Hi! First things first I'd like to thank you all for your reviews, your kind words, they really make my day. I read all of them and I'm grateful for all of the favourites, follows, PM and reviews. Again thank you for reading this story and I hope you'll like this chapter. You guys rock! Go team Doccubus! I apologize for how long it took me to update, I kind of experienced a bout of writer's block with this chap 10. Well thank heaven chap 11 on the contrary seems to cooperate so far lol Some of you wonder how Bo could suspect Victoria (not Veronica thank you for pointing it out :D) for the mark and it'll be addressed in the next chapter and hopefully it'll be clearer. Thank you to my beta Kravn for all your recommendations, good advices and the amazing work. Thank you guys and here's chap 10, I'm done talking I promise :D Enjoy!
Wilson High School Academy
With a skip in her step and a beaming smile on her face, Lauren made her way to the entrance of the school. While her mother had found her attitude amusing, her father always made a sour face whenever Bo was mentioned. Lauren couldn't help but sigh when she thought about the brunette, they had spent the entire week end practically on the phone starting from the moment Bo left her house on Saturday night - texting or just talking to one another, just to hear the sound of the other's voice. She thought back to how she would make fun of other people's silly behavior whenever they were infatuated - their jumbled mess of hormones dictating their actions and behavior. However, Bo wasn't an infatuation; she was certain of this like she was certain that she needed oxygen to breathe. Everything about Bo just felt right; how it felt being in her arms; the feel of her lips; just holding her; or the sensation of her honey and cinnamon scent lingering on her skin after a make out session. Lauren shook her head and sighed again, her smile still fixed on her face. She saw Nadia ahead of her and decided that it was the perfect opportunity to go talk to her. Lauren finally caught up with the brunette at the entrance of the school; she put her hand on the girl's shoulder, stopping her. Nadia turned to her, looking annoyed and the blonde instinctively pulled her hand back.
"Hi stranger! I've been calling all week end, what were you up to?" Lauren asked tentatively, Nadia raised an eyebrow at that.
"Really, you have?"
Lauren nodded dumbly, completely thrown off by her friend's antagonizing posture.
"Yes I have, I was worried. Are you okay?" Despite her murderous looks, Lauren put her hand on Nadia's arm, rubbing softly; she led the brunette away from the entrance as students were funneling through the doors of the school trying to make it inside before the bell rang. Despite the genuine concern on her friend's face, Nadia swatted Lauren's hand away.
"Okay what's wrong with you?" Here went her good mood, the blonde thought as Nadia figuratively threw a bucket of ice cold water on it.
"No what's wrong with you Lauren! You weren't in the library last week during our lunch breaks nor did you seem worried." Nadia said softly. All color drained from Lauren's face, she didn't need Nadia to confirm anything. Somehow Nadia knew about her and Bo; whatever plan she had of telling her friend was thrown out the window now, she will have to wing it and hope for the best.
"Okay I wasn't. I should've told you sooner but I tried to tell you all last week." Lauren justified herself, unfortunately, it didn't work because Nadia narrowed her eyes at her.
"Really? When have you been trying?! Because it sure didn't look like you were trying when you had your tongue down her throat!" Nadia shouted angrily. Students that had been milling around, talking to their friends, started to look at them curiously. Nadia started to walk away when Lauren's hand latched on her arm, effectively stopping her in her tracks; with a firm tug Lauren turned her around to face her.
"Would you calm down and let me explain! It's not what you think!" The blonde hissed, Nadia was trying to free her arm out of her friend's grip but she seemed to have more strength than she thought.
"Not what I think?! Lauren I am supposed to be your friend and you went behind my back, getting all hot and heavy in the halls with Bo McCorrigan of all people!" Nadia spat in anger; a few gasps could be heard around them followed by some whispers. Nadia felt rage start to consume her all over again when she saw the approaching brunette. Bo stared at the friends curiously; obviously she had stepped into some sort of war zone - Nadia was glaring at her, students were gawking at them and Lauren looked pissed. Sighing, she went to shoo away the students that were watching and left the two girls to talk or more like, snarl at each other. She just couldn't have a day without drama, could she? She thought dryly. All the Encantado business was enough, she had tried to speak to Victoria the whole damn weekend but the girl wasn't answering her phone. And now that she hoped for a quiet day of school, she wasn't going to get it from the looks of it, as Nadia and Lauren were still arguing.
"Why are you acting like this? Is it because you don't like her or just because you think I need to ask for your permission first?" Lauren snapped at Nadia.
"You don't understand Lauren!" Nadia exclaimed frustratingly, glaring at Bo who was now approaching the blonde.
"Hey!" Bo greeted awkwardly, Lauren turned to look at her and gave her a small smile. "Everything okay here?" Bo asked softly, Lauren nodded and turned back to her friend; her expression morphed back to annoyance.
