The dust finally began to settle. As the air cleared, Tamsin opened her eyes. Despite the noise and chaos around them as the building literally collapsed, Bo had worn herself out and fallen asleep, her head on Tamsin's lap. Tamsin was humming an old Valkyrie song and stroking Bo's hair, which was now almost white with dust. She stared down at the Succubus. Bo was one of the strongest people Tamsin had ever known, but her true beauty came from her ability to be vulnerable as well. Tamsin struggled with being vulnerable. On the battlefield, if she displayed any pain for her warriors, any visible signs of caring, she was admonished for allowing her emotions to get in the way of her calling. She had had centuries to train herself to suppress emotion, to not let anyone see her as anything other than a picture of strength. Now she wondered if she had it wrong, if true strength came not from putting up walls, but rather in breaking them down. Seeing Bo sobbing, overcome with some pain that Tamsin didn't yet understand, Tamsin had not known what to do. Her first and only instinct had just been to hold Bo as she released her anguish. So she did. She was terrible at this sort of thing. But Bo did seem to find some comfort in Tamsin's arms, and her sobs had eventually quieted. Tamsin still didn't let go, and when Bo shifted so that her head was in her lap, Tamsin sat, still as a statue, making sure that she didn't disturb Bo. She hadn't moved a muscle in over an hour, other than to shelter Bo as remnants of rubble trickled down onto their heads. Now, with the building finally settled, Tamsin shifted, cradling Bo in her arms like a child, and stood up. Carrying Bo carefully so as not to wake her, Tamsin made her way slowly out of the rubble.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bo woke up slowly, her head pounding. She felt like she had gotten hit in the head by a 2x4...or maybe she was just seriously hungover. She rolled over and opened her eyes slowing, blinking at the daylight streaming in through the window. She blinked a few more times, and Tamsin slowly came into focus, a concerned frown on her face as she stared down at Bo.

"Finally. I was seriously starting to worry that you'd never wake up."

"Tamsin? How long have I been sleeping?"

"About 14 hours. You must have been exhausted." The valkyrie suppressed a smirk, and Bo suddenly had flashbacks of the day before.

She hesitated before looking up at Tamsin with eyebrows raised. "Did we...make a building collapse?"

"Little bit, yeah." Tamsin reached towards Bo and gently pushed some hair out of her face. Bo grabbed her hand and pressed it against her cheek. Tamsin blushed and quickly stood up. Avoiding eye contact with Bo she pursed her lips. "I'll let you shower. I washed your face and stuff when we got in, but you're still covered with dust. I'll...be downstairs." She started to walk away, but turned back. "Oh. Did you...do you want to feed? Things got a little rough last night, you're pretty beat up." She still wasn't making eye contact.

"Tamsin, what gives?"

"Look, Bo, I'm sorry, I'm terrible at this. You're obviously pissed at me, so I just didn't want - " She stopped mid-sentence and stared at Bo. "Do you remember everything that happened? Do you, like, have a concussion or something? Ok, seriously, just feed off me." She practically ran back to the bed and sat down next to Bo, expectant. Bo pulled herself into a sitting position, grimacing in pain, and looked at Tamsin, her eyes sad.

"I remember what happened. I'm so sorry, Tamsin."

Tamsin's eyes darted towards every corner of the room. "No, I mean. It's fine. I mean, um, don't apologize. I was a dick. I just..." She was stammering awkwardly, trying to form a cohesive sentence. "I just feel bad that you were crying."

Bo leaned towards Tamsin and kissed her softly on the lips. Tamsin waited to feel that familiar tug from deep inside her, but Bo didn't feed. Tamsin pulled back and looked at her curiously. Bo almost laughed at the confusion and terror in her eyes. She touched Tamsin's face lightly, right where a bruise was beginning to form, then kissed her again.

"I'll take a shower. And then we'll talk, ok?"

Tamsin swallowed hard, then nodded. She stood up, and Bo saw a hint of the familiar smirk return to her face as she turned and left the room. As she started walking down the stairs, Bo heard her say, "Perfect. Talking. Feelings. My favorite." Bo laughed. There was the valkyrie she knew.

Half an hour later, Tamsin was lounging on the couch downstairs when Bo called her name. She bolted upstairs skidding to a stop at the foot of the bed. Bo was laying on the bed in one of Tamsin's t-shirts and a pair of her sweatpants. When Tamsin appeared, she patted the spot next to her on the bed. Tamsin hesitantly sat cross-legged next to Bo, purposefully keeping her distance. Bo sat up, wincing, and grabbed Tamsin's shirt, pulling their lips together.

"First things first," Bo muttered against Tamsin's mouth. Tamsin again waited for Bo to take her chi. Instead, Bo exhaled lightly. Tamsin gasped as she felt Bo's powerful chi flow into her body. She pulled back, reaching up to touch her face. But the bruise and the pain were gone from her body.

