A/N: Thanks for reading everyone.

Dawning of a Valkyrie

Chapter 21: Dreams, Stories, and Wishes

The dream started off innocently and normally, or as normally as dreams do. She and Lauren were decorating a nursery in preparation for the birth of their child, playfully arguing over the decor. Kenzi was there, adding her flair with the gift of a large Russian nesting doll. When Bo took it from her and opened the first lid, she found a bottle of Russian vodka. "Oops! Sorry, wrong doll!" Dream Kenzi exclaimed and promptly disappeared. The Bo she was in her dream wasn't concerned; Dyson was there with bagpipes and that drew her attention. Lauren shoved him out the door and followed him down the hall, the droning and squealing of the instrument nearly drowning her shouts for him to stop. Vex and Mark came in with Evony, the Mesmer offering little tiny leather outfits and baby sized daggers for her soon to be born baby, which she rejected outright. The young shifter handed her a small kitten she willingly accepted, but it grew rapidly in her arms until it became the size of a small pony and jumped out of the window. Dream Bo laughed and looked at Evony expectantly until the Morrigan gestured for her to look behind her.

Bo turned around and saw an old fashioned wooden rocking horse, the rocking horse. Her face was a mask of horror. "What's the matter, Bo? C'mon …everybody loves horses! Especially Dagny!" Dream Evony, now dressed in traditional English riding attire, mocked her and laughed wickedly as the room spun around her. The only thing she could keep in focus was the rocking horse from her own nursery; it was the same one she saw in the 'nursery' Jack set up for Tamsin. She closed her eyes against the dizzying vision.

The sound of loud, unrestrained sobbing and wailing caused her to open her eyes. She knew the scene had changed before she could even see it. She didn't want to turn around; she knew what she would see behind her. But turn around she did when the woman behind her finally controlled her sobs long enough to form coherent words, "B-Bo! Please, Bo! He took my wings!" The Succubus turned in her dream and walked over to the cage in which she was locked. She kneeled down, just as she had done so many years ago as the heavily pregnant Valkyrie scooted awkwardly across the floor to face her through the bars.

"You look like shit, Tamsin." Dream Bo stated flatly and obviously. The blonde hair the Valkyrie always took meticulous care of was dirty, uncombed and plastered against her head with sweat.

But Dream Tamsin ignored the statement, "Bo, he's going to take my baby!" she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking. Tears fell freely from her watery eyes, and her nose was red and dripping clear mucous. Her face was contorted as fear and despair fought for control of her expression, and the knuckles of her hands were white as she gripped the bars tightly.

The Succubus knew her eyes were glowing brilliant blue now, as she reached out slowly and covered one of the Valkyrie's hands with her own, "I won't let that happen. He only needs me!" she snarled. And it was at this time, part of Bo's mind fought actively against her dream, trying to gain control of her dream persona or wake herself as her sleeping body twitched and squirmed with her efforts. But she failed, and Dream Bo began draining the unresistant Tamsin of her chi. Somehow she knew she wouldn't stop until the Valkyrie was dead, and the only thing she could do to control herself in the dream was close her eyes so she didn't have to see it happen. But the moans and grunts of the dying woman sounded wrong, so wrong. She heard the lifeless body drop to the floor with a thud, and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Don't look, don't look, for God's sake don't look…the mantra she repeated in her mind failed to stop Dream Bo from opening her eyes and investigating her handiwork.

The pregnant blonde was dead, alright – but it wasn't Tamsin. It was Lauren, one arm protectively over her swollen abdomen as if to protect her unborn child and her eyes still open in shock and horror. The bright brown orbs were swiftly glazing over as her life force had already left her body. Bo screamed, but all she could hear was her father's laughter echoing ever louder in her head.