"À merveille; just peachy!" Lauren answered sarcastically; it was in those moments when her girlfriend would mutter words in French that Bo was grateful for what little knowledge she had of the language because she knew Lauren was not happy.
"Yeah everything is just fine Bo! Now could you leave us the hell alone!" Nadia growled at the brunette. Bo looked at her from head to toe, not believing the nerve of the girl.
"Don't talk to her like that Nadia, she didn't do anything to you!" Lauren stated; the calm, peaceful conversation she hoped to have with her friend took a turn for the worst and she didn't even understand why. She took Bo's hand in hers and brought her close. Bo smirked at Nadia's surprised expression.
"I can't believe this; you must've lost your mind Lauren! She's not worth your time; the second you turn your head you'll find her hooked up with the next pretty thing that catches her eye." As soon as the snarky comment was out of Nadia's mouth, Bo took a step towards the girl; dragging Lauren with her in the process; she stood dangerously close to Nadia.
"I get the whole best friend's protectiveness act, believe me I do but I'll be damned if I let you or anyone else say that kind of bullshit to my face. And news flash! What Lauren and I do is none of your damn business. I, contrary to Lauren, don't give a flying fuck about what you think! We are together, period! If you don't like it you can shove it!" Bo growled, glaring at the girl, Nadia took a step back from Bo and crossed her arms over her chest. She was slightly intimidated by the brunette even if she tried not to show it.
"Is this really the kind of girl you want to be with, the kind that curses like a sailor?" Nadia shot Bo a dirty look before looking at the blonde, almost pleadingly, wanting Lauren to deny all of this so they could go back to the way they were before Bo McCorrigan showed her face.
"You're really looking for a fight, aren't you?" Bo said before Lauren could say a word and Nadia gave Bo a look that said 'bring it on'.
"No one is going to fight. Where do you think you are? At a wrestling match!" The blonde exclaimed, breaking the glaring contest between Bo and Nadia. Lauren gave a sigh, turning to Bo; with her free hand, she hooked a finger in one of her girlfriend's front jean's pocket, and pulled her close to her and away from Nadia. "No fighting today." Lauren said, punctuating the last word with a tug at the jean's pocket. If the mood wasn't so edgy she would've actually laughed when Bo looked almost deflated at those words. "Besides Nadia didn't mean what she said." Lauren said.
"Are you kidding?! She practically called me a slut and you're saying she didn't mean it?" Bo asked, looking bewildered at the blonde; Nadia just watched the two with a smile on her face, Lauren was taking her side.
"No she didn't and it doesn't matter so just let it go okay?" Bo didn't know if it was Lauren's soft tone or the feel of their fingers laced together but she reluctantly nodded and tried get a hold on her anger even if she wanted to bitch-slap, well the bitch.
"This is so not the way I planned to tell you all of this but now that you know I feel better because I can share this with you. You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell you about Bo. Please can we just stop with the name calling? I just want my best friend to be happy for me." The two friends stared at each other and Bo started to feel a little uncomfortable; she felt as if she was intruding on the two friends. She started to wriggle her hand free but Lauren only held on tighter causing Bo to stay put.
"Well I certainly didn't plan on stumbling upon you two kissing in the hall, so I guess we're even." Nadia said glaring at Bo, she looked longingly at how the two held hands and couldn't help but think that her hand would fit better in the blonde's. She was in love with Lauren and Bo had stolen her friend from her. They had been friends since Elementary; she was the one who knew her best and it should be her with Lauren, Nadia thought sadly. Bo McCorrigan was a shameless flirt and Lauren didn't seem to mind at all; it was obvious Bo had tricked Lauren somehow and had her totally under her spell.
"But you can't ask me to stand by and be happy for you while you're making a mistake." Nadia shook her head sadly looking at the blonde. The look on Lauren face was enough to break her heart even more. Nadia thought that the two days she had spent in her room crying over old pictures of the two of them would lessen the pain but she realized that it only made it worse now that Lauren was here with her. "I can't do this." Nadia finally muttered, squeezing her eyes shut; she could already feel the tears coming, but she couldn't cry, not now. She turned abruptly, preparing to flee and go to her class but Lauren's broken voice stopped her.
"You can't do what?" Lauren asked, almost afraid of her friend's answer; she knew that Nadia was sad; they had always been able to read each other so well. The only day the blonde had witnessed such pain in her friend's eyes was the day she had to leave the country but surely what was happening now wasn't nearly as dramatic or so she thought until she heard the word's tumbling from Nadia's mouth.
