A/N - Hi all, thanks for you patience. I do generally try to get a post up a week but in truth, I handed in my final University paper for the year last week and given this fic has been the ultimate source of procrastination while I should be studying I've kind of lost my normal writing pattern so i've been a little sluggish. I'll need to find a new writing process because school is most definitely out for summer (I might have this post grad done by retirement which would be handy). Don't worry there's a full time job to keep me occupied too so there's still lots of excuses for missing deadlines :)

I recognize there's still a bit from the past to be 'uncovered' so I will be dipping into it as necessary but this is the first (almost) wholly set in the present chapter. Hopefully it works. Cheers for the feedback, support, reviews and thank you for reading, it's really kind of you to take the time.

It was still too dark and too early for the birds to begin their morning songs but the gentle breeze that pushed its way across the city streets had the warm tips of a summer's day. The streets were quiet of traffic with the only real noise the stirring of leaves on the few trees that marked the sidewalks. Bo and Lauren walked side-by-side saying nothing to each other. But this was a comfortable silence, the markings of the first truly comfortable moments the two had spent together since re-emerging in each other's lives.

As they walked the few blocks to Lauren's apartment the brunette couldn't help but wonder what cosmic forces were at play. Only a month ago the doctor was comforting her while she dealt with the aftermath of the Williams shooting. Then, only three short weeks ago, she'd almost given up completely on Lauren ever coming back into her life. But now here they were, walking side-by-side and needing to say nothing, just being in each other's company.

When they reached Lauren's apartment both turned to face the other unsure of how to leave. Bo inched forward, snaking her arms under the doctor's before bringing her in for an embrace. They held each other tightly, both feeling the rise and fall of the other's chest and smelling the familiar fragrances of warm skin.

Bo began to pull away slowly but noticed the mirrored reticence of the arms locked around her. Both women gave just enough slack to the other to allow for the released contact of their bodies but they maintained a relaxed grip of arms as their faces sat almost eye-to-eye.

Lauren kept her gaze lowered, resisting the temptation to look completely into the woman standing in front of her. Bo watched her carefully and could sense the torn emotions at play. While desperate to test the blonde's resolve Bo instead dropped her arms allowing Lauren to slip loose of her. Although the brunette wanted her desperately she did not want to be opportunistic. She wanted the doctor to want her back in the all the same ways and it was clear that she was still far too burdened by their past to feel anything like that.

Lauren stepped backwards and finally found the confidence to lift her eyes where she met Bo's and smiled before turning towards her apartment building.

"Goodnight Bo. Thanks for walking me home. I'll see you soon"

I'll see you soon. The brunette almost hooted in victory. That almost amounted to; I want to see you again. After the disaster at Tamsin's apartment just three short weeks earlier Bo wasn't sure that Lauren would ever feel that way again.

Three weeks earlier
The Camaro grunted loudly as it slowly made its way through the bustling streets of Chinatown. The vegetable wares of all the Asian grocers pushed out onto the pavement to meet the passing foot trade as tourists and locals alike ambled untroubled through the streets. Bo could see the Friday evening crowds of diners assessing menus on the curbside as above them in the restaurant windows roast ducks hung like ornaments as offerings to the culinary gods.

Every time she'd drive to her partner's apartment in the almost relentless bustle of Downtown Toronto she found it impossible to find a car park. The only thing worse than trying to find a parking spot near Tamsin's apartment was trying to find a parking spot with her sister in the car with her. Kenzi was forever attempting to direct Bo and her precious Camaro into spots better suited to push bikes.

"There, right there Bo, we'll get the old girl in that spot!" Kenzi threw her pointed finger across Bo's face.

Bo's response was swift and curt, "Kenz, careful! The only way we'll get her in that spot is if we dismantle her and pile the pieces on top of each other"

The two women were a little on edge. It was the night before they were taking their weeklong adventure to the spoils of British Columbia. Bo was intending to use the break to get the first diving hours of the summer in, while Kenzi was intending to spend the week doing much of the same sleeping, eating and drinking as she normally did but in picturesque surrounds of Vancouver Island.

Bo's Police Captain had encouraged her to take a week off on the back of the Williams shooting. He'd said it was to clear her head but Bo knew the increasing media interest in the fact that Williams had been shot by the very police officer he had put a hole in only three months earlier was generating heat up the line of command. While she was initially reluctant to leave Tamsin to pick up the pieces of the case before arraignment, the Prosecutor involved thought it best for her to remain at arm's length at least for the time being.