Her restless legs finally succeeded in jerking her awake, and once she was conscious she realized she was panting heavily and drenched in a cold sweat. Lauren, head resting on the brunettes now heaving chest, mumbled something that may have been out of concern for her wife's state in a sleepy, half-conscious way that spoke to the fact that she wasn't fully cognizant. Bo shushed her gently and laid a kiss on her forehead, her eyes closed tightly as she lingered longer than she would have on any other similar circumstance. The dream had shaken her more than she cared to admit, even to herself. "It's all right, babe - go back to sleep. I just need a drink of water."

She extricated herself carefully from her wife's embrace and searched for her robe in the darkness. Finding at the end of the bed, she shrugged it on and exited the bedroom. She did need a drink, but water wasn't going to do the trick. As she padded quietly down the hall, she heard the muffled sounds of rapid gunfire and froze outside Dagny's closed door. "Super 6 one is going down! We got a bird down in the city." Bo smiled as she heard the movie dialogue and shook her head. What is it with that girl and her war movies!? I thought she said she was tired! She put her hand on the doorknob, but paused before she turned it. Lauren told her the Valkyrie would talk when she was ready to, and if the sisters ended up arguing in the middle of the night it would certainly wake the doctor and sling them right out of Dr. Lewis' good graces, again. She dropped the idea and crept downstairs in the dark, thinking her sister had probably fell asleep watching the movie, anyways.

Once downstairs, she discovered the light over the stove in the kitchen was still on. Not unusual, but irritating – the Valkyrie shared her mother's habit of waking up and 'night eating' in the wee hours of the morning. She left the light on for now, and pulled a bottle of wine out of the chiller. After she had downed the first glass, she began to relax from her anxieties about the future vividly highlighted by her dream and moved to the couch to get more comfortable. But before she could sit down, she noticed even in the dim light that the deadbolt on the front door wasn't locked. Her instinctual reaction was to raise the alarm and search the house, but her thoughts replayed the memories of last night and she realized in her earlier apprehension she had never locked it after Lauren had angrily called her upstairs when she got home. Huffing, she walked over and corrected her earlier oversight, and sat down to calm herself enough to hopefully go back to sleep.

Just as she settled down, she heard the unmistakable sound of the doorknob turning. Looking around in alarm, she knew she had no time to search for a weapon. But she WAS a weapon, and was now excited about the idea that a much needed midnight snack might be on the other side of the door in the form of a hapless intruder. Gods, I hope there are at least two of them… Bo set the wine glass on the coffee table and crept over to the door to look out of the peep hole, eyes glowing blue. But there was no one outside of the door or in the hallway. She shook her head; her mind must be playing tricks on her. Lauren was sleeping upstairs, Dagny was in her room, and nobody was trying to break into their home. The thought was almost disappointing to the Succubus, and she went back to her original plan to drink just enough to calm her nerves and get back to sleep before she had to get up in the morning.

What time is it anyways? She thought, and looked at the LED clock on the stove. Ten minutes to five o'clock in the morning, if she went to bed now she could get at least three more hours of sleep before she had to get up in order to get to her meeting on time. She sighed and drained her glass as she walked to the sink. She turned on the water and rinsed the empty glass, putting it into the dishwasher. And after it had audibly clicked shut she heard an answering click from the deadbolt on the door. Not sure if it were an echo, she stalked towards the door until she saw that it was unlocked – and now the knob was turning successfully open this time. But there was never any sound of keys entering the lock.

Bo lunged across the room, and in the dim light violently flung the intruder against the door they had just stepped through as she pulled chi from them with reckless abandon. It had a familiar taste – too familiar for the person to be a stranger. The blonde intruder's chi tasted wild and free, strong and confidante, yet sad. Light green eyes open in shock, blonde hair, and bright blue leather jacket it was classic Tamsin right down to her shoving the Succubus back forcefully back just as she stopped herself from pulling more chi. Bent over at the waist and looking at the ground as she tried to catch her breath, the Valkyrie paused to exclaim "What the HELL, Bo! Ambushed at the door TWICE in one night!"