"Be your friend, I can't be your friend anymore." With those words, Nadia walked away to go to her class, a lonely tear trailing down her face. Bo stood there watching Nadia's retreating back totally flabbergasted at what the girl said. She looked at Lauren who had a shocked expression on her face. Bo started to worry when the blonde didn't make a move or show any sign that she heard the bell ring a few seconds ago. Bo didn't get an answer when she called her name; it was only when she grazed the blonde's cheek with her fingers that Lauren seemed to come out of whatever trance she was in.
"I know this is a dumb question but are you okay?"
Lauren let out a humorless laugh. "Okay? My best friend… my only friend in this whole damn school doesn't want to speak to me anymore. To sum it all up, I've had better days than this one." Lauren said, not realizing how harsh she sounded when only a few minutes ago she had been on cloud nine. It seemed so long ago. Bo nodded silently, feeling quite stupid for asking the question in the first place.
"You know I'm your friend too." Bo whispered looking at the blonde and Lauren's expression softened. "I wish I could do something to make this okay but I don't know what. If you want I could knock some sense into your friend; Dyson always said that I had a mean right hook?" Bo suggested in a soft voice; Lauren had to laugh seeing the genuine concern in her girlfriend's eyes. She never would have thought that a proposition to beat someone up would sound so cute. Only Bo could suggest such a thing in order to make her feel better; her girlfriend was really something else.
"No thank you. But maybe you could hold me in your arms? I could really use a hug right now." The blonde asked; her voice breaking slightly and her half smile not really reaching her eyes. Bo didn't need to be asked twice and immediately engulfed the blonde in a bone crushing hug. Lauren held onto the brunette tightly, nuzzling her face in the crook of her neck. Bo gave a slight squeeze and trailed her fingers slowly down Lauren's lower back while stroking her hair with her other hand. The second bell rang; the halls were already deserted due to everyone being in class; however, they had no intention of moving from that spot. For Bo, her place was right here with her girlfriend and if she had to hold her like this for hours, she would. When she felt moisture on her neck and Lauren's body shaking lightly against hers, she held her tighter and continued to comfort her by peppering her hair with kisses.
The McCorrigan's residence
The Ash sat comfortably facing the Blood King, briefing him on the meeting with the Queen of the Encantados. It was rare that Trick came to the Ash's compound as it was too formal; the leader of the Light secretly preferred visiting his house as it was in a nice neighborhood far from prying and inquisitive Fae ears; well except for the youngsters in the house, including the troublesome young Succubus. Trick's brood had a lukewarm attitude towards him but they didn't antagonize him on a regular basis like the Succubus did - she was brash and couldn't be reasoned with.
"The Morrigan is starting to show some sign of impatience and suggested that we kick them back to the sea where they belong once and for all… her words, not mine." Trick frowned at that, things were obviously not looking good for these peace talks.
"Doing that would increase the risk of war starting between us and I fear that the Light and the Dark can't afford that." Trick spoke calmly, putting his coffee down on the small table between them.
"I'm aware of that Blood King; tell me something that I don't already know. The Queen is hell bent on changing our laws. We need another alternative in case this negotiation doesn't work. Gods forbid but if the Encantados don't cease their attacks on our people then we'll have no choice but to retaliate." The Ash said solemnly; Trick nodded his understanding; there was no time to lose - Encantados were feeding from Fae like it was an open buffet and the number of casualties were increasing daily. Trick saw some of the reports - some Fae had been driven insane unnecessarily after a feed; others died after their entire system shut down; and others were reported missing, most likely enthralled by an Encantado and taken to Encante with them. Encantados had always fed on Fae and vice versa but not to this extent. The youngest Encantados were responsible for this; they harbored more hate and spite for the Fae than their previous generation. That's why it was important and necessary to stop this feud, for the sake of the Fae and for his granddaughter who was now bound to an Encantado - trouble always seemed to find her no matter how she tried to avoid it.
"Did the Queen formulate any other demands than the one we know about?" The Ash shook his head; raising his cup of coffee to his lips, he took a few sips before answering.
"No, it's the same: the Enchanted ones still want to provide us with lessons about respect and their Queen wants the status of humans to be changed in our laws. They want it to state that we can feed from humans and employ them but not enslave or kill them. If they believe for one second that we will give into their wishes like spineless puppies, then they've got another thing coming." The dark skinned Fae stated seriously, his tone being the only outward sign that showed his irritation with the whole matter.
"It might be time to reconsider some terms regarding the status of humans. I'm not saying we should give in completely but the Encantados aren't the first to attempt this way of thinking in their laws and they won't be the last; someday we might have a human rebellion on our hands if we don't do something now. Maybe we should consider 'preventative medicine', in that we take precautions now in order to avoid having to react to the problem later." Trick didn't know where these words were coming from. He didn't know if it was from the fear of what might happen to his granddaughter for bearing the Encantado's mark or simply from the experience of making difficult decisions during the many years that he ruled over the Fae; decisions which may still affect his family to this day.