Rather than spend the enforced week sitting around the apartment feeling sorry for herself Bo decided she and Kenzi should get away. Diving had very much become a part of Bo's life since returning from the Pacific. It started with the trip to Monterey that Tamsin had insisted on their taking after news of Lauren and Dan's death had come through. She found the experience of going back into the water for the first time without Lauren initially difficult but she soon succumbed to the truly cathartic nature of the blue. Once below the waves it was easy to believe the world above was a fiction and there were moments, only fleeting but still very real moments, when Bo would forget that there was a terrestrial world at all. Diving always seemed to help her heal and it was one of the few things she could do that reminded her of Lauren and Dan that didn't reduce her to tears.

While packing up her equipment in preparation for the trip Bo had realized she had left her favorite mask and camera at Tamsin's apartment. She needed to have them, especially that damn camera that Lauren had given to her, she'd not ever dived without it. Tamsin had already told her she was staying in for the night so Bo decided to jump in the car and head over. Kenzi wanted to come along in the hope of convincing Slamsin into at least one Friday night drink.

After finally finding a park the two women walked up the stairs to the apartment that sat above the Saigon Rose Restaurant. Despite the difficulties of parking Bo loved going to Tamsin's home, always finding it warm with the aroma of ginger that rose from the eatery below. When they arrived at the front door Kenzi rang the doorbell with her non-wine carrying hand and heard footsteps approaching and laughter from the other side of the door causing she and Bo to look at each other quickly in confusion.

When the door flung open Tamsin stood in front of them holding a bottle of wine in her own hand and Kenzi and Bo both caught the look of terror that crossed her face upon seeing them.

"Hey? What are you guys doing here?" The blonde muttered almost in a whisper.

Kenzi threw her hand across her heart and stumbled into the apartment past the woman talking in her best southern belle, "Tamsin! Tell me you're not drinking on a Friday night without me, my poor little heart just could not take the rejection"

Bo followed in behind throwing her partner an apologetic look as she did, "sorry T, I've left my mask and camera here..."

The brunette was stopped mid-sentence as she almost crashed into Kenzi who was standing frozen in front of her. When she looked beyond her sister she could see Lauren, Rachel and Daniel all sitting around the dining table, a beautiful spread of food and glasses of wine set out in front of them.

Kenzi swung her head around and looked at Tamsin whose face was burning bright red with embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it seems we're interrupting the deliberate exclusion of two of your friends from a dinner party", the petite woman spat scornfully for all to hear.

"Kenz..", Bo whispered putting her hand on her sister's shoulder before stepping out from behind her to lay eyes the party seated in complete silence, everyone looking sheepishly in the brunette's direction.

"Hi everyone", Bo said politely as the room in front of her shot awkward smiles in her direction.

"Dan, I didn't know you were in town", Bo continued, forcing down the hurt at having so clearly been left out of the invitation for this little reunion. She could sense the discomfort all around her and didn't want to make a scene. In the room in front of her was the life she used to own, the friendship group that once was hers. She looked at Lauren with her beautiful redhead seated next to her. Rachel now occupied the seat that once was hers, the life and woman that she had thrown away so carelessly. Bo had thought that the truest regret she had ever felt in her life was in moments after learning of Lauren's death. She had in those first hours and days grieved for the existence that was taken away from her by that storm. She had almost allowed herself to forget that it was she, not that storm, which had destroyed the future she wanted with Lauren. Now looking at the faces around that table she was reminded that real regret is seeing what you had and discarded only to realize how desperately you want it all again.

"Hey Bo, yeah, I'm in town for the weekend. I hear you're off diving tomorrow, sounds like it will be a great trip", Dan smiled.

Kenzi jumped in immediately, "yeah, off diving tomorrow. She was absolutely available this evening for, oh I don't know, drinks, dinner, catching up with old long thought dead friends"

Bo grabbed her sisters and pulled her in with an arm around the shoulder, "sorry to interrupt everyone, I've actually just left a couple of things here that I need for the trip, I'll just grab them and we'll be out of your way".

The brunette forced a smile at the group seated at the table but must have looked crestfallen. She swung Kenzi around and out of the room but not before catching a brief glimpse of Lauren seeing what she was sure was a look of pity in her eyes. It was a look that made her sick to the stomach.