"T-Tamsin? No, she…" Bo was confused; she thought she killed Tamsin – no she killed Lauren! No, that was a dream.

"AW, SHIT!" Dagny stood up all the way, still panting and turned on the living room lights. Her sister still had a hand up to her mouth in and eyes wide in confusion and shock. The young fae patted her cheek lightly. "Hey, hey…get it together!"

"Dagny – I'm fine! You just…surprised me!" Bo said, pushing her away as she sorted out reality from her recent dream that had became intertwined during the attack.

"Sorry about the doubt thing – sort of a reflex reaction when I get attacked. You pack quite a wallop!" She leaned her back against the wall, not yet in full control of her breathing and a little dizzy from the experience.

"Ditto! And, me too…I mean, sorry. I thought - …what where you doing sneaking back into the house at 5 in the morning?" Her sister asked, now well over the confusion in her mind.

"Bo – look at me!" she indicated her cut-off sweat shorts and unlaced work boots without socks. "Does it LOOK like I was sneaking off anywhere?" When the Succubus shook her head she explained further, "Listen, sorry about this. I just wanted to get my bag out of the truck, and I got all the way to my truck before I realized I forgot my keys. You must have gotten up and locked the door on me. I was going to knock, but I didn't hear anyone downstairs; and I didn't want to bother you guys, so I used these to get in." She bent down and picked up her lock picking tools she had dropped.

The Succubus realized the blonde must have been pressed against the door listening when she looked out of the peephole, both trying to find out if someone else was on the other side and both missing the opportunity to make their presence known. She smiled and shook her head.

"Lauren doesn't need-"

"Don't tell Lauren.."

They talked over each other at the same time and giggled softly, "Wellll, now that that's resolved – I should get ready to go. Lauren said it would be alright if I went to the Dal today, and I want to get an early start."

"Right! Of course!" Bo said, and watched her walk upstairs. She was still standing there, lost in her thoughts about her frightening dream and what it might mean when the Valkyrie walked back down, keys in hand. Dagny gave her a lop sided frown, but didn't offer any comment on what she thought about her sister watching her walk out the door.

The Succubus sighed and sat on the couch to wait for her. There was no way she was going back to sleep now and not much point in it anyways. At least she got a powerful snack, even though it was unintended and she felt horrible about it. True to her word, a few minutes later the Valkyrie returned with her duffel bag slung over one shoulder. She shut and locked the door behind her and headed for the stairs to her room, ignoring the woman watching her from the living room. "Dagny, wait a minute!" the brunette said as she stood up from the couch and walked over to her.

She paused and finally looked at her, "What is it, Bo?" Her tone was neutral, totally devoid of emotion even though her sister knew she must be irked by the brunette watching over her.

"I uhh…I thought you were tired. What are you doing up so early?" Bo asked, kicking herself mentally. This isn't what she wanted to talk about. She thought their shared levity early might have opened a window of opportunity to speak with her.

The blonde chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds, as if stopping herself from saying what she wanted to say before answering in an apologetic tone, "Yeah, I…well I just couldn't get to sleep, you know. You were right about that." There is no way I am going to bring up the fact I could hear her and Lauren going at it half the night. Nope, not gonna go there. She shrugged and turned away until Bo stopped her by grasping her arm.

"Wait! I wanted to tell you I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Stacey." She told her remorsefully.

Dagny sighed and turned to face her, she knew her sister would drag this out until she said whatever it was she wanted to get off her chest, and the sooner she did the sooner she could be on her way to the Dal. "Uh, Ok. Thanks, I guess." When her sister didn't release her arm or say anything further, she added, "Was there anything else?"

"Well…I just thought you might want to talk about how you feel about…what happened." Bo encouraged her gently.

"Why?" the Valkyrie asked incredulously with furrowed eyebrows. She felt it odd that her sister was suddenly eager to talk about Stacey after turning her in without telling her.