"I'm going to attribute those foolish notions to your old age Blood King and forget that you ever spoke them." the Ash said off handedly.
"This is by no means a foolish notion; I seriously think that we could use this Peace Treaty to set an example with humans and finally give them some rights in our laws so that leaders from other Clans could follow suit." The Ash stared at the Blood King for a long moment before chuckling, still not able to believe the man.
"What did you put in this coffee, some rum or other elaborated alcoholic beverages?" The man asked seriously.
"I'm being serious." Trick retorted, slightly offended by the man's blatant lack of belief in his words.
"Have you lost your mind? The elders will never agree to this! The Morrigan will have my head and there are some Elders out there who won't hesitate to raise their voices if we ever decided to go along with this. This would change everything and we're not ready for that kind of change." The Ash arched an eyebrow at the Blood King skeptically. "Why the sudden love declaration for the humans? Don't think that we didn't notice the little chat your granddaughter had with the Queen. What was that about?" Trick looked at the Ash not blinking. What was happening with Bo was not to be told, at least not until they had more information about the mark.
"The Queen just wanted to speak with Bo to get information from her." The lie came out of the Blood King's mouth naturally. The Ash stayed quiet for a moment as if processing the information he was just given before speaking again.
"Well judging from the Queen's hasty departure, she didn't get much from the Succubus - that's good." He mused aloud. "I trust that you have warned her about them though? Getting cheeky with the Queen is not something she should to do." Trick sighed, knowing that it was too late and that's what led to the Queen doubting her good education. His granddaughter might not realize it but her mark was probably why she got away with speaking so "frankly" to the grown woman.
"All of our kids are perfectly aware of the situation, we taught them well and this includes respecting all species without exception." The Ash picked up on the double entendre of the words but chose to ignore the double meaning.
"We can never be too cautious; your little pacifist of a granddaughter is a fearless one however Encantados cannot be trusted; if she thinks Fae are bad then she hasn't seen anything yet because theyare more extreme than we are. I know you said it was just a precaution but maybe you should keep up with their protection, I'll have the same guards at the meeting to keep an eye on the youngsters - they know their job, they'll be discreet."
"I appreciate the gesture but I don't think that'll be necessary, the Queen may be a lot of things but she's not stupid. Let's face it, our choices are limited - either we seriously consider the idea of improving the human's status in our laws or…" Trick trailed off, the unspoken words lingering in the air between them.
"Then so be it, Encantados are not the do-gooders here; we may not treat humans as kindly as they would like but they don't treat us any better either. We have scheduled another meeting with the Queen; in the meantime we'll take new measures to protect our people; and then we'll see who caves first."
Trick sighed; it was a battle of wills - things would take a sour turn if this Peace Treaty wasn't signed soon. It didn't help that the Queen had her suspicions; granted she never really held them at a high standing; only now things were worse. He really needed to find more information about this marking business before talking to the Ash and the Morrigan. He didn't want to be accused of withholding information but the question remained: where could he find an Encantado willing to provide information without wanting anything in return?
Hotel downtown- The Queen's temporary Residence
The three bedroom hotel suite was lavish with an extensive living area. Double doors led to the master bedroom and at the opposite far end of the room was the dining area. Floor to ceiling windows overlooked the Ontario Lake. Vincent stood looking at the view, longing for his home back in Encante. His mother had been in a foul mood since the day he went to talk to his sister and it only grew worse with each day spent at the hotel. He could understand; he missed the water too; there was only so much that swimming in the hotel's pool could do; nothing could compare to the feeling of being underwater in his dolphin form. He couldn't even begin to understand how his sister could stand this life: living as a normal human being - going to work, doing mundane things like buying groceries and the worst thing of all, going home to the same person every day. He couldn't have done it. With his sister playing house in the human world, he was the next heir to the throne and it was his role to accompany the Queen to all important meetings whilst also learning how to be King.
"You won't find the answers in the water you know." He heard his mother say.
"No but it helps me think." The queen rolled her eyes at her son.
"There's nothing to think about, someone decided to make this young Succubus a part of our family. Unless you are the one responsible for this mess, I don't know how your pondering will help." This time it was Vincent who rolled his eyes at his mother's words.
"Are you even sure that it was someone from our clan mother? The idea of one of us marking a Fae seems quite farfetched." Vincent said haughtily, he turned from the window to look at his mother.
"I know what I saw. I talked to her. I'm not one to make this kind of mistake. I'm Queen in case that slipped your mind." she stated as she sat behind the desk. Vincent shook his head and leaned on the back of an armchair to face his mother.