"That's an impressive party trick."

Bo shrugged, giving her a weary smile. "I'm so sorry I hit you, Tamsin. That was horrible of me."

Tamsin shrugged off the apology, shaking her head. "Hey, I've been there. We all need a good punching bag occasionally. I happen to make an excellent one." She looked at Bo with concern. "But you don't exactly have chi to spare right now. Seriously, Succubus, feed. You need to heal." She pulled Bo to her carefully, and kissed her firmly. Bo resisted for a moment, but as Tamsin deepened the kiss, coaxing Bo's mouth open with her tongue, she gave in and inhaled. Tamsin felt pleasure wash over her body, and Bo sucked harder, pulling chi from deep inside the valkyrie. Tamsin moaned softly into Bo's mouth as Bo pressed her hands tightly onto Tamsin's back, sending a little extra pleasure towards her center. Bo broke off the kiss and smiled.

"Thanks. I needed that." She sat up and leaned back against the wall, staring at Tamsin. "You ready to talk?"

Tamsin curled her lip, looking a little nauseous. "Do we have to?"

Bo nodded. "It won't be so bad, I promise."

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Doubt it," she muttered, as she pushed herself up the bed and leaned against the wall next to Bo. "Ok. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"You already said that. Is this whole talk just going to be you repeating things? Can I just get the Cliff Notes?"

Bo shoved Tamsin lightly, laughing. "Will you please TRY to be serious for a minute."

Tamsin inhaled deeply and smiled at Bo, just a hint of sarcasm in her voice when she replied, "Yes dear. I promise." Her smile slowly disappeared and her voice was quiet when she said, "Seriously though, Bo. I don't blame you. I was being an asshole."

"No, not really. Not more than usual." Bo smirked lightly, but her face quickly dropped. "I wanted you to hit me."

"Kinky."

"Tamsin." Bo glared at the valkyrie. Tamsin pursed her lips.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"I…I've never really talked much about my life before I came here."

Tamsin cocked her head. "Crazy religious adoptive mom who made you believe you were the devil?"

"Right. There was that. But I also had to figure out what my powers meant. And I had to do it all on my own. Until Dyson tracked me down, I was all alone. And I was killing people, completely on accident. The guilt was eating me alive. I decided I needed to run, to hide, to stay away from everyone, rather than risk hurting other people. I was scared, and confused, and lonely. I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't found the Fae."

Bo paused. Tamsin was looking straight ahead, but Bo could tell she was listening intently. She continued.

"Tamsin, the Dendrob you're looking for…she's just a kid. She has no idea what she is or how she is killing all of those humans. A boy tried to rape her, and she passed out. When she woke up, he was dead. When the cops came to bring her in, she passed out again, this time killing two policemen and her parents. Everywhere she turned, someone was trying to attack her. And her body was protecting itself the only way it knew how. Even though she didn't know how, she knew she was doing something. And she was devastated. You should have seen her, Tamsin. She probably hasn't even begun to process any of this, but she's terrified."

Tamsin nodded. "So that's why you wanted to protect her."

Bo turned her head and looked at Tamsin. "She's me, Tamsin. She's me four years ago. She's me without Kenzi and Dyson and Lauren and Trick and…you. She's all alone, scared and confused. And she came asking for my help. If I had found someone who understood what I was going through when I was 17, I would have clung to them with all my might. If I can help her, I have to."

Tamsin bowed her head. "Can I…can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Bo laughed. "That's how the whole conversation thing works."

Tamsin furrowed her brow and glared at the Succubus. "Fine. You said earlier…why did you want me to hit you?"

Bo responded quietly. "I think…I wanted to be punished. I think I've done a lot of good since coming here. But I'm still not sure how to forgive myself for what I did before that. I think I just thought…if you hurt me…I deserved it."

Tamsin reached over and gently took Bo's hand. "We all make mistakes Bo. We all have things in our lives that we wish we could take back. God knows I do. But you didn't know what you were doing. You don't deserve to be punished." Her voice dropped and she turned her head to look at Bo. "Your heart, Bo…it's incredible. I've lived longer than most. And I've never met anyone like you. Someone so strong, yet so vulnerable. Someone who cares about people the way you do. You're special, Bo. Your heart is special. Please don't punish it."

Bo stared at Tamsin, her mouth slightly open. Her mind was racing. Had Tamsin really just said all of that? She had sounded so genuine. As Bo watched her, Tamsin grew more and more uncomfortable. She finally pulled her hand away from Bo's and bounded off the bed and down the stairs. "Need some snacks!" she called as she ran. Bo shook her head and chuckled softly. When Tamsin reappeared in the doorway, she was holding a bag of chips and she held it up. "Chips?"