Bo made her way into the hallway desperately trying to hold back the tears as she opened the cupboard where she remembered Tamsin stored some of her diving equipment. Quickly she found her mask and camera sitting on a small pile of travel books and she grabbed them and turned to leave but instead came face to face with her partner.

"Bo, fuck, you're pissed right?" Tamsin asked her with Kenzi huffing incredulously beside her.

Bo was shocked and hurt but wanted to show none of that to her friend. She held back the want to demand an explanation, to insist on having the blonde tell her why she excluded from the night so deliberately. In reality she already knew.

"Tamsin, no, I get it. If I had the chance to hang with them I would too, I understand why they don't want me around", they were the words of a defeated woman.

The blonde shook her head and leaned in, not wanting anyone else to hear, "it's not like that, Dan did want to see you, but tonight was the only night Lauren could do dinner and Rachel was coming so she didn't want you…" Bo quickly shot her hand up before Tamsin could finish the sentence, worried that if she heard her friend say the words that Lauren didn't want her there she'd break on the spot.

Bo gently rubbed Tamsin's shoulder, "It's fine, really, I understand. Go back to your party and have a great night, I'll see you next weekend"

As she walked to leave Bo popped her head into the dinning room where voices could only be heard in hushed tones that immediately fell silent as she reappeared in front of them.

"It's nice seeing you all. Dan, I hope to catch up properly when you're next in town. Have a great night" she didn't wait for any responses before turning and walking way followed closely by Kenzi who gave Tamsin the finger as she walked towards the door.

Bo flew down the stairs and out into the brightly lit and busy streets of Chinatown almost gasping for air when she hit the sidewalk. She made her way to the car with warm tears running down her face. It might have taken three years but the retribution she deserved for all she had done to Lauren was now being dealt out and Bo felt deserving of the entire hurt of it all.

xxxx

The week of diving provided Bo with a lot of time to think. When Lauren came back into her life she felt sure that time would provide the two of them with the healing required to find their way back to each other again. She had perhaps allowed herself to linger too long on the thoughts of the doctor comforting her after the Williams shooting. She should have known that it was Lauren being Lauren, a doctor and healer, it was not her being the lover and carer that she was in love with in Honiara.

If Lauren needed Bo out of her life then that is what the detective was going to give her. She owed the woman whatever it was that she wanted. As much as it devastated her to do it Bo would have to find a way to live in a world where Lauren was alive and well and accept that she was not to be a part of that life.

With the week on Vancouver Island over Bo returned to work, still being kept away fromthe details of the Williams case. The drug lord had been denied bail and Tamsin was working closely with the public prosecutors to lock up the case against him.

Bo spent the couple of weeks after returning to the job beginning the process of looking at Williams known associates, it was a lonely process without her partner working with her but at least it allowed her mind to be somewhere else, anywhere else but on Lauren.

xxxx

Bo looked at the soft layer of dust that had collected on the dash of her Camaro. Under the flood of street lights every particle looked as though it had its place. The brunette dragged her middle and forefingers across the black interior collecting the grit then between them and her thumb. Looking back at the dash she smiled at the two jagged lines that now sat there, the clean stripes that now protruded out of the muck of her car.

The brunette realized she had been sitting in this same spot for nearly four hours. Waiting and watching the red brick apartment block that sat about fifty yards up and across the street. It was the home of one of Anthony Williams best known associates, his number two, the man known only as 'Mouse' on the streets. Bo had come to know much more about the man whose real name was Benjamin Andrew Venman. He and Williams had grown up in the same group homes and had lived much the same life. They were as thick as thieves ought to be, both men being inherently distrustful of everyone but each other.

There were all types of rumors as to how 'Mouse' came to have his name. Like all great urban legends the fiction had its roots in the truth even if the branches of reality now stretched far from the tree. Venman was slight in size, thin and standing no more than 5"7 but there were few who claimed his stature to be the source of his moniker. On the streets they say 'Mouse' got his name for his ability to sneak up on his unsuspecting victims, taking their lives, their limbs or whatever else it was that Williams had demanded, before they even knew what had happened.

