"Hey…" Bo gently pulled the doctor's hands away from her face, loosely gripping Lauren's wrist and only using enough force to let her know she was serious. "Like I said earlier: I get it now. I'm not saying I'm still not mad, or that I'm sure I trust you not to do it again. I just know what we had, what we have, is something worth fighting for. You may not be willing to fight, or can't, or whatever, but I'll be damned if I let anybody, fae or human, Light or Dark, tell me who I can or can't be with. That's my choice; not theirs."
"You're so amazing." Feeling the effects of both the liquor and Bo's touch on her wrist, Lauren risked looking at the succubus. The steeled resolution in the woman's body and facial expression made Lauren audibly gasp. "You're…"
Lauren just felt herself smile. The heavy tension in the air, both from their unresolved issues and sexual desires, caused her to finally let it all go and just smile. Eventually, she lowly chuckled. Then, her chuckle turned into a full bodied laugh.
Bo just stared at her, obviously trying to decide if this was a good thing or not. She must have decided on the good, as she started to laugh along with her. When they finished their marathon laughing, they both calmed and stared at one another, flushed from the activity. Before thinking too long on the consequences, Lauren leaned forward slowly and kissed Bo. Pulling back, she still kept her fingers idly massaging the brunette's skull while intimately leaning their foreheads together.
"We really are a pair." Lauren sighed, inhaling the remnants of alcohol on Bo's breath. "I'm not going to sleep with you." Slowly, the blonde leaned forward again, administering a hot, slow kiss, enjoying the feel of Bo's soft lips pressed against her own.
"You have a funny way of showing it." Bo leaned forward and kissed her this time, only slightly adding more pressure from the last kiss.
"I'm not going to sleep with you." Lauren was repeating this in her head, as well, willing it to be so, even as she kissed the woman yet again.
"Yeah, well, I'm not going to sleep with you, either." Bo moved her hands to place warm hands on Lauren's thighs. The doctor's entire body felt the electricity from the touch; she was surprised to find Bo hadn't used her superpowers on her.
"I'm not going to." Lauren moved her hands, which were still lightly gripping Bo's head, down to idly rest on the other woman's clavicle before leaning in and kissing her again.
"Kenzi should be home soon." From Bo's tone, the woman did not seem to care about this fact, other than for the possible interruption. Lauren hadn't even noticed how whispered their voices were until the succubus interrupted their verbal pattern.
"I should go." Lauren moved her eyes from staring at Bo's mouth so that she could make eye contact. She was not surprised to find the succubus's eyes glowing a bright blue. It was obvious the woman was restraining herself.
"Stay." Bo's eyes shifted to a highly dilated brown shade. The unspoken desire and need between that gaze caused the blonde to pull the succubus in for a full embrace. "I promise to behave myself."
"The Ash will be suspicious if I stay." Lauren pulled away from the embrace and hesitated before standing from the couch. "If I stay, then that will make it more difficult for you to do what you say you want."
"What's that?" Bo didn't move from her position on the couch; instead, she just turned her body to follow as the doctor grabbed her jacket and made her way towards the door.
"To fight for me." Lauren had her back turned to Bo, ready to walk out the door, but she looked over her shoulder, hoping that Bo understand what she meant. This was her way of fighting: she was going to let someone else take care of her for a change.