"I know that but honestly who in their right mind would do it? Victoria swore it wasn't her; obviously you didn't do it; my darling sister no matter how dubious her tastes are couldn't be responsible and it sure as heck wasn't me." The Queen reclined in her chair, clearly frustrated with the situation. She had confided in her son regarding her recent findings about someone from their family marking the young Succubus.
As soon as she had set her eyes on the young Succubus she had felt it, the subtle yet strong energy surrounding her. Encantados, being creatures of passion could recognize each other through the potent energy they give off. That's why to a Succubus, an Encantado would be like a full honey pot to a bee and vice versa. Each person possessed their own energy but that wasn't the same whenever one bore the mark of an Encantado. The young Succubus' energy was strong which was to be expected given her nature but the Queen wasn't fooled, she had detected another swirl of energy while observing the young Fae - it was part Succubus/Encantado now. She was only too familiar with its characteristics because it bore so many similarities to her own. It had been like a slap in the face for her, that one of her own kin had marked the young Succubus.
"The fact remains that someone foolish enough in this family did! I always said you and your sister will be the end of me somehow and I was right." She snapped looking at her son.
"You're not serious, are you?! How could you even think that I or my daughter would have anything to do with this? We have higher standards than that mother. Besides I taught Victoria better than that!" Vincent huffed; the mere idea of being linked in any way to a Fae was revolting; he would take a human over a Fae any day; hell his daughter's mother was human. "Maybe it would be a good for you to pay a visit to my darling sister? It wouldn't surprise me if this mess comes from her side of the family tree." He sneered as he thought about his last encounter with his sister. Elizabeth had always been the golden girl in the family, she always came first at everything she did and he had to grow up in her shadow. She could do no wrong in their parent's eyes but all that changed when his sister started to hang out more and more with humans and less with her own kind. One day she was gone and finally he had all the attention; everyone was looking to him for advice; they praised him; and now he was the one by his mother's side as it should have been all along.
"Truth be told I'll be surprised if your sister has anything to do with this. For the time being the only one who seems to be close to the Succubus is your daughter and for all I know she is the one who marked that Succubus. If members of the council get wind of this, they'll give me hell and the Succubus will be as good as dead or insane in some asylum." Vincent looked at his mother, totally impassive. He couldn't care less about the fate of this Fae and if his daughter was really the one behind this, which he doubted, he would be the one to strip this Fae of her sanity for even entertaining the thought of being with his daughter. Fae and Encantado didn't mix unless it was for feeding and then all bets were off - that was the first principal lesson that any Encantado learned. In school and at home their young were taught how the Fae were vile creatures that enslaved humans and that some would kill and even eat them. He remembered how those stories would keep him awake at night when he was a kid.
"And why should we care if a law has been broken mother. If it's Victoria then I'll send her away to some school abroad until it all cools off. As for the Succubus, accidents happen everyday." Vincent answered matter-of-factly. The Queen stared at her son as if he had just lost his mind.
"Accidents happen everyday?! This girl is the Blood King's granddaughter; we're not discussing the fate of some random Fae here!" she exclaimed, getting up from her seat only to pace in front of her son. "First things first, you need to stop your daughter from seeing this girl, the ritual hasn't been completed but that won't make it any less painful for her to be separated from her mate of choice. Unfortunately the mark has been accepted. The bond is there I felt it. And now it's our role to protect the Succubus, like it or not." The Queen said sadly.
"Blasphemy! No daughter of mine will have a Fae as a mate, this is preposterous mother! Victoria is not the only one to be suspected or should I remind you that you have another grandchild out there!" Vincent knew that as soon as the words came out of his mouth that he had gone too far. His sister was still a very sore subject; her family even more so. Elizabeth had never told them that she had a child; they only got to know because his mother kept tabs on his sister; for security reasons she said but he knew better than that.
"A very human grandchild if I remember correctly." she hissed; she didn't know much more than that apart from the fact that the grandchild was a girl. She could have found out more information but she didn't want to pry further; if Elizabeth didn't inform her own mother it was because she didn't want her to know therefore, the Queen would keep it that way.
"Yeah but maybe…"
"Enough! The girl is human! What do you want her to know when she is not one of us? I'll meet with Elizabeth and find out for myself." Vincent scoffed and left in a huff; even though she was living with humans his sister was still a thorn in his side. It was almost like a flashback to when he was a child where Elizabeth was the perfect one; only now it was his sister's offspring who could do no wrong compared to his own, who for all he knew just chose a Succubus as a mate.
The Lewis' residence
Away from the turmoil of politics, the two teenagers sat on the window seat in Lauren's bedroom. If the brunette could find an adjective to describe this day at school it would be awkward. First Nadia gave them the third degree and practically disowned Lauren as a friend. By lunch time everyone in the school knew about them thanks to Nadia's morning outburst; but if students were waiting for some sort of PDA, they were quickly disappointed. Lauren had been silent for the greater part of the day, only speaking when she had to and even then, she didn't say much. Bo didn't know how to deal with a silent girlfriend; usually too much silence would stress her out, that's why she couldn't stand studying in the library - the silence there was so intense that it bordered on being creepy.