"Because that's what family and friends should do – talk about the important events in our lives and how we think and feel about them. It's important to me to know how you're feeling; we're family." The Succubus informed her with an expression she hoped would convey how important her sister was in her life.

Emotions flickered rapidly across Dagny's green eyes, but too quickly for the brunette to pick out a single one before they became cold and neutral, "Alright: I feel like it doesn't matter how I feel about it or you wouldn't have done it, and I think it doesn't matter what I think about it, since there's nothing I can DO about it. Talking about things that don't matter and things I can't change is a waste of time; especially when there is something I need to do right now that CAN influence future events."

"Don't be like that Dagny; that's not an answer! I know you thought she was your friend, but-" her sister pleaded before she was cut off.

"I don't have any friends, Bo. I just know some of yours." The Valkyrie stated, finally showing some emotion but only in the despair that was dripping from her words. And with that, she slipped out of her sister's grasp and walked up to her room.

Bo closed her eyes briefly before heading back to the couch and sitting down in defeat. Lauren was right, I should have listened for clues she wanted to talk about it. And when I questioned Dagny outright, she shut down on me. And here I am, alone on the couch again, after all! The brunette huffed out a silent self-depreciating chuckle through her nose, but it was humorless. She got up and walked into the kitchen to start the coffee machine earlier than it was programmed for. Fixing her sister and Lauren a cup of coffee was something she could do. Maybe the right way forward would be found by listening to both of them.

Dagny sat with her back leaned against the wall in a booth at the Dal, feet propped up on the bench and knees bent she read from one of the books Dyson had set aside for her. It was quiet in the bar; the breakfast customers of colony newcomers and trusted way station regulars had already left, and there weren't many customers coming in for lunch. It was a perfect spot to read for her; she didn't want to use the office to study as the shifter suggested. Somehow she didn't feel comfortable there even if she couldn't pinpoint the reason.

At the Dal…

"More coffee, luv?" Lilly had rolled up strategically when she shut the book in frustration and slammed it on the table with a huff. Her red hair loosely braided and wearing a simple cotton dress, she looked like a fresh-faced and innocent farm girl.

"No thanks. I think three is my limit." She informed the bar keep, then placed a hand on her forehead and rested her head on it. She hadn't found out anything definitive in the conflicting narratives of Dyson's selected tomes.

"But-you've only had two!" the diminutive ginger denied in a tone that was so self-effacing that the normally cool Valkyrie had to explain her statement, and apologize.

"Oh, I'm sorry – Bo made me a cup of coffee before I left home. That makes three." She sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"Well, can I get you anything else?" she asked with hopefully raised eyebrows.

"No - not unless you can tell me more about Valkyrie than I can find in these juvenile scribblings!" Dagny spat out more forcefully than she meant to. Dyson's niece had been nothing but kind to her ever since she met her. But her frustration with her sister and immanent Dawning brought out the worst of her nature.

Lilly wasn't upset by her tone, and her turquoise eyes twinkled as she told her customer, "Aye, I can dooo tha. But ye'll need a drink a'for." She slipped back into her accent she was embarrassed about and trying so hard to shed since coming to the 'new' world. It got the undivided attention of her customer.

Dagny stared at her, and agreed to have another coffee. But then she protested, for her companion's sake, "Don't you have to get ready for lunch?"

"Naw – it's endless wings day at that place by tha way w' the slutty lasses! And Devon can 'andle 'ooever comes in 'ere!" the tiny ginger gleefully informed her and hurried behind the bar near the booth to fetch the asked for drink.

They Valkyrie was confused as to why the server was in such a joyful mood, but shrugged it off as a need for attention she herself had no understanding of. When Lilly returned with a large ceramic stein overflowing with whipped cream, she began to question her agreement.

"THIS is coffee?" Dagny sat up.

"Irish Coffee!" Lilly saw the suspicious look, and interpreted it with pinpoint accuracy. "Yes, it has Irish Whiskey, and noooo, I won't tell yer sister. Sit back and listen!"

