Bo decided it was time to have that talk with her mother. She had been putting it off since they got here, honestly afraid of what would happen. The last time they saw each other, Aoife had tried to thrall her and kill her. If it hadn't been for a lucky shot and Lauren's super sexy science skills, Bo wasn't sure she would be here right now. Kenzi offered to go with her, but she knew this was something that she needed to do on her own.
Lauren told them last night that Aoife thought she was dying, but the doctor discovered she was turning human instead. Bo wondered if that was another fae thing; that they turned human after so long, like an expiration date on their super powers. Lauren only smiled that amused smile she had.
A year ago, she would have been asking the doctor to help find a way for her to be human again. She didn't know she was fae, just that she kept killing people. Now, her powers had become part of her identity, so the prospect of losing them were scary. She imagined this would especially be frightening for those fae who had lived and grown up knowing who they were. Dyson had mentioned going to a Norn once, but when she asked for his wolf, his very fae essence, he had run away from the deal.
Bo found her mother sitting in the grand living room, sitting in a fancy blue recliner playing solitaire on a TV tray table, an old black and white film playing on the television in front of her. Seeing her like this felt strangely…odd…and reminded her of her own adopted mother, who was in her late 40s when they had taken in Bo as a baby.
"I'd ask if your mother taught you it was rude to stare, but I suppose I already know the answer to that." Aoife didn't turn away from her cards, as Bo came further into the room to sit on the couch across from her. "I must say your patience has improved since we last met. I expected you to come find me much sooner than this."
"How do you know the Whites?" Bo decided to get down to business. She was still feeling warm and loved from her morning snuggles with Lauren. Aoife wasn't human yet; she would no doubt still have her powers.
"Right down to business this time. I see hanging out with the doctor and Maggie has given you an air of professionalism." Aoife still continued to play her cards without making eye contact. "Harold and I were raised together. Our parents were friends within our clan. I didn't meet Maggie until after I escaped and ran here, though I suppose you know that part, which is why you're here."
"Lauren, Dr. Lewis found that last night." Bo internally scolded herself for being so casual. From her arched eyebrow and casual sideways glance, her mother noticed this, too, which only proved that the older woman still had her succubus powers.
"Harold was an extremely charming man." Aoife finally stopped her card movements and made eye contact with Bo. Was her mother implying that she and Lauren's grandfather had an affair?
"Did you…" Bo cleared her throat, not sure she could believe her mother.
"Lord knows I wanted to all those years; first crush and all that. When I was here last, he was even able to fight my thrall. He loved Maggie too damn much. Besides, monogamy is so boring." Aoife went about playing her card game again. Bo found herself distracted by the sound and visual of the cards moving.
"I don't believe that a succubus can't be monogamous." Bo immediately thought about the warmth of holding Lauren again, which caused her to smile. The thought of waking up like that for the rest of their lives, all of their lifetimes they had together, was something extremely appealing to her.
"I said it was boring; not impossible." Aoife took a deep breath and chuckled from her response. "You were raised by humans, with human ideals, so you no doubt think monogamy is the only right way to be happy."
"I did the multiple partners thing; it was too much drama for me." Bo remembered Dyson and their not-a-relationship relationship. He would profess his love for her one day and find another woman the next. Eventually, Bo started to do the same, and they fell into a destructive pattern. His jealousy over her additional encounters was a double edged sword. On one hand, she knew he cared, but on the other, the open relationship was apparently only allowed to be one-sided. She was glad when he reunited with Ciara; they didn't have to play their feral game of tug of war anymore.
"Your grandmother was a succubus, too, and she was quite loyal to your grandfather until she was killed in the Great Fae War." Aoife finished her card game, though Bo couldn't really tell what she playing anymore. It had looked like solitaire when she entered, but after watching her mother's moves, she had no idea what the woman was playing. "Anyways, I've seen the way you look at the doctor. She is quite…queerly charming."
"I thought I was doing a good job keeping that hidden." Bo was honestly not surprised. Lauren had all those years of detachment training, but Bo thrived on her emotional responses. There was no doubt that she was easy to read whenever the blonde was around.
"Dr. Lewis comes from a long line of extremely virulent fae. Her essence is intoxicating. I'm not into women, but even I see the appeal there." Aoife started shuffling her cards. "She's not that easy to read, though. I thought I picked up a brief spark of attraction once over dinner the other night, but I suspect that's because you can't be ignored for long. You're bound to melt that icy demeanor eventually. I get the need for a challenge."