On a positive note, despite the silent act, Lauren hadn't shied away from her whenever she would hold her hand in the halls - that at least reassured her that Lauren wasn't regretting her decision. Nadia and the blonde were supposed to ride home together today after class to celebrate that Lauren was no longer grounded, however Nadia didn't wait for her, which confirmed the fact that she no longer wanted to be the blonde's friend. Bo was so angry with the girl for the way she was acting with Lauren - all of this wasn't fair on her girlfriend. Nadia had no right to make Lauren choose - that was ridiculous. Instead, they rode back together and Hale and Kenzi hitched a ride with Tamsin. This was another similarity that Kenzi and the young Succubus shared: they didn't deal well with silence. When Lauren had invited her to come in and led her upstairs by the hand Bo was more than happy to follow and even more so when she noticed that her number one fan, Jack Lewis, wasn't there.
They had been sitting at opposite ends on the window seat; their legs stretched out before them with their sock covered feet touching. Finally when the silence was too intense for the brunette, she started to talk, which resulted in the telling of some random story about how she got grounded on the first day of the school term. When she saw Lauren get up she feared that she was boring her but instead was pleasantly surprised when Lauren crawled towards her and moved the brunette's leg to the floor, giving her the space she needed to sit between her legs; her back pressing against Bo's chest. Bending her knee on the seat cushion, Bo wrapped her arms around Lauren and held her close; it felt natural as if they had done it countless times before. Lauren rested her head on Bo's shoulder and placed her hands over the brunette's as if wanting to secure the embrace. Bo tightened her hold before continuing with her story as the blonde snuggled deeper into her. After a few minutes into Bo's tale, Lauren found herself chuckling more than once; she actually wondered where in the world Bo would come up with such stories.
"… So the girl jumped on Tamsin's back; it would've been hilarious if it wasn't for all the hair pulling going on. Kenzi then pounced on the girl knocking her off of Tamsin and 'saving her' according to Kenzi." Lauren chuckled; she could totally imagine the scene and the visual she came up with was very amusing. Bo was enthusiastic as she recounted her tale, gesturing wildly with her free hand. Lauren smiled and reached for the enthused hand and laced their fingers together only to have Bo's other hand escape their hold to resume its dramatic flailing.
"That was when all hell broke loose; two friends of the girl charged Kenzi so I dove right in to help." Lauren snorted.
"Of course you were only too happy to 'dive in'; it's so not like you to lend a helping hand in a fight if the incident with Chad is anything to go by." Lauren said teasingly, rolling her eyes. Ignoring the jab, Bo smiled broadly, this was the longest sentence Lauren had uttered since the Nadia debacle and it was only then that she realized how much she had missed her girlfriend's teasing.
"You know I like to help whenever I can." Bo quipped; she kissed Lauren on the cheek before continuing with the story. "Soon the six of us were fighting like cats and dogs in the middle of the hall. That was Kenzi's and Hale's first day at school; my grandparents were so mad at us. Gramps was livid; gran gave us the silent treatment for two days in a row and on top of that, we were grounded for a month!" Bo said with a smile. She could laugh about it now, but had it been months before she found it funny; the same for Tamsin or Kenzi.
"So you stick up for each other, is that why they call you the clan?" Lauren asked softly, studying how their hands seemed to fit together; she kept on playing with Bo's hand, lacing and unlacing their fingers; just loving the feel of her hand in hers and wondering how well Bo would be at playing the piano with those fingers.
"I don't know; it's not like we keep to each other you know. Dyson is on the hockey team; Tamsin and I joined track and field, well until I quit last year; and Kenzi and Hale are the most sociable people I know." Bo answered truthfully; she hated it when other students called them the clan. Students were always talking nonsense about them, creating the notion of an incestuous group just because they found it weird that Hale and Kenzi were dating. What they didn't know was that Hale came to live with them when he was only 14 while Kenzi, Tamsin and Dyson were toddlers when they joined the family. Hale and Kenzi aren't related biologically; they just live under the same roof and they only started to go out recently. Besides they were 16 and there was nothing weird in that. If Kenzi had been dating Dyson, well that would've been wrong as they all grew up together. Lauren suddenly pulled away and stared at Bo with an accusatory look in her eyes.
"So you cheated! Yes you did, when we raced each other to the classroom you never told me you were on the track team. You cheated to get my sweater!" Bo grinned impishly at the blonde while Lauren just glared at her, Tamsin was nagging her non-stop to go back on the team as they were quite the winning duo; maybe she would now that she had the incentive - Lauren would make a great cheerleader or at least that was what she concluded from one of her numerous naughty dreams about the blonde.