Dagny leaned back and stretched her legs out on the bench of the booth. She was skeptical, but willing to entertain any input. "Madam, the floor is yours!" she stated after sipped her beverage.

The server took a seat in the booth across the table from her and began her tale, "Right, so my da', 'e were a wolf shifter, right! But his ma, my gran, she were a Norn! She knew Valkyrie! And she raised me!"

"Wait, wait - I was told Norns were just evil bitches that tricked people and took shit from them that they didn't want to give!" the Valkyrie raised a hand in objection. She couldn't help herself since she thought the lesson was going already going sideways from everything she had been told by all her family.

Her companion's face turned dark red with embarrassment, and she got up to leave with both hands on the table and her accent under tight control, "Ok, I see…sorry, I didn't mean to pre-"

"No! No, no! I'm SORRY!" Dagny leaned up and shot her raised hand out and gripped one of the ginger's own. "PLEASE…please! Just…tell me. I'm listening." Her eyes reflected her earnestness, and just a hint of her desperation. Once the blonde saw that she had convinced the other woman, she released her quickly and relaxed back down, reminding herself to keep her flippant comments in check.

Lilly began by lacing her hands together and looking at them for a few seconds, and when she looked up she explained, "They t'weren't like tha, at the beginnin'. And the books yer reading; they was written about human mythology o' da fae. Ole tymes; everythin were passed doon in stories. An' righn' em doon in the time o' the Blood King; da' woood d'bin blasphemy. But, my gran , she tol' me lots a'stories." She saw that her companion was having trouble following her, so she cleared her throat, and did her best to relate her story in the common vernacular of the region she strived to emulate.

"So, a'fore the Blood King came to power, the Ancients ruled. And they were always fightn' for power, seein how they feed off of the adoration of their children – the fae. The fae fed off each other, ya see, but once the humans came about – from animals I 'spose, and the fae fed off them. Back then, the humans worshiped the fae; and the fae worshiped the Ancients. Where my gran was, she was a weaver of fates for the Celts. The human druids offered their own people as sacrifice to the fae, and we all lived in harmony. Then the Norse came – human and fae – and with them came the Valkyrie. Gran said they were winged creatures both beautiful and hideous to look at; fierce in battle with shining armor and sharp swords but tender with the dead and dying from both sides. A truce was made; and the Celts lived in harmony with the invaders. But then the Romans came, and the Ancients they worshiped were the powerful Greeks – Zeus, Hera, Hades, Ares…and with their help they took control of our land. The Valkyrie might have been able to vanquish them before they conquered; exceptin' the Romans brought the legendry Amazon women with them to keep them tied up during the battles. But our ways survived, in the highlands and wild places."

Dagny listened carefully, with her hands clasped around her knees. She wanted to interrupt and ask questions, but she kept her impatience in check and let the woman get to her point in her own time. No point in hurrying her along – there isn't much in these books Dyson gave me except human mythology I can find at any library and fae elders' conjecture about it years after the fact. And true or not, she does have new insights from a person old enough to have been around. She thought, as the reason for the bar employee's pause became clear once she focused on why the ginger turned her head. Vex had entered the Dal and was walking purposefully to their table with a scrawny man in a grey suit and sneakers scuttled along behind him, trying desperately to keep up and regain the Mesmer's attention to papers that were escaping from their folder in his haste.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't our blonde sleeping beauty magically awoken from her slumber – a word, please." He stared at Lilly meaningfully until interrupted by Balzac shoving paper and pen at him and insisting on a signature. He shifted his gaze to the Spriggen in annoyance, "Tsss, tssss…not NOW Boll Sack!" he hissed and waved his business associate away. "Go get yourself a cocktail, on me! And you, bar wench! Whut's your name? Pippi Longstocking – why don't you make yourself useful and go fix it for him!" He snapped his fingers in the red-heads face arrogantly.