"Lauren is a very strong woman and extremely professional." Bo could feel her cheeks flush. As long as her mother thought it was because she had a crush on the doctor and not because she was remembering how much of an aphrodisiac Lauren was when being professional.
"I'm sure she is." Aoife started setting up her cards again. Bo was still convinced it was solitaire. "Since you are so interested in the Sapphic pleasures, I suppose I should warn you."
"I know I can get her pregnant." Bo chastised herself for using the distinct pronoun 'her' instead of being general. "I mean, if I did ever get to feed from her, I know I can get her pregnant." She couldn't tell if Aoife had picked up on her blunder.
"Is this one of those mother/daughter bonding moments where I teach you about the birds and the bees?" Aoife obviously was amused at this thought, though Bo knew the older succubus would not tell her much. "I didn't send those Moraghs after Harold. I will own up to all of my crimes once this is over, but I need that one to be cleared."
"Who accused you?" Bo was surprised that her mother was lucid enough to get their conversation back on track.
"Who didn't is the better question." Aoife was placing cards everywhere, in no real order. Bo was really confused. "Maggie has been the only one who has ever believed me, and she has more reason to believe it was me than anyone. Even my own father accused me; even after centuries of neutering himself, he was still the same arrogant Blood King he always was."
"The Blood King?" Bo remembered learning about Trick's royal lineage when she found out he and Dyson knew who she was. "Wait, Trick is your father?"
"Huh, I thought you knew that." Aoife was hard to read. Bo could sense the crazy bubbling beneath the surface, but she could not sense anything else. There was no hatred, no happiness, no misery; there was nothing. Bo found this was the most tragic thing she had ever witnessed. It was like the woman had no desire for existence anymore; turning into a human really was the end all for the older woman. "Trick is your grandfather. Why do you think he's always been so secretive towards you?"
"Trick is my grandfather." Bo needed that to sink in a little more.
"Think of it this way. If you knock up the doctor, at least you merge two royal fae lines." Aoife flipped over card after card with no movement towards the board. Bo noticed several possible moves, just from where she was sitting. "If you were to mate with a hybrid, I wonder what would happen."
"You mean you don't know?" Bo felt a little panicked at this. Why did everybody keep talking about her getting Lauren pregnant? Why was this snuck into all of her conversations lately?
"Nobody knows, Isabeau. Humans are beneath us, and for all intents and purposes, hybrids are lower than humans. There has never been a documented case of a fae/hybrid baby, but they made for some really interesting bed time stories to scare little fae children into behaving."
"That's not right." Bo felt herself become angry. Lauren was one of the most amazing people she had ever met; how could anyone treat her like gum on the bottom of a shoe? It made no sense. Her anger only gave her more conviction to fight for the woman's freedom; to change fae laws, like Gram mentioned. She felt her eyes change and her body heat rise, but she ignored it and took calming breaths. "I'm glad I wasn't raised in that bullshit."
"Love you, too, dear." Aoife only smiled before starting to shuffle the cards again. It was starting to drive Bo nuts. "Now, is there anything else? Mummy has a doctor's appointment with your little girlfriend."
Bo just stood and left the room, intent on finding out how Kenzi's meeting with Gram went.
Ever since she had met Lauren, things just kept happening to her. She had lived among the fae for almost ten months before she met the doctor. It wasn't until she met her that Bo started to get all sorts of information about who she was and what she could do as a succubus. Now, she found out that Trick, who she had known for a year, was her grandfather. She didn't know whether to be happy about this or angry that he never said anything. Briefly, she wondered if Dyson had known, too. She hated thinking it, but what if Dyson had been with Bo because she was the Blood King's granddaughter? He was dating Ciara now, who was fae royalty, as well. He did seem to have a type.
Instead of dwelling much more on those negative thoughts, Bo decided that a jar of almond butter, two spoons, and her best friend were exactly what she needed right now.
Lauren stared into the microscope for the hundredth time today, dictating notes as she administered tests to Aoife's blood samples. She told the older succubus the good news that she wasn't dying, but the woman was not pleased that it was because her powers were fading and turning her human. Again, Lauren did not mention her formula or the fight she had with Bo, hoping the woman would not think anything about it. Luckily, she never mentioned if she had.