"Don't be a sore loser. I won that sweater fair and square; it wasn't my fault if you lagged behind." Lauren huffed and turned around sulking, returning to the brunette's embrace. "Besides, you did get my jacket." The brunette said kissing the grumbling blonde's temple. "Is now a good time to talk about what happened this morning?" Bo asked softly against Lauren's skin. After a few seconds Bo relaxed when Lauren let out a sigh and started to speak.
"There's not much to say really Bo. Nadia is acting like an angry and petulant child who doesn't like the fact that we're dating and wants nothing to do with me. End of story." Lauren said irritated; if there was something she hated, it was ultimatums and temper tantrums coming from adults. What Nadia did this morning really looked like one and she was frustrated, sad and angry that her friend would act like that for no apparent reason. "Although I feel like I should apologize for the way I've been acting today. It's just that sometimes I need to process things and when that's the case I tend to keep to myself." Lauren looked at the brunette, feeling sorry for the way things have turned out this morning.
"I don't want you to apologize Lauren; it's normal for you to want to process things. What Nadia said was harsh and unfair and her attitude was sucky." Bo said fiercely.
"Nadia isn't usually like this; she's one of the sweetest girls I know." Lauren smiled fondly despite her anger, thinking about her friend.
"Then we're not talking about the same girl, there isn't anything sweet about that chick." Bo grumbled and Lauren swatted her arm playfully.
"I always wondered why you disliked each other so much even when we all went to hang out together for the first time; I noticed that there wasn't any love lost between you two. At first I thought I was imagining things but Nadia wasn't the only one who warned me about you." Lauren said looking intently at the brunette; Bo laughed nervously.
"Oh really and what did they say?" The brunette asked curiously, covering the nervousness she was feeling.
"That you're a flirt." Lauren kept looking at Bo but now her gaze held a different intensity, almost possessive. Bo was transfixed seeing a darker, flirtatious side of Lauren which in turn beckoned her inner Succubus to come out to play. "That you're trouble." The blonde inched closer with each spoken word and closed the distance between their faces. "… that I'd be better off without you." Their noses and foreheads were now touching; and lips centimeters apart; they kept staring at each other. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything." Bo answered immediately; she was too far gone to deny the blonde anything. Nobody could pull off the predatory look like Lauren to the point that the brunette was putty in her hands.
"Did something happen between you and Nadia?" Lauren asked as she searched Bo's eyes for answers.
"Huh?" Bo asked, shock and surprise registering in her tone before finally bursting out laughing. Lauren frowned at the brunette's reaction, well at least someone was finding her funny, she thought dryly. Nadia seemed so adamant to keep her away from Bo that she wanted to understand why; a relationship gone wrong seemed like the best guess. It was only when Bo saw Lauren frowning that she sobered up a bit.
"Something between Nadia and I!? Never! Not in a million years! That chick can't stand me which is cool, because I can't stand her either. And if looks could kill, I'd be long dead by now but she wouldn't be too far behind me I can assure you of that." She saw the uncertainty in her girlfriend's eyes and it irked her a little bit thinking that Lauren wouldn't believe her. "Lauren, nothing happened; nor will happen." What little moment they had shared a few seconds ago was definitely gone thanks to Nadia.
"Can I ask you another question?" The blonde asked tentatively, playing with Bo's hand; Bo wasn't too enthused but nodded eventually. Lauren was being too cute for her own good and she just couldn't say no. Lauren cleared her throat and rolled her eyes at how stupid she was acting, she was entitled to know these things; so there wasn't anything wrong with asking. "Is there a meaningful someone at school that I should know about?" A few seconds passed and the brunette didn't show any sign of answering the question. Lauren started to worry and regretted her decision to ask; maybe there was a reason Nadia didn't want her to be with Bo after all and that was why Bo wasn't answering. Her imagination started to run wild and it did nothing to reassure her. Finally she felt the brunette take a deep breath and she feared the worst. "On second thought please don't answer that; forget I even asked." Lauren spoke rapidly.
"No, the only meaningful someone at school for me is you; there are no jealous exes lurking the halls wanting to put a claim on me." Bo said with as much sincerity as she could muster; though she quickly reverted to joking when Lauren's probing gaze made her nervous. "I'm not saying that you won't have one or two fights on your hands because obviously no one can resist my charms but with all your strength and chemical substances that you like to throw around; I'm sure you can handle yourself." Lauren beamed at her and gave Bo a long and lingering kiss on the lips; one that the brunette deepened as soon as she felt Lauren pulling away. Bo didn't want to let go as it was their first kiss of the day; another thing she had to thank Nadia for. Besides Lauren was an excellent kisser and French kissed like nobody's business which actually made her wonder where in the world she learned to kiss like that. There was no way that she learned to do so from reading some science-y book in the library or in some lab, that was for sure. Well she could only hope that the people who kissed her girlfriend before her had enjoyed it because now Lauren Lewis was hers and hers would be the only lips she would be kissing from now on if she had anything to say about it.
