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For some reason, Lauren had always imagined that being sucked in a big black hole felt different. That was one of her early youth fantasies, when somewhat more realistic but equally naïve ideas about doctors without borders hadn't caught up with her yet. Star gazing with her own telescope, she had dreamt of becoming the first theoretic physicist slash astronaut who'd figure out how to travel to trough black holes. Of course she had never told anyone about it, but she had thought about it nonetheless.
It didn't, though. It felt completely different from what she had imagined it would. Lying in the dark in her bed when one floor beneath her the Dark Valkyrie was sleeping on her couch, only separated by a thin layer of concrete from Lauren, ice water filled her lungs and stomach until she was sure that, even if she had tried, she wouldn't have been able to move.
The kiss haunted her. Bo haunted her.
The thing that scared her the most was her own reaction. She hadn't been able to answer Tamsin's question. Tamsin had smirked, not lifted her eyes from Lauren's, and sprawled on the couch like a cat. Lauren had wanted to snap at her for being the most arrogant woman she had ever met, or yell at her for shattering the fragile bond of trust they had started to develop. A tiny part of her had started to like the Valkyrie. Yes, she was rude and annoying at best, outright manipulative at worst, but she didn't let anyone mess with her.
Lauren would have never called it friendship. But the Dark Fae presented a welcome difference to all her colleagues and the other Light Fae she knew. Tamsin was cocky, reckless and self-confident. A small part of Lauren had admired this freedom Tamsin had.
And then Tamsin had proceeded to destroy every bit of positive feelings towards her single-handedly. She had used her to hide the sphere and caused her to turn around and leave, fleeing from the Fae in her own living room. Honestly, what on earth had she expected after what had happened between them?
And then there was Bo. Whenever Lauren closed her eyes she saw her smiling face above her. She didn't know whether she could trust her. She wanted to, she longed for it, to be able to let go for once and let Bo catch her, but she couldn't. Bo had used her powers, Lauren was sure about that by now, and that was overstepping the boundaries. It was not okay to do that, especially right now. Even though it had felt right.
Lauren wondered whether Tamsin was listening as attentively for her every breath as she was for the Valkyrie's. Not that she could hear her, of course. Her bedroom door was firmly closed. And the light emerging from the narrow gap between it and the floor had vanished long ago, so the Valkyrie had probably gone to sleep as well. Once Lauren thought she could hear her footsteps, though.
The memories swirled in her head until she was unable to distinguish between Bo's brown eyes and Tamsin's blood on her lip.
Her consciousness flickered, and then somehow she succumbed to deep sleep, luckily without dreams, or at least she didn't remember them.
When she woke up in the morning her bed sheets were damp with sweat, though. She spent two minutes just lying there with closed eyes, hoping that last night had been a bad dream.
Last night she had yielded to Tamsin. The Valkyrie had played her cards well. She knew Lauren would have never allowed her in her home, so she had attacked her defenses in the most unexpected way. The kiss had managed to baffle Lauren so much that she had rather left the room to escape Tamsin than confront her. By the light of the new day the human collected her thoughts. Everything looked better in the morning anyways. First, she'd throw Tamsin out, and then she'd call Bo. Work would have to wait, for once. She got up and went into the bathroom to shower.
Tamsin was lying on the couch, her arms crossed and resting on her face to block the sunlight streaming through the window. Her leather jacket was carelessly flung on one of the chairs. She had kicked off her boots without bothering to pick them up from where they had fallen on the floor. Lauren nearly tripped over one of them. She walked past the sleeping Valkyrie to the kitchen.
Tamsin's breath was soft and deep. While making coffee Lauren rattled with the cups and dishes, definitely louder than necessary.
Tamsin's response didn't take long. Before the water boiled she had groaned twice and begun to stretch her lithe body. Lauren was sure she mumbled something like "Jesus fucking Christ, what time…" while rubbing her eyes. The pleasant feeling of satisfaction settled in Lauren's chest. She had to bite her lips to restrain herself from wishing Tamsin a sarcastic "Good morning". She really hoped that Tamsin had a proper headache.
"What, don't I get a 'rise and shine, love'?" Tamsin asked instead, throwing an annoyed glance in the direction of the noise.
Lauren ignored her. She poured herself a cup of coffee with milk and took a sip. "I don't know what exactly you pulled last night, but I would be very grateful if you could just go home. And take that sphere with you, I am not helping you any longer," Lauren stated.
"How about breakfast at first?" The Valkyrie sat up slowly.
"Tamsin," Lauren sighed.
"Sorry, can't."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, when I said I needed to stay here I also meant that I couldn't sleep at home."
Lauren stared at her for a moment. "What exactly are you trying to tell me?"
