I opened my mouth to reply, but I was interrupted when the door behind me closed with a bang. I looked over my shoulder to find both Lauren and Nadia had left. Bo took a concerned step around me, towards the door. I put a hand on her shoulder, careful to avoid contacting any of her exposed skin. I was not interested in a repeat of this evening's adventures.

"Wait for it," I whispered. As predicted, the door opened again and Lauren appeared. She closed it carefully behind her and leaned against it. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes not bothering to conceal the look of anguish that caused vertical ridges to form between her eyebrows.

"I thought you were going to make this easier for her," Bo whispered, obviously aching in sympathy for Lauren's pain.

"She still has her feelings, Bo. She's going to miss her. You," I squeezed her shoulder, "are the only one who can help her at this point."

She took her cue and went to Lauren. At Bo's tender touch, Lauren sobbed and stepped into the succubus' embrace. They stood like that: Bo's arms circling Lauren in a protective, loving embrace, Lauren's face buried in Bo's hair between her shoulder and her neck.

With a sigh, I walked over to the couch and sprawled out. I wanted to give them privacy, but they were blocking the only exit. I simply threw my arm over my eyes and closed them. A sort of exhausted giddiness washed over me. I had accomplished what I had set out to, with minimal damage, and I couldn't help feeling a relieved sense of achievement. While listening Bo and Lauren's murmured whispers I fell asleep, a large satisfied smile on my lips.

I was beginning to understand why the Dal was always so busy. Toronto, being the enormous city that it is, was teeming with cultural diversity. That fact alone would attract the fae, but it offered so much more. From the lowest vestiges of society, to the tallest skyscrapers of luxury, Toronto could easily sustain a single fae for a lifetime, be it for nourishment or simple entertainment. As the way-station, the Dal catered to them all and Trick had the knack for keeping the peace. He managed to make both the light and the dark appreciate one another and, astonishingly, humans as well—at least while they coexisted within the Dal, at any rate.

I had spent a week in the city, exploring, trying to pick up the trail of my missing kin. I had hit a dead end and as much as I had enjoyed my time here, I was planning to pack up and head out the next morning. But that did not prevent me from enjoying one last beer, soaking in the welcoming atmosphere of Trick's establishment. It would be a long time before I found myself in such a comfortable place again, I was sure.

I sat tucked into the furthest, darkest corner I could find, dressed in a black turtle neck and soft trousers. I allowed my hair to cascade over my shoulders. After the debacle the previous week, I tried to cover as much exposed skin as possible. All that was visible now were my hands, greedily grasping a pint of the Dal's best ale, and my face, which was shadowed partly by a used fedora I had picked up at the local Good Will.

As I took another swig of my slightly warm beer, I noticed a familiar face working her way through the crowded bar. Brown eyes locked on mine and a tentative smile worked at the corners of her mouth, probably despite her best efforts otherwise. By the time Lauren Lewis managed to make it to my table, she'd been jostled—and likely propositioned—multiple times.

"Hi," she said, a little shyly. "Do you mind if I join you?"

I shook my head and half stood to pull out a chair for her. She smiled in gratitude and glanced around the bar as she sat and made herself comfortable. "This place has really been hopping lately," she said.

"It feels like something big is brewing. Maybe that's drawing the fae together."

"And here I thought it was because of the mechanical bull Trick installed," she said, eyes twinkling with amusement.

I chuckled. "Oh, it definitely could be that. It sounds a lot more fun than my ominous prediction."

Lauren shifted her attention to me and dropped her smile, seriousness enveloping her features as she thought further about the heaviness of my statement. I had intended it as a light joke, but as a medical practitioner for the Light, she had a tendency to take all things fae related seriously.

"Do you really think Bo is the fulcrum?" she asked.

I wrinkled my nose while pursing my lips in thought. "You've heard the same rumours I have, Lauren. I don't know anything more than you do."

She stared at me as though trying to break through my defenses and pick what she sought out of my brain. "You know something, Cleo. I need to know what it is. I want—" she took a deep breath and brushed her blonde hair from her face in an attempt to settle herself, "I need to protect Bo."

If I could have touched her, I would have reassuringly patted her hand. Instead I offered a smile and sipped more beer. "She doesn't need your protection, trust me."

Lauren didn't like that one bit and she sat back, her back snapping straight in defense. I hadn't meant to call into question her ability to protect Bo, but apparently I inadvertently had. "That's not what I meant," I blurted hurriedly. Unfortunately the truth hurts and I could see it written on Lauren's face, her inadequacies were likely always at the back of her mind. She and Bo were in for a tumultuous relationship given Lauren's humanity and it stuck in the Doctor's craw even more with every tiny reminder. "I'm sorry," I said.

She waved off anything else I would say, realizing that she was overreacting slightly, but I could tell she was struggling to come to terms with her shortcomings. I wondered if Bo knew the kind of tussle she was in for with regards to Lauren's fierce protectiveness. I thought it was touching and quite understandable, if a little ill-advised.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she demanded.

"I haven't got anything to tell, Lauren." A sudden fit of guilt washed over me as I saw the fire of a fighter ignite in her eyes. She would get to the bottom of this conundrum with tenacity, if it killed her in the process. I relented a little. "Look, honestly," I made sure she was looking at me and listening carefully before continuing, "honestly, I don't know anything more about what's coming than you do. But I can tell you that Bo is more than capable of handling it. Between you and me, she's sitting on the mother lode of all fae powers."

She opened her mouth to speak and immediately snapped it closed again. I imagined I could see the cogs of her brain turning, crunching through the calculations to spit out data she could turn into comprehensible thoughts.

"I think I knew that," she said quietly. And then she seemed to relax, her body becoming less rigid. "I saw something a while ago when we confronted the Lich. He was going to kill me… and Bo stopped him. It was astonishing. No, actually that's putting it mildly." She sighed. "I think I need a beer."

I put my hand up and flagged down a harried waitress who was collecting empties and ordered another round for me and a fresh lager for Lauren. When the waitress disappeared, Lauren turned to me once more and reached into her coat. She withdrew two items. "I brought these for you, they were Nadia's," she said, not without the tiniest falter in her voice. She handed me a pair of thin, black leather driving gloves. "I thought they might help you a little. And I think she might want you to have them, despite everything."

I accepted them appreciatively, my eyes misting a little at her thoughtfulness. I had expected Lauren to come out of our adventure with more of a grudge, but she was showing me kindness and I discovered it was intrinsic to her character. I blinked a few times and smiled my thanks.

"And this," she handed me a small, yet thick, brown envelope, "pertains to your search. I made some discrete inquiries," she said. "It might not be much assistance, but it's all that I could find within the Light libraries. I put my card in there, too. It has my cell phone number on the back. If you need anything, anything at all, I want you to call me."

"I don't know what to say," I muttered, utterly at a loss for words.

"Don't worry about it. I will never be able to thank you properly for everything you have done for Bo. And for me. Consider this a start," she said.

The waitress dropped off our beer and I held up my mug. She touched her glass to mine and we smiled at one another, cementing the beginnings of an unlikely friendship. Gladness welled up inside me. I'd never had a real friend before, having been the subject of abject fear in almost every encounter I'd ever had with the fae. The last place I expected to find friendship was in the form of a courageous human.

I grinned like a mad fool as I drank my beer. As far as way stations go, the Dal Riata was definitely unique.

The End

Author's note: Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story please recommend it to others. Or review, that works too. You can also look for my other stories: Hang On (rated M), Vacancy, and Not This Time (also rated M), all of which are accessible by clicking my username.