The woman openly threatened her, stating that if she didn't find a way to fix this, that she would not hesitate to end her life. Honestly, Lauren wasn't surprised. She had already been breaking down the strands so that she could understand just how the formula worked. Originally, she had intended for it to only give her a spark of humanity; then again, some of the best medicines and ideas happened because of accidents. Why should fae science be any different?
She was running test 237 when she heard the barn lab's doors open behind her. She felt the familiar presence and smiled as she dictated her final notes for the day. Looking up at the clock, she noticed that it was almost 9; she had been in the lab since before 8 that morning. No wonder her eyes and mind were exhausted.
Bo walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around Lauren's torso, bunching her labcoat at the waist. She placed some final notes on her charts before turning off her equipment, just enjoying the feeling of the other woman's arms surrounding her. Once finished, she turned around in her stool, making sure to keep Bo's arms in place, before relaxing her own arms behind the succubus's neck and pulling her into a sweet kiss.
"I was beginning to think you were going to stay in here all night. We missed you at dinner, but my mom said you were too focused. I waited as long as I could before sending myself as a search party." Bo pulled on her, not forcing her to stand but allowing her to stand closer between Lauren's legs. "I thought you would like some dinner."
"Something tells me you want me to have you for dessert first." Lauren smiled at the playful expression on Bo's face.
"I actually didn't have that in mind, but I like the way you think." Bo leaned in to kiss her, letting her strong hands smooth up and down her back. "Mmm…you are amazing."
"Thanks." Lauren pulled her arms from behind Bo's neck and went to stand, missing the contact when the succubus's arms fell away from her. "The storm is supposed to stop tonight, so we might not be here but a few more days."
"That is bad news. You should only give your girlfriend good news, doctor, even if you have to lie." Bo smiled at her, but all Lauren could think of was the word 'girlfriend.' She hadn't had a girlfriend since Nadia during her undergrad work. The thought of being labeled as someone's girlfriend both scared and excited her at the same time.
"We should probably talk about that. The girlfriend thing, I mean." Lauren watched Bo retreat, both in her body language and physical proximity. "Hear me out. I'm not going to say what you probably think I am."
"I'm sorry that I assumed." Bo steeled her jaw, her eyes losing that sparkle.
"I'm glad that you did. It makes this conversation easier, actually." Lauren chuckled as she removed the stethoscope from around her neck and hung it in the locker along with her labcoat. Once this was done, she turned her attention back to Bo. "I want that, very much, but when we leave this farm and I'm back in the compound again, we go back to stolen kisses for fifteen minutes a day and weekly visits at the Dal. Now, I realize it's been a while since I've done the whole committed relationship thing, but I believe there should be more to it than that. We would need more for this to truly work."
"I know." Bo's sigh went all the way to relaxing her shoulders. "I've needed more since before we came here. I just didn't want to lose what little we did have if I made a wrong move. I'm not a fan of this living in constant fear of death because I love you. I'm going to do everything I can to change that."
"I know you'll try." Lauren watched Bo's resolve return before she smiled and pulled her into an embrace. "We'll figure something out. I won't lose you again."
"I will succeed. I have no other option." Bo was so confident and adamant in her mission. Her heartfelt 'I love you'…
"You love me?" Lauren's eyes opened wide; she couldn't help but feel her heart beat faster and her entire body hum from anxiety.
"How could I not?" Bo's deep brown eyes told the truth. The succubus really was in love with the human doctor.
"Bo?" Lauren wanted to say it back; she really did, but she was afraid it would feel forced now. She had said it to Emily, honestly believing she meant it at the time, and the other fae just laughed in her face. She had said it to Nadia, who dumped her a month later to move back home across the country. Her history of saying those words haunted her, and she didn't want that to happen with Bo.
"I know." Bo smiled, as she pulled further into the embrace. "I know. You'll tell me when you're ready." Lauren only nodded in response, fighting the tears she felt; happy, haunted tears. "When we get back, I'm going to start coming to you for those injections. I'm going to continue sneaking into the compound, possibly even to your living quarters at night, and we can keep meeting at the Dal or Clubhouse on your day off. If The Ash starts to ask too many questions, you'll just tell him you're getting to know me for the good of the Light Fae. Anything else that gets in the way, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
"I do, you know, and I will…soon." Lauren whispered against Bo's neck, holding her tightly to find warmth in the cold lab.
"I know," Bo repeated.