While it is true that Venman was suspected in a number of murders relating to Williams drug activities, Bo had learned from those closer to his youth that he had actually got his nickname from his time in the group homes where he'd rarely spoke a word to anyone. Foolishly other boys had taken his quiet nature to be a sign of fear and weakness but it didn't take Venman long to use his fierce fists and agile nature to beat the truth of it into them. He had a punishing violent streak for a boy of his size. Because of his stature he knew never to pick a fight, not because he was afraid but rather because he was smarter. Those who chose to seek him out always underestimated him and he'd use their arrogance to his advantage. Williams had watched Venman for a long time and grew to respect the way he handled himself. It wasn't long until they were fast friends, always together and usually up to no good. While almost everyone refers to Venamn as 'Mouse', Williams had always called him Benji. He was the only person who Venman allowed to do so.

Bo was well on the way to crushing Williams but she did not want to just destroy the man, she wanted to bring down his entire empire and all the would-be heirs with ambitions to his crown. At the front of the line was Venman. When she propositioned her Captain to allow she and Tamsin time to watch the Mouse she was turned down on the grounds of resources. Her Captain had reasoned that with Williams captured they had almost cut off the head of the snake and the rest of the animal would die a natural death without its leader. But Bo knew that this was a two-headed serpent and that until Venman was taken down the this empire would continue to grow.

It was now past 1am and the detective was smart enough to know that if dust on the dash was distracting her it was probably time to call it a night.

The brunette's mind was tired with thoughts of everything that was happening in her life but as she turned the ignition to leave she heard a growl cascade throughout the car. She might need sleep but right now she needed food more. It was time to head to Henry's.

xxxx

Henry's diner was a Dennis family institution. Bo and Kenzi were as much a part of the place as the deep maroon leather booths or the framed picture of Elvis Presley that sat behind the counter.

When she first arrived at the Dennis household Bo was quiet and elusive. Every word needed prying and there was little emotion that she cared to share with her foster parents at all. It took a Saturday morning visit to Henry's for breakfast to kick-start the relationship between the three of them. Perhaps it was the Waffles or maybe the Root Beer Float? It might even have been Rice Crisp Squares that she devoured in numbers unnatural for a girl of her size. Whatever it was, that first breakfast as a family at Henry's was remembered for two things, the beginning of the tradition of every Saturday breakfast at the that old diner and the day the young Bo started talking and just would not quit from that point on.

As an adult Henry's was still Bo's choice for every breakfast date even if it meant crossing the city from her apartment to do so. She and Tamsin met at Henry's most Tuesday mornings before heading to the precinct and while the Dennis girls continued the family tradition of Saturday mornings in the corner booth. Bo rarely had cause to visit the place in the evenings but it was one of the few places she knew that was open all hours. Thankfully breakfast was served at every hour of the day.

At this time of night Bo was able to park the Camaro virtually directly outside the door of the old diner. From the driver's seat she looked at dual frontage windows into the interior that was lit up warmly by low hanging beehive lights. When she hopped out of the car and walked in through the steel framed doors the old bell that sat above announced her arrival with a clink and jingle. An older woman looked up from behind the counter where she was hunched over reading the newspaper. She was dressed in her diner whites and on laying eyes on the brunette she let out a solid laugh.

"My God! Detective! As I live and breathe, I can't say I have ever had the pleasure of seeing you with the sun down! In all these years, it's always just been breakfasts. Come over here and let me make sure you look as good in the nighttime as you do in the day".

The brunette walked over smiling but embarrassed by the attention. "Hi May", Bo leaned over and gave the woman a warm kiss on the cheek before being literally pulled across the counter for a hug. The woman released her grip slightly but pinched hold of Bo's cheeks as gently as she could and began inspecting her face.

"Yes, hmmm, just as I thought, as perfect at nearly 2am as you are at 7am", with the inspection over Bo was allowed into her seat at the counter.

May was tall and round and held an almost intimidating size especially with the added six-inch height advantaged that came with the raised position behind the silver formica countertop. Her tight curled hair was short and grey and Bo would swear that in the nearly twenty years that she'd been coming to Henry's that the woman had not aged a day. She looked sixty-five when Bo was a thirteen year old and she looked sixty-five still today.

"What in world brings you here at this time of night young lady, shouldn't you be at home in bed?" May asked while pouring the detective a coffee.

"I'm trying for extra credit May, you know, impress the superiors and all that"

"Is that right? Well from what I'm reading in the papers you've done enough impressing of people for a lifetime with that awful Anthony Williams being caught"

Bo gave her a smile and a nod as she took a sip of her coffee.

"So, my gorgeous girl, what is going to be? Can I possibly tempt you with something other than the usual?"