"Rude much! Why don't you go f-" the Valkyrie objected, slapping a hand on the table to push herself up and face the Mesmer. But a gentle pat on her hand stopped her.

"S'all right. It is my job after all!" the bar maid assured her, and hurried away with a smile, the Spriggen followed gratefully after giving the Valkyrie an awkward wave of greeting with his hands still clutching his papers and folder. Whatever had suddenly and inexplicably pissed off the Mesmer – he didn't want any part of it.

Dagny sat back down, and glared at the Mesmer. Once the others were out of earshot he leaned down and hissed at her in a whisper, "What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?"

The blonde was taken aback, and gestured at the books on the table between them in the booth, "Studying – or REVISING – if it suits your British sensibilities better. And Dyson, Lauren, AND Bo all know I am here doing just that. Problem?" she responded with a self-satisfied smirk.

"YES! Problem! A big, lumbering, easily jealous rampaging murdering bitch of a problem that could walk through the door with her coven of like minded slags at any moment and see you getting cozy with her girlfriend kind of problem!" Vex leaned across the table, driving his point home.

But his concern was lost on the young fae, "Vex, we're just TALKING. I have no interest in jumping into bed with her girlfriend, and I haven't even said or done anything that could even remotely be interpreted as flirtatious."

"None of that matters, don't you see! She belongs to Nyla, an Amazon. You are a Valkyrie, her arch nemesis, talking alone to her girl!" Vex loosened the narrow black tie and opened the jacked of his simple black suit, shirking his authoritative appearance and adopting the trappings of a concerned friend. He collapsed in the bench seat across from the young fae with a sigh.

"She was helping me, telling me what her grandmother told her about the fae and the Valkyrie. That's all. And she wasn't hitting on me, either." Dagny stated flatly.

"Oh yeah, did she tell you how her gran thought Trick was the influence for the Leprechaun King in the Darby O'Gill stories? Hmmm, no. Wouldn't put too much stock in what she has to say, especially since that minx has her own agenda. She was giving you heart eyes – even if you are too dense to notice it through your ice cold Nordic emotional armor!" the Mesmer mockingly laid his cards on the table.

Dagny had heard enough of his warnings, and leaning back shook her head and chuckled throatily before coldly refuting him with an icy stare, "Please – do you think I'm gullible enough to believe someone is in love with me! No one loves the Valkyrie; you said it yourself – we are ice cold bitches! And I don't give a shit what her trained ape of a girlfriend imagines is going on – I haven't done anything wrong! And right now, I'd like to hear what she has to say."

"You don't have to be heartless, though! You can be whoever you want to become; and you can find someone who loves you – just not her!" the Mesmer reached out and touched her hand.

"Uh, sure, Vex. Just tell me one person you've even heard of in your long life and many travels that was in love with a Valkyrie." she frowned, perturbed that he was picking up and running with the least important thing in the conversation, from her point of view. But, if it's love you want to discuss, honey, choke on that one!

"Well…" he leaned back in the booth and huffed out an open mouthed but soundless guffaw. She got him there, and he knew she knew it. "…I mean – I didn't really meet a lot of Valkyrie…and…" he gave up with a helpless look and a shrug.

"Don't feel bad, no one else has heard of one either. Now - go away, Vex! Your little pet is going to end up as a throw rug for Dyson's office if you don't go rescue him." She nodded towards the bar, where the Spriggen had unwisely gulped downed half a faintly smoking cocktail in a hurricane glass with an umbrella and was holding on to the edge of the bar for support. "Bright side – he'd be one HELL of a conversation piece!"

Lilly's tinkling laughter from behind the bar reached their booth as he got up to save his partner from the dubious clutches of the mischievous Nymph and the suspicious looking concoction she had made for him. Dagny heard him mumble "Vindictive ginger bitch…." under his breath as he nearly broke into a run to save the man from intoxicating himself any more than he already was.