Epilogue.
For Jo.
The engine roared as Bo floored the gas pedal. Lauren sat back in the bucket seat and watched her as she drove. She followed the line of her jaw, the upturned corners of her mouth, her lips so plump she couldn't forget kissing them. Her hair cascaded onto her shoulders and Lauren tried hard not to look at her cleavage for too long.
"It's not nice to stare."
Lauren smiled and bowed her head. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.
Bo looked at her, smirking. Nothing was going to get her down today. Lauren had sealed the deal and with The Morrigan on her side, she would soon be free. The Light were sure to argue for her still, but with no Ash and The Morrigan claiming Lauren's services, she was confident that Lauren would regain her autonomy very soon.
"Where to?"
"I-" she paused, "I don't know." Lauren was legitimately at a loss. The world had opened up before her and she was about to fall in.
"Drinks at the Dal?"
"I was hoping for some quiet after the past few days."
Bo's smile had yet to fade. "Your place or mine?"
"Mine," she said quietly with a nod.
Bo took the next corner sharply, Lauren hanging onto the bucket seat to steady herself. The screech of tires, the smell of burning rubber and gasoline invaded the Camaro. Bo was driving her own personal Indy 500 and she was the pace car.
Not one to waste time, Bo sped through the streets and soon enough, she was parking the Camaro at the Light Fae compound. Lauren popped open the door and waited next to the car for Bo did the same. From over the roof of the Camaro their eyes met and neither one of them could suppress the smile that crossed their lips.
The echo of Bo's boots in the hallway was deafening. They walked side by side, confident at last, that Lauren could not be held anymore. Still, for how long Lauren had felt oppressed and captive between these walls, nostalgia was taking hold. As they passed the empty throne room Lauren remembered the first time she set eyes on Bo. It was obvious that Bo was also reminiscing. Staring into the throne room alongside her.
It was a few turns down long, sterile hallways before Lauren was opening the door to her quarters. Bo looked at the couple of bags at the bottom of the stairs. "At least you got a head start at packing."
Lauren smirked and walked to her kitchen. "Wine?"
"Yes, please," Bo said enthusiastically.
The corkscrew was sunk into the cork before Bo had even answered. A resounding pop signaled Lauren's success. Setting the bottle aside, she reached into the cabinet and retrieved a pair of wine glasses. As she poured the wine she looked up at Bo who was perusing Lauren's book collection.
"Are these all books yours?" Bo pulled out a heavy book, predictably about Fae biology.
"Some belong to the Light Fae library, but mostly yes."
"You're hiring movers, right?" Bo smirked.
Lauren laughed. "I hadn't thought about it."
"Really?"
Lauren shrugged. "I guess over the years I just resigned myself to staying here."
Bo turned away from the bookcase and walked into the kitchen. "Well," she reached out for Lauren's hands, "you're free now."
"I'm waiting for it to sink in." Lauren looked at their hands. "This is really happening."
"Yeah." Bo squeezed her hands and pulled away. She reached for the wine glasses and passed one to Lauren as they walked toward the couch. "I'd like to propose a toast-" Bo raised her glass, turning to sit down. "To new beginnings."
"For us both." Lauren sat beside her, clinking their glasses together. She crossed her legs.
Bo smiled at her then, feeling in her bones that her new powers were no longer a worry. With Lauren's new serum and the control she somehow exerts over Bo, she felt confident that her murderous rampages were a thing of the past. There was still the matter of sex to explore but Bo felt apprehensive still.
The silence made her bones ache, her body, really, and the wine was doing a fine job of numbing them both.
"I could sleep for a month." Bo said, at last, letting her head fall back into the couch.
Lauren rose and retrieved the bottle of wine, draining it into their glasses before settling beside Bo, this time a little closer. She could feel the heat from Bo's body through her clothes as she sipped the wine. Her cheeks began to flush and her lips numbed.
"How're you feeling?" Lauren cast a sideways glance at Bo, who sipped her wine gingerly.
"Tired mostly, but the hunger is still there." Bo looked into her glass. "It's always there now."
