Bo
The Light Compound

Lauren is bright, humming with energy as we enter her domain. Lau goes to speak softly to her as I move to your… pod. Only the slow beep of the monitor tells me that you are sleeping, you are so still and silent.

Lauren's staff is in full gear, preparing for something. I sit idly as she and Lau confer at a computer. One of the nurses drops a baggy of the Orchid leavings as she passes my chair, the little petals exploding into my nose and eyes. I catch a wiff of them and something else as my coughing fit ends. The nurse sheepishly brushed me off.

"Sorry about that. Just nervous I guess, with the big day." She sets a bottled water beside my hand, flicking the condensation off with her fingers.

Lauren waves me over to her office. I follow her and Lau with the water now washing the cloying taste of those Orchids away.

I burn red at the look Lauren gives me, an appraising gaze the I just know is because Lau informed her that he 'made sure' I was fed well. And a small shake of her head is all I need to tell me to wait on saying anything about it. What's going on with Kenzi is much more important.

"Bo, " Lau begins softly, his hand on hers. "I will speak plainly as possible. We both know that is not ' area of expertise."

I nod and smile a bit at her as she ducks her head, acknowledging the point.

"What has happened to Kenzi, her encounter with the Norn as well as her attempted poisoning with the Pixie Dust, all of these things have…come together in a way that no one could have anticipated."

He explains further, dipping a bit into the legend of the Norn, how no one REALLY gets what the want from her. Only a piece.

"The Norn's 'gift' to Kenzi was trying to make her Fae, a Kitsune to be exact. But at the cost of killing her slowly. If she had been using the Kitsune's abilities it would have happened even faster, but Kenzi didn't know that she could."

"The Norn can do that? Just…make someone Fae?"

Lauren answers. "Yes, she can. But always at cost, first to another Fae that has given up their powers and then to the one she gives them to."

I can feel my heart starting to pick up as I think about that old witch. But again Lau's calming voice interrupts my new furniture plans.

"That was what was happening. I suspect that the Norn was looking for a way to get to you, but that is not the point now. It was killing her, feeding on her Chi even though she wasn't using the Kitsune's powers. It would have drained her Chi until there was nothing left to drain."

Lauren picks up as I ponder the idea.

"But the Pixie Dust, concentrated as it was in that vat, should have killed her as well. And may have just saved her. Pixie Dust kills humans both by poisoning them and by overloading their Chi. That Chi overload is incredibly potent and Kenzi got SO much
That-"

I see the connection, the momentary thrill making me jump out of my seat. "It kick started the Norn's curse magic. Fed into it, the excess Chi fed into the curse."

They both stare for a moment. "Exactly, " they echo.

I'm standing over the pod, I don't recall moving. Staring at my friend, my little human sister I never knew I needed.

"You can't stop it. That's the downside. Right. You can't make it stop. It's Fae or nay."

The Kenzi-ism escapes without my notice.

"Yes. We can continue the transformation or…"

Lauren finishes the Ancient's sentence.

"Or simply wait. And it might be a… long wait Bo."

Lauren knows all about waiting. If she says long-

"As long or longer than yours?" I whisper, afraid of upsetting a barely healing wound.

She has moved closer, her words almost in my ear.

"Probably longer. I can just barely see a way I might be able to do it. And Lau won't be… you know."

I nod, and keep nodding as silent tears flow down and slide onto the pod. I wipe them away, sniffling to hide them quickly.

"I need to speak to the acting Ash then. I think he might have some… insight."

nods.

"We're waiting for a final batch of the Orchid extract. It should be done by tomorrow."

I am almost fleeing, nearly running over Dyson as I head through the door. I can only spare a quite mutter of 'Sorry' as I head to Hale's office at the Dal.

We've all seen it Kenz, I know you have as well. Asking you to be his 'fake date'. The glances across the pool table. I need someone who may be just as affected by this decision as I am, someone invested in your well being as well as mine. Everyone else might just tell me what they think I want to hear. But I hope Hale will tell me what he believes you would.

I don't know if I am strong enough to wait. I hope Hale can give me a sense of clarity. The only other person I could talk to about something like this is you. And you're not here.

Bo
The Light Compound

I'm staying in Lauren's old quarters, it's really just a bed and a few pieces of furniture now. I spoke with Hale for a while, it took a bit to break through his 'we're just friends, that's all we can be' jive. Hale is putting Lauren up in a hotel while she looks for a place outside the compound.

I thought he just might jump straight to having Kenzi be Fae. It would make it a lot easier for them to be together, in all sorts of ways. But he's a lot wiser than he pretends. The conversation also helped remind me that Hale is in fact about 75 years old.

He had good points, some of which included the distance Kenzi would have to put between her human family and herself. Despite their crazy Russian style, she loves some of them. And tolerates others when she needs something.

And she would be at the same disadvantage I am when it comes to Fae culture and politics. I did tell him that the Ancient is giving me a crash course which did alleviate some of his concerns. And probably giving him others; he is the Ash of the Light Fae after all. He's much rather me learn from them and even join the Light someday.

It was good to talk to him, though this day has strung me out. Too tired to sleep, I turn restlessly in the sheets. The door opens to reveal Lauren dragging herself in as well. She starts as she sees me, nearly dropping the bag of takeout she had brought.

"Hi." I sheepishly squeak. Her small smile is tired.

"Hi. I thought you had gone home. I've been crashing here since she got here."

I can see her doubts floating to the surface, her defenses worn after another 16 hour day.
I just shake my head.

"Let's not. We have a big day tomorrow."

She nods jerkily. Moving to get some plates. I get the silverware and we sit at the bar, the takeout Chinese still warm. It's not really enough for us to get full but it should be enough to let us sleep.

There's only water to drink. My hand reaches for hers across the counter, she curls her fingers around mine as we eat in silence. I really want to mention what happened at the Ancient's compound but, somehow, she knows what I want to talk about.

"Bo, just leave it for now. It's not a problem. That wily old man got you and me both. Let's just sleep." Her hand reaches about my neck and her forehead touches mine briefly as we share a breath. Her Chi briefly ignites with a flash but it is washed away by the dull grey of fatigue. I brush my lips over hers.

"You get the bathroom, I'll rinse the plates and put them in the dishwasher."

She nods again, brushing the corner of my mouth with her own kiss before heading off.

Full and in bed with her warmth, sleep finds me much more easily. We rest to face the day tomorrow.

I crash to waking in a flash, the phrase 'Fox in the henhouse' in my ears and the scent of Orchids in my nose. My hand reflexively moves to my necklace, only to feel my calming fetish is gone. Now fully awake I am out of the sheets. Lauren murmurs a question. I sooth her, telling her to go back to sleep as I move over the cold floor.

I shed my kimono and sling my pants and shirt on in the dark as I listen. I parse the phrase over in my head but nothing stands out. I resolve to check on Kenzi anyway.

May as well since I am already awake. The guards nod as I move down the hallway. It's a short distance between Lauren's room and the Lab, which makes sense. There's no reason why your captive Doctor shouldn't live right next to her workspace.

I'm running to Kenzi before I even register what I am seeing. That nurse I saw before is standing beside Kenzi's pod with a hand above my friends' head. There is some kind of charm floating just below her hand, suspended between the pod and her hand by shimmering tendrils of light.

The Kitsune is wearing my stolen necklace, I note as I move to snatch the magic thing away from my friend. The Fae screams as I lunge. I make contact with ice and fire and lightening and pain and-

Blackness.