Even though Lauren did her best to glare at her Tamsin took her time. She stood up and strolled to the kitchen counter. Somehow she knew exactly in which cupboard Lauren kept her cups. She helped herself to some coffee as well, before she answered, with a faint note of contempt in her voice.
"They discovered my home. They searched it. And it looks like these imbeciles set it on fire. It spread, apparently. I didn't get close though, the police were all over the place. I'm not registered as the owner and I had no intention of spending the night in jail because of suspicious behavior," Tamsin said flatly.
"Shit," escaped Lauren's lips. That was not what she had wanted to hear. And sadly, the morning news did feature a story about a fire downtown. Lauren checked them while Tamsin sipped her coffee.
"Your couch is the worst, I can't feel my lower back anymore," she complained, the coffee had apparently revived her.
"I thought you were a warrior? You're a bit delicate for a true-born Valkyrie, don't you think?"
Tamsin laughed. "I have my standards, you know."
"So, someone burns down your house and the first place you go to is here?"
"Jesus, Lauren, thank God you don't earn your living with thinking," Lauren rolled her eyes while Tamsin continued. "These Berserks are after the sphere and probably know where it is if they knew where I lived as well. I couldn't let them –" The Valkyrie stopped abruptly, shaking her head.
This was not going the way Lauren had planned. Tamsin should have left by now.
Instead, Lauren watched her across the rim of her cup. She didn't know how she was supposed to think about all this. She was still angry at the Valkyrie, after all. But she had let herself being dragged into this mess. It was only going to get worse if these Fae knew where her place was.
Then Tamsin's stomach grumbled audibly. Despite her irritation, Lauren had to smile.
"Okay, maybe you can get your breakfast before I throw you out."
For a blink Tamsin looked at her almost thankfully. It was so short Lauren couldn't tell whether she had just imagined it. Then her familiar smirk reappeared. "Thanks, Doc," she drawled.
They continued to talk while Lauren rummaged in the kitchen, handing everything to Tamsin who, leisurely, set the table. She was still wearing the same jeans and tank top as yesterday, but Lauren didn't intend to help her with that.
"And what the hell was that last night?"
Tamsin grinned at Lauren's choice of words. "Oh, and I figured you were the type who swept everything under the carpet."
"I'm beginning to think you can't handle alcohol."
"Say again?" Now it was Tamsin's time to burst out. "You were the one who fled to her room like a startled deer!"
"You practically jumped on me in my living room in the middle of the night!"
"You bit me!" Tamsin was genuinely enjoying herself by now. Lauren let the subject drop.
After a short silence Tamsin asked gently, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, of course!" Lauren frowned while answering.
"You are a shit liar." After a short while she added "I'm sorry."
…
After their breakfast Tamsin wanted Lauren to bring down the sphere.
"Don't you think it's time for you to stark looking for a place where you can stay tonight? And maybe buy new stuff or find out if you can rescue something from your house?"
"Now that I had my coffee the sphere is slightly more important. We have to find out how to use it before these bastards come to get it. They are dangerous and very likely out for blood."
Lauren was still not persuaded. "If they are so good, but haven't turned up by now, why do you think they will at all?"
"Because I say so." Her arrogance was beginning to anger Lauren.
But she didn't push her further on this point. "Besides, your sphere has not responded to anything I've tried. Not a single one of my instruments could detect it, not even ultrasound or PET, and I was really desperate when I tried that. For a short while I thought it was harnessing electricity, though. Charged particles in general seem to respond, since I tried a magnifying transmitter from the Light compound. But something similar to superconductivity occurs way too often to …" Lauren's voice trailed off as Tamsin frowned. Her geek speak had taken over again, she realized.
But Tamsin continued to surprise her greatly. She urged her on. Tamsin understood completely what Lauren was rambling about. "Yes, the superconductivity? I guess RVB doesn't explain it."
"Exactly!" Lauren continued her accounts of what she'd found in the last days. It didn't take her long, though, since it had been so little. But she was immensely thankful that Tamsin didn't need any extra explanation on the underlying physics. She made a mental note to ask the Valkyrie where she had her knowledge from.
In the end Tamsin sighed heavily. Tamsin put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, staring at Lauren. "I had hoped for more."
"It's Fae. You can't expect me to crack it with human tech in a couple of days. Maybe if you gave me more information I could try some Fae stuff as well."
"I have nothing more. And that won't work. It has built-in mechanisms against everything Fae."
"That's why you came to me in the first place?"
"First of all, you came to me, if I remember correctly, and secondly, you are the best."
Lauren swallowed. Tamsin had answered with what seemed to be complete, though casual, honesty, since her eyes glinted with amusement at the first part.
"So," Lauren went on, "if these Berserks are presumably still looking for the sphere, why haven't they attacked yet?"
"I don't know, but I guess they are waiting for orders. They weren't supposed to lose me in the first place. And most of all they didn't expect to lose a brother to the succubus. They were raging after that. I guess in their fury they set my house on fire after they searched it for me."