"It's going to take some time to adjust." Lauren held up a finger before setting down her glass and getting to her feet. She crossed to the medical locker opposite them and retrieved a syringe. Returning to Bo, she held it up. "I can give you some relief with this."
If it was the same serum Lauren had injected her with earlier, Bo was eager to take the edge of her current hunger. Bo shrugged out of her jacket and presented her arm to Lauren. "Can I OD on this stuff?"
Lauren chuckled. "No, nothing like that," she assured. "It's organic, all-natural, homeopathic and given in the doses I prescribe, it is completely safe," Lauren said simply before injecting Bo. She discarded the syringe and revisited her wine, playing a finger along the rim of her glass.
Bo finished her wine and set the glass on the coffee table. Her head was swimming, between the wine and the serum, Bo couldn't tell if she was coming or going. The body buzz was electric and Lauren moved closer, setting her glass onto the table as well. Emboldened by the wine, Lauren whispered into Bo's ear. "Take me to bed."
"Lauren," Bo was immediately guarded when Lauren inched closer, her eyes closing when she felt Lauren's breath on her face. "I don't want to hurt you," Bo whispered against her lips.
"You won't." Lauren stroked her cheek. She believed her own hype and was confident in her own abilities to bring Bo back when she'd gone too far. When Bo had shown up on her doorstep at three am with that shine in her eyes, Lauren remembered feeling like she was playing with fire. But she felt alive as Bo laid her back onto the sheets and struggled not to hurt her as they kissed.
"But what if I do?" Bo turned to face Lauren on the couch. "What then?"
"Bo, you have to trust yourself." Lauren kissed her softly. "I trust you." Lauren's hands found her way into Bo's hair and Bo leaned into her touch.
She felt dizzy. Whether from the wine or the serum or Lauren's proximity, Bo couldn't say. She wanted her to be sure, but the internal war she had waged with herself was cutting into her time with the doctor. The smell of wine on Lauren's breath was sweet and her lips tasted of cherries when Bo finally kissed her again.
Suddenly there was an urgency to her kiss and she was crushing Lauren into the cushions. "Lauren," she murmured.
As their kisses grew more insistent, Bo felt the now-familiar feeling of the darkness bubbling up in her chest, daring her to steal Lauren's chi. Bo also felt more equipped to deal with those feelings and banished the thought. Lauren was in Bo's lap, holding her face as they kissed. When the intensity ramped up again, Bo's eyes flashed blue.
Lauren pulled away. "You okay?"
Bo nodded emphatically. "Yeah." They kissed again, a sloppy meeting of the mouths that stoked the fire between them.
"Bed," Lauren said pulling away. Bo stood up, and held out a hand for Lauren who eagerly took it. They walked toward the stairs tearing at each others clothes. This wasn't going to last long tonight.
At the stairs, Bo stumbled backwards pulling Lauren down onto the stairs with her. She grunted, tugging the button to Lauren's jeans open. In between kisses, Lauren pulled Bo's top over her head and yanked her belt open. Soon her pants were off her hips and Lauren pulled them off, tossing the pants onto the floor. Bo slid down her body and peeled Lauren's jeans from her hips. She stepped out of them and pulled Bo into another kiss. Bo released her bra and Lauren's breasts filled her hands.
A shiver vibrated through her body. It was the darkness again but this time it was getting easier to ignore it. She was more able to manage the once obtrusive feelings. Despite the fact that Lauren's breasts were in Bo's hands or how quickly they were ramping up, Bo could manage. It was the serum, she reasoned, and kissed Lauren again, growing less and less afraid that she would hurt her.
Things were quickly getting out of control. Her panties were around her ankles and Lauren's were in her hand. As Lauren climbed on top of her, the stairs dug into Bo's back but she didn't care. Lauren's hands were everywhere. Bo stared up at her as Lauren tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear and smiled down at her.