Bo laughed and patted the bed next to her. "You're so weird." Tamsin sat down and opened the bag, stuffing some chips in her mouth. "Ok," Bo said. "It's your turn." Tamsin nearly choked.

"What do you mean, my turn?"

Bo leaned towards her and stared into her eyes. "Why were you so angry at me? I wasn't being any more insufferable than usual."

Tamsin looked down, furrowed her brow, and shook her head quickly. "Nope. No thank you. Good talk." She went to stand up, but Bo grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Ugh," Tamsin groaned. "Fine." She scooted up the bed and lay back against the wall. Bo leaned against her, and Tamsin looked down, momentarily confused. A tiny smile crept across her face, and she lifted her arm, placing it around Bo. Bo snuggled into her shoulder.

"Ok, go ahead."

Tamsin leaned her head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. Bo grabbed her hand, rubbing it absentmindedly with her thumb. Tamsin sighed contentedly.

"Alright. Listen, Bo. I'm just not good at this touchy-feely crap."

Bo smiled. "You're better than you think you are. Your talents are expansive."

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Ok. I just…I think I just got really freaked out. When I saw that she was at your house…Bo, I've seen a lot of terrible shit in my lives. I've been threatened, hunted, beaten, stalked, and terrorized. But I honestly don't think I've ever been so scared as when I thought you might be dead."

Bo squeezed her hand. "That's kind of a normal reaction, Tamsin. The possibility of losing someone you care about is scary."

"But not for me, Bo. I was trained to not care. I spent centuries watching my friends die. You develop a certain level of immunity. And any feelings that might sneak in, you suppress them."

Bo lifted her face and gazed at Tamsin. "What a sad way to live."

Tamsin averted her eyes. "It's just one way. No better or worse than any other."

"No," Bo said emphatically. "You're just so wrong."

Tamsin smirked, trying to avoid the moment. "Bold statement, Succubus."

"Yeah, it is." Bo sat up and faced Tamsin. "Tamsin, what is life worth if you don't have relationships? If you don't care about people, and have people care about you? It's what makes all the shit in life worth it."

"When you've lived as long as I have, Bo, there's not really anything that makes the shit worth it."

Bo furrowed her brows. She slowly leaned forward and kissed Tamsin, lightly at first. But the kiss deepened, and Tamsin felt herself relax into Bo. Bo lifted her hand and cupped Tamsin's cheek gently. She wrapped her other arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Tamsin pulled her face back slightly, keeping her lips just an inch from Bo's.

"Except that," she whispered. She leaned in and kissed Bo again gently. Then she shifted, leaning back against the wall and pulling Bo in again.

"So anyway," she continued, letting the moment pass, "I think I was so angry because I rushed over there, terrified the whole way, and then you were fine. I was angry with myself for letting my emotions get out of control like that. I couldn't believe that I had freaked out like that. And then you were just standing there, totally fine, lying your perfect ass off to me, pretending you had just fucked someone else…"

Bo interrupted. "Oh my god Tamsin. You were totally jealous."

"Hey!" Tamsin glared down at Bo. "Spilling my guts here, Succubus."

Bo giggled. "Sorry. I know there was more to it than that."

"Yes, there was. But," Tamsin admitted reluctantly, "yes, it's possible I also really hated the idea of some asshole in your shower."

Bo smiled. "No one has been in my shower except you in quite some time, Tamsin."

"Good." Tamsin cleared her throat. "So, anyway, I'm…I'm sorry that I was an asshole. At the apartment, at the warehouse. I should have trusted that you weren't just being an insufferable know-it-all for no reason."

"Well, you know, I try to only be an insufferable know-it-all when I actually do know it all."

"Very funny." Tamsin hesitated. "Since we're already being all emotional…"

"Yes?" Bo asked.

"Ugh. Fuck. Never mind."

"What is it, Tamsin?"

"Nope. Changed my mind. Emotion overload. Another time."

Bo shrugged. "Ok, fair enough. I'm very impressed with you. Thank you for talking to me."

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Oh, by the way. Kenzi called when you were still out of it. I told her that I had been tracking you when you went out and we got in a fight. I told her you were sleeping it off and I'd send you home when you woke up. You should probably head back."

Bo stared at her. "That is so much better than what I would have come up with. Thank you. That is a very good half-truth."

"Yeah, well. Lots of practice, you know." Tamsin stood up and pulled Bo up. "Get out of here, Succubus. I'll stall Dyson on the Dendrob thing for as long as I can."

Bo leaned over and kissed Tamsin. "Thanks Tamsin. I'll talk to you soon, ok?"

"Yeah." Bo headed over to the door and waved before she walked out. As the door shut behind her, Tamsin smiled and sighed contentedly.

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