Bo shook her head sternly, "that would be far too much change for one night, I'll stick with my Waffles, bacon and maple syrup thank you"

"Coming right up my darling", May reached across and pinched Bo's cheek once more, this time with enough gusto to draw a ''yew-ouch" from the brunette. Bo rubbed her cheek, "if you keep doing that one day you're going to pull it off May!"

The brunette reached across the counter and pulled May's newspaper towards her, it was the early run of the day's paper and Anthony Williams face was still occupying the front pages. It was a nearly a month since Bo had shot him but the whole city was enthralled by the case and the increasing pieces of information about this man's life that were coming to light. He was a modern age gangster and the media were swooning over the story of the two female detectives that had finally brought justice to bare on the man who had at slipped the grip of so many before them.

Bo had received a lot of attention as the decorated cop who sought and extracted revenge on Williams. Although she knew her shoot was clean and was acutely aware that had she given Williams half a chance he would have brought her down again there was a small part of her that felt guilty and she simply couldn't place why.

xxxx

Lauren had heard the commotion from behind the counter and had turned from her position in the corner booth only to see Bo walk in. She simply could not believe her luck and twisted her head down quickly before the brunette got a look at her. Every Wednesday night she ran the late night shift in the ER and for virtually as long as she had been back in Toronto she finished that shift and walked the five blocks, come rain, hail or snow, to Henry's for her late night dinner.

The doctor sat stubbornly in her seat watching the brunette read through the newspaper in front of her at the counter. She watched as Bo leaned on her left hand, turning pages attentively before picking up her mug to sip her coffee. The worst thing, Lauren thought, about Bo walking into the diner was that she was actually pleased to see her. She wanted to hate this woman, and a large part of her did, but it was as though her body had an emotional response all of its own when she was in her presence.

Seeing Bo at Tamsin's had left her somewhat confused and torn. She could see the hurt that being left out of the night caused her former lover. She knew those eyes and had seen the same look when she had told her she was taking that two-week assignment in the Western Provinces. It was a look of disappointment and confusion. Bo had attempted to be resolute on that occasion too. Always trying to be strong.

Lauren had begun to question whether she had asked for Bo to be excluded as a way of hurting her, suspecting she had in part. Not wanting to deal with Rachel and Bo in the same room, she could have easily asked her current lover to stay away. Rachel wasn't much of a fan of Daniel's really, she found him difficult to have a conversation with as he was constantly throwing in barbs and jokes. The redhead liked her conversations straight, intense and intellectual and she simply didn't know what to make of Dan's wit most of the time. Had Lauren not invited her Rachel would not have cared at all.

Tonight Lauren had no shield to protect her and there was no way to escape the diner without Bo seeing her. She'd have to make herself known. She got up out of her seat at the booth and brought her mug up to the counter, casting a slight shadow over Bo's newspaper which caused the brunette to look up from her seat.

"Lauren…", the brunette said warmly in surprise

"Hey Bo, do you mind if I join you?"

"no...no, of course not, please sit", Lauren sat her mug down and swiveled in the stool to face Bo.

The warmth of the brunette's smile and eyes staring at her made Lauren nervous for some reason as she noticed the increase rhythm of her own heart playing in her chest. She searched her mind for something to say but was coming up blank as she sat transfixed on the featured of the face staring back at her.

"So what are you doing here? I remember telling you about Henry's once but you said you'd never been here", Bo asked.

"That was a few years ago now detective, the hospital just a few blocks away and this place is open all night, serves decent coffee and the company's ok too", Lauren smiled as she looked at May topping up her coffee.

"The doctor here is almost as much of a regular as you Bo, I can just about set my Wednesday night clock to her coming in", May laughed, "you two know each other?"

"In another life" Bo said almost sadly. May looked between the two women and could tell almost instantly whatever their history was it was it was still having a lingering effect in the present.

When May walked to the other end of the counter Lauren took her opportunity to open up the conversation.

"Bo, I wanted to say I'm sorry about Tamsin's dinner. It was me that asked her not to invite you, I thought it might be a little weird to have you and Rachel in the same room again. It wasn't fair to do that to you, or Dan or Tamsin. I'm sorry"

Bo shook her head fiercely, "Lauren please, you don't ever have to apologize to me. Not for anything, not related to that mess. I made my own bed and I get to lie in it now. I get why you don't want me in your life. I just wish…It's selfish I know, but I just wish we could get back to being friends somehow"

Lauren huffed a little before smiling, "we were never friends Bo. I never wanted to be your friend"

Bo laughed, the woman was right, the chemistry between the two was there from the get go. They had not been put on this earth to be friends, they were always meant for something more physical, more intense, more unified than that, "I guess you're right, I have no idea if you're even a good friend, maybe you're not even worth having as a friend I don't know?"