"You're so beautiful," Bo said. Lauren looked at her with wide-eyed wonder, a blush spreading across her chest. The smirk that crossed her face disappeared as soon as Lauren slid down her body, feathering kisses along the way. She dropped to her knees before settling between Bo's legs. Lauren covered her with her mouth and her hips jumped. Bo was always surprised by the desire that coursed through her veins and pounded in her temples. She was lost to Lauren. Lauren, who commanded control with such ease. Bo's hands smoothed over Lauren's hair. She looked down at her and then up at the ceiling. It was too much. The intensity Lauren was focusing on her kept her on edge for minutes and then Bo was lost for good. Her body stiffened and she cried out. Gripping the edge of the step, her heart pounded in her chest as the craving bloomed in her belly.
When Lauren crawled up her body, they kissed. Lauren stood and offered a hand to Bo, pulling her to her feet and up the stairs. In Lauren's room her bed stood immaculately in the center, her all-white linen practically glowing in the darkened room. When Lauren pulled Bo into an embrace, she came alive again. They kissed, falling onto the bed together. Bo sat up on her elbows as they kissed and smoothly pushed Lauren onto her back. Bo sat back on her knees and looked down at Lauren. Slowly, she dragged a finger along Lauren's thigh, spreading Lauren's legs, Bo appreciated her beauty laid out before her, perhaps that was what made this so hard. The now-familiar swell of power invaded her experience.
Bo held her breath as she slid a finger between Lauren's thighs. She gasped as Bo moved closer, her hips settling against Lauren's. Bo began to grind against her and Lauren sucked in a breath at the contact before Bo covered her mouth again. They were deep, possessing kisses as that familiar rumble in her belly was back. Her hunger, the darkness, whatever you wanted to call it, was back and Bo was possessed by it. Her hips moved rhythmically as she held Lauren against her. Lauren's eyes were squeezed shut in pleasure as Bo's eyes flashed blue. Bo hovered over Lauren's lips. It would be so easy to take a taste of her chi now, she might not even notice but as difficult as it was, Bo resisted. Burying her face in Lauren's neck, Bo avoided temptation, still trembling against the force of her hunger. Her hips jumped erratically, Lauren moaning at the change in tempo.
Lauren's arms stretched above her head and grabbed at the headboard. Bo smoothed a hand between her breasts and down her stomach, before reaching for her breast again. Their hips were moving together now in a desperate grind. Bo braced herself on either side of Lauren's head and looked down at her, her eyes clouded again as Lauren's lips drew near. Seeing this, Lauren withdrew a hand from the headboard and reached out for Bo's face. Her soothing touch against Bo's cheek dispelled the blue in her eyes. "Bo," she whispered, biting her lip and closing her eyes as Bo continued to thrust against her.
The slide of their bodies against one another was thrilling. With each rough grind, Lauren began to whimper. The breath caught in the back of Bo's throat and she inhaled sharply. Fearlessly, Lauren reached for Bo's face and pulled her down to her mouth. She moaned into Bo's kiss and with a few more jerks of her hips Lauren was pulling away, groaning as Bo's body crushed against her. Moments later Bo was succumbing to the thrash of their bodies.
Catching her breath, Bo kissed her again, slow and calculated. There was a joy to this union. An elation as she thought of all the possibilities available to them now, not the least of which was Lauren seemingly being able to control Bo's urges with syringes and touch. Bo rolled away and sat up. Lauren draped her arms across Bo's shoulders as she whispered into her ear. "What is it?"
Bo shook her head, "Nothing."
Lauren smiled and took her earlobe into her mouth. "It's never nothing with you."
Bo smiled at her. "I just-" she started. "And don't take this the wrong way but, how can you control the darkest places in my soul?"
"I like to think it's as simple as you let me."
"But how?"
"You really need me to spell this out for you?"
"I guess not." Bo stretched. "But could you do it for me anyways?"
Lauren smiled. "Newton's laws of motion tells us there is and equal and opposite reaction for every action, and I think that's what I do for you." She kissed Bo's neck from behind. "Some might call it love or a certain brand of devotion. But that's how we overcome it," she said simply. "That and a syringe full of serum."
Bo turned in her arms. "How am I ever going to repay you for this?"
Lauren leaned in and against her lips, whispered. "Let's call it even."
Fin.