"Better?" The blonde asked jokingly.
"Much better." Bo answered with a toothy smile; Lauren gave her a peck on the cheek, turning slightly to nuzzle the brunette's neck.
"Since we're playing the truth game, I have a question for you and don't laugh! ... Is there something going on between you and Nadia?" Bo didn't want to consider it but thanks to Kenzi, the brunette wondered if they had a fling; from Nadia's outburst she seemed pretty protective over Lauren and she sounded more like a wounded girlfriend than anything else. Something that Lauren hadn't picked up on it seemed.
"You mean other than friendship?" Lauren asked her breath tickling the brunette's skin, Bo nodded and the blonde smiled internally when she felt Bo shiver; she loved how responsive her girlfriend was to her. "Nadia is probably one of the most important people in my life; she's more than just a friend; we helped each other through some tough times and when I finally came out to my parents I wished that she was there with me. I really missed her when we were apart. That's why it confuses me more than anything else that she acted the way she did. Something must be wrong. I don't know what but she seemed off this morning. What if she needs me and I'm not there to help her?" All those questions were running in circles within the blonde's mind; she was so preoccupied with Nadia that she missed Bo tensing behind her. Meanwhile, alarms bells were ringing in Bo's head; she remembered Kenzi's words and was seriously starting to doubt Lauren's feelings and that scared her.
"Do you love her?" Bo whispered; the soft worded enquiry got Lauren's attention. She pulled away just enough to face the brunette; her eyes wide with surprise; she was definitely not expecting that question. She looked at her girlfriend closely. She knew that look; that was the one Bo had whenever she was scared that their relationship would end. And that was something that confused Lauren. Bo came across as the most perseverant, cockiest person ever but she was surprisingly insecure about their relationship; like she feared that one day she would end it and bolt from what they had. So Lauren did the only thing she could whenever her girlfriend would get like this – she reassured her that she wasn't going anywhere.
"I love her, but not like in a romantic way, it's not like when I'm with you." She said softly looking at the brunette. "She is my best friend and you are my girlfriend; the one I want to be with, the one I'm crazy about even though I'm sure that's my high blood level of nerve growth factor; combined with my brain producing too much adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin for its own good or it could just be parts of my brain shutting off which are speaking for me right now." Lauren smiled at Bo's hazy look.
"I just love it when you totally geek out." Bo mumbled; Nadia and whatever feeling the two friends might have for each other completely forgotten. Geeky Lauren had made an appearance and now she just wanted to kiss the blonde silly till Mr. Lewis politely told her to go home.
"Compliments will get you anywhere." Lauren said, trying her best to be flirtatious only to roll her eyes a few seconds later, as a hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks. Obviously she couldn't pull off the flirty attitude like Bo could; little did she know that her flirty comment actually worked and the brunette was imagining just how far her compliments could take her. "I know that I've been a little distant today but I promise to be a more attentive girlfriend, I could even show you off tomorrow if you want; let the whole school know that I have the most amazing girlfriend." Bo smiled, knowing fairly well that Lauren wasn't the show-off type at all.
"Let's not make a big deal out of it and just be ourselves; you know, go with the flow." Lauren let out a sigh of relief, she knew that she would have been able to do it but just imagining herself strutting around the school with Bo, flaunting their relationship for everyone to see and showing people how good they looked together, just made her cringe . "I'll need you to accept my change of relationship status on Facebook though." Bo added quickly; Lauren rolled her eyes but eventually nodded, she could do that much. Bo smiled and started to trace idle patterns on Lauren's hand. "Now that we finished playing 20 questions what do you say we find another way to spend our time before Pa Lewis arrives?" Lauren smiled at Bo's new nickname for her father and quickly they started to kiss with the firm intention of making the best of the few minutes they had left before Jack Lewis got back from work. "Friday I'm taking you out on our first date, so keep your evening free." Bo said between kisses to which Lauren answered with another kiss.
Hotel downtown- The Queen's temporary Residence
Victoria returned to the hotel after her shopping spree only to have her father immediately interrogate her again about Bo. After being told what could happen to the brunette she decided to call her. Even though they weren't friends per se, she didn't want anything bad to happen to the Succubus – she did like her after all. She speed dialed Bo but only to receive the brunette's voicemail; she dialed again, but got the same result. Instead of constantly re-dialing, she decided to leave Bo a message and hoped that she would hear back from her soon.