Lauren laughed, "Hey! Watch it. I'll have you know I'm an excellent friend to have, just ask Dan"

Bo nodded, "yeah well he's kind of biased I guess, he would vouch for your credentials after you saved his life and all"

Lauren's face must have contorted slightly because immediately she could see Bo's look of concern.

"Shit Lauren, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up that stuff. I don't know what happened there, all he told me is that you saved his life that night twice"

The doctor took a breath; she'd never really spoken to anyone about what happened that night. With Tamsin and Bo gone and Dan recuperating in Australia she had nobody in her life she trusted to let go of all the pain and anguish and emotion with.

"It's fine, it's fine. You know I don't think I've ever spoken to anyone but Dan about that night. When we do talk about it he's always just brushing things off, he doesn't want me to feel guilty about what happened to him but I do"

There was hurting in the blonde's voice that Bo wanted desperately to ease, to offer herself up in place of the pain that she was feeling. She knew something about guilt and its corrosive ways. Left unchecked for long enough it destroys everything about who you are, who you were and who you'd hoped you would be.

"Lauren, I know we're not friends and I'm the last person on earth you'd ever be able to trust but if you need to talk about any of it, even if you think it would hurt me to hear it, I'm here"

There was not a shred of deceitfulness in those words but still Bo did not expect that Lauren would take her up on the offer. And so when the doctor began to talk it shocked them both, not just that she took the brunette up on her offer, but also by just how much she had to say.

Bo listened attentively as Lauren began to explain the violence of the storm on the New Years Eve, how Dan had refused to let her go to Nugu alone, how they could not get on the evacuation boat and how when the eye passed over she lost Dan somehow.

Bo cringed as Lauren explained how she stayed with Dan crushed under that tree as the storm found and then lost its strength. Tears ran down both their faces as she shared the desperate rush to get Dan back to Honiara, how she was able to scramble together a makeshift operating room in a hospital overrun with the hurt, dead and dying.

Lauren began to break a little as she told Bo about the smells of death that sat over the Islands in the weeks after the storm. The pungent stench of decay, filth and rot only serving to augment the disease born of the endless pools of standing water. She tried but had to stop as she painted a picture of the suffering that stayed long after the international aid community had left the Islands, leaving those left overwhelmed by the extra medical support the communities required. She explained her decision to return to Toronto was more about her own health and state of mind than anything else but that she felt an immense guilt for turning her back on the region.

When Lauren stopped talking she noticed that Bo had hold of her hand tightly, the woman's all night breakfast sitting untouched and cold on the counter next to her. When May had brought it out neither could say.

Lauren looked at her watch, "oh my god, it's well after 3am! I am sorry Bo, my god you must be wrecked"

Bo gently let go of Lauren's hand, "No apologizing Lauren, please, I'm glad you were able to get that off your chest. We don't have to go anywhere, if you need to keep talking, I'm here, for as long as you need"

Lauren stood up from her stool, the muscles in her legs contracting with the sudden rush of blood, "thanks Bo, I mean it, thank you but I think I need to go home"

Bo stood up to meet her, "let me take you home, my car's just out front"

Lauren swung her jacket on, "no, it's fine really, I'm just two blocks away, I'll walk"

"Lauren, it's three in the morning, what type of police officer would I be If I didn't at least walk you home?"

Lauren nodded knowing it wasn't worth the argument, "ok Bo, ok, walk me home".

xxxx

As Bo and Lauren walked the few blocks to the doctor's apartment the brunette's mind was deeply entrenched in the cosmic forces that were at play, too deeply entrenched to notice the man lurking in the shadows.

In truth, even if Bo's mind was free of the distraction of walking next to Lauren she probably still would have failed to notice. There were very few that ever heard the man called Mouse coming. He only allowed himself to be seen when he wanted to be seen.

For now Andrew Venman was happy to watch, happy to understand and learn about all the things that were important to Bo Dennis. When the time was right he'd destroy her world just as she was trying to destroy his.