A sudden thought hit Lauren. She wasn't able to hide the fear in her next question. "Is Bo in danger?"
Tamsin grinned at Lauren's reaction. "Not more than usual. Don't worry, unlike you the succubus can watch out for herself, as you might have noticed."
Lauren sighed. She didn't think so.
Tamsin cocked her head to her side. "Why do you still care so much for her anyways? I thought she treated you like shit."
"She didn't." Lauren's answer was calm and firm. She tried to end the topic with it. It didn't work, of course.
"I mean, once you slapped me when I mentioned her."
Lauren wanted to say "I am not going to discuss this with you." She wanted to show Tamsin where her boundaries were. She wanted to slap her again, for bringing up this topic. Lauren had been able to push it back, for once, and now her emotions came back roaring at her. It was complicated and Tamsin didn't help to solve the issue, not at all. Lauren needed her to shut up.
Instead she said "Why did you and Bo kiss?" Her question slipped out of her mouth quietly, like it had been nagging in the back of her head for weeks. But her tone was urgent and her eyes betrayed her as well.
Tamsin stared at her for a split second, before breaking into soft laughter. "Seriously? That's what you are still worried about? By now you really should have realized that I don't put that much meaning into whom I kiss. Besides", she hesitated for a second and eyed Lauren closely," Bo is all over you. She runs after you like a small dog."
"Do I look like I need your opinion on Bo's and mine relationship?" Lauren snapped back. She was angry with Tamsin for her answer, and furious with herself for asking in the first place.
Amusement glinted in the Valkyrie's eyes. "You look like you need advice in general."
"Excuse me?"
"Just sayin'."
"You just managed to get your place burnt to the ground!"
Tamsin laughed again. Lauren couldn't understand her. Her whole situation was horrible. She was apparently in deep trouble with her past, there were assassins on her back, and she had just lost her house, presumably with all her things in it. Lauren would have felt desperate. Instead, Tamsin was sitting here, enjoying herself tremendously at making Lauren feel uncomfortable. The human stared at her at loss for words. She just didn't get the Valkyrie.
Tamsin seemed to read Lauren's mind about her strange behavior in this situation. "I know how to help myself." She gave her the broadest smile. "But if it comes to the worst, I will just disappear for a while again."
Lauren raised her eyebrows. She studied Tamsin's face for a moment. And if she was not going to get rid of Tamsin easily as she had planned to this morning, then she could at least return her treatment.
"You know, I think in reality bitch doesn't go well with you."
For once, she'd caught Tamsin off-guard. Her reply was defensive. "You think? As I said, sometimes you are spectacularly ignorant of the world around you." She sounded almost offended when she snarled "Do you know that I used to be a bounty hunter?"
"Are you trying to tell me that this is not the first time this has happened to you?"
"I've never had a price on my head, but the rest… Maybe. Once or twice."
"Then you're doing something wrong."
Tamsin drew a deep breath. "You have no idea what you are talking about, Lauren."
"Then just tell me!" Lauren exclaimed loudly.
Silence settled in between them. Tamsin looked at her with clarity, and maybe something like regret. For the first time Lauren thought that, maybe, she could detect something that faintly resembled a feeling of worry. It seemed strange, though, to mix these two. Tamsin's eyes shone vividly green and once again Lauren was reminded of the sea. She wondered when the last time had been someone had asked the Valkyrie about her past. Maybe Tamsin was lonely. Lauren had never thought about her in that way. But then Tamsin's expression withered away like dust during rain.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Trust me on this."
Lauren gave a short, bitter laugh. "Why on earth should I do that? I have absolutely no reason to."
Tamsin bent forward lazily. Her fingers casually traced intricate patterns on the table. She didn't look away from Lauren's eyes, though, not once. The light in her eyes changed again. They glinted dangerously in the bright morning sunshine, and her sweet grin displayed her white teeth, like baring them casually. "You're going to anyways."
And she was right. Lauren stood up. "I'm going to call Bo. Maybe we can figure something out about these Berserks."
"I'm going to get the sphere." Before Lauren could stop her, Tamsin had jumped up as well and rushed up the stairs. She sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Bo was still the most called contact on her list.
She picked up almost immediately.
"Morning, ba- Lauren!" Bo sounded happy.
"Hi Bo," Lauren answered. "Where are you?"
"It's nice to hear your voice again," the succubus breathed into her cell phone, before resuming her normal tone. "Funny, I just wanted to call you as well. Please don't be mad at me, but I am in your street right now."
Lauren frowned.
"I wanted to surprise you with taking you out for breakfast," Lauren felt a pang of guilt as her eyes fell on the remains of her breakfast on the kitchen table, "but now I've been sitting in my car for a while, watching your place. There are some suspicious looking guys in front of your door."