a/n: sorry for the delay-once again, thanks so much for the very kind comments-they are much appreciated!
Chapter 21.
"Unless I can smoke it and get a nice long buzz, I'm going to gag Swiss Family Laurenson with the next 'really cool' herb she shows us." Kenzi grumbled as they made their way along the dense trail.
Ahead, Lauren moved steadily, her head swiveling as she studied the plant life on either side. Occasionally they would hear a scientific name blurted out or watch her pluck a leaf and stick it in her mouth. She'd stopped offering the edible plants to them an hour before, when Bo had a sneezing fit over a particularly strong Monarda.
"Your girl's got her geek factor in high gear."
Bo narrowed her eyes, "She's not 'my girl', Kenzi."
"Uh-huh. Right. She's your something, that's for sure."
"Perfoliata!" Lauren's excited voice was muffled and they realized she was off the trail and into the forest some distance from their location.
"If she starts hacking a trail through the underbrush I am so done." Kenzi looked around trying to locate their nature guide.
"Lauren? Where are you?" Bo called.
"Down here! There's a stream."
They navigated by sound and found Lauren crouched near a fast moving creek. She was filling a container with water and waved for them to sit on a nearby log. "Refreshments coming up in a few minutes."
Kenzi moaned as she unbuckled the pack and let it drop. "Make mine a double." She gingerly stretched up on her toes and sucked in a quick breath. "These boots have screwed my body mechanics."
Bo laughed, "I thought it was wearing heels that causes problems, not NOT wearing them."
"Nurture over nature." Lauren snapped the filter in place and began the process of removing fine silt from the glacier water. "Kenzi's done a fine job of changing the natural design of the lower leg through habitual use of high heeled shoes." She nodded toward her pack, "Front pocket there's a big bottle of ibuprofen. You might want to take three of them to minimize any swelling. Bo, you should take some too."
"Yeah. Well, to be fair, I am not in my natural habitat. I consider high heels a practical tool for survival. Also, I feel short without them. You two are freakishly not short."
As Bo rummaged through the pocket, Lauren pulled out a small UV wand and stirred the filtered water. Kenzi settled on the log with a groan. "Does that turn water into wine? Because that's some medicine I'd happily take about now."
Lauren smiled. "It's a purifier—makes sure you don't ingest any harmful bacteria or protozoa."
"You freak me out." Kenzi mumbled, but gratefully accepted the cup of water Lauren poured from the treated batch. She swallowed the pills Bo handed her and watched as both Lauren and Bo did the same. "I mean, what are you not good at? Oh, wait, I know, interpersonal communications of a non-science-y nature."
Lauren stiffened. "Gee, you're welcome for the water and the drugs, Ms. Armchair Psychologist."
Kenzi grinned but kept uncharacteristically quiet.
Lauren looked at her watch. "I don't think we're as far along as we'd hoped."
Bo pulled out the map. Lauren had turned it over a few hours into their hike when Bo turned out to be surprisingly nimble with pinpointing their location. She checked the coordinates and pointed to their position. "Looks like we have a few more hours to the point you wanted to camp."
Lauren squinted to the sky, "We don't have enough sunlight to make it."
Kenzi added, "I'm totally not into putting that torture pack back on again today."
Bo looked around. "Well, looks like we're home for the evening. Not too bad, we have water, good trees and a relatively open clearing for cooking."
"I agree." Lauren looked at Kenzi. "I'll make you a deal. You filter three more batches of water for drinking and washing and I'll put up your hammock."
"Done." Kenzi moved to stand. "Ow-ow-owowow."
Bo laughed. "You stopped moving. That was the mistake."
"I beg to differ; I'm thinking starting to move again is where I went wrong. I am not built for nature."
An hour later, there were three lightweight hammocks strung in a triangular pattern and water was on for dinner when Lauren came back to the clearing with an armful of plants. She set about washing and preparing them while Bo added boiling water to the freeze-dried mac and cheese packaged dinners at Kenzi's direction.
Ten minutes later, when they had collapsible plates full of food Kenzi asked, "So, what exactly are we eating?" She looked at the mess of greens doubtfully.
"The salad is your run-of-the-mill wild lettuce, perfoliata. It's nothing special, but pretty healthy, and a tasty side dish to the main course, if I do say so myself. The tea is brewed from fleabane. It should help muscle soreness. We're all likely to be stiff tomorrow morning—this may reduce some of the discomfort." She took a sip and tried to stifle a grimace at the bitter taste. "I think I made it a little too strong."
"That's all right, I needed a little hair on my chest." Bo wheezed playfully. She coughed.
Lauren looked alarmed. "Wait. Do you have really bad seasonal allergies?"
"So-so. Why?" Bo lifted the cup to take another sip and sputtered when Lauren knocked the cup from her hand. "What the hell?"
"Damn it! Are you itching anywhere?" Lauren pulled a flashlight from her back pocket and moved to Bo's side.
"A little. Hey. Look, I have a rash."
Lauren muttered an inaudible curse. "I can't believe I did that. You're wheezing. Let me get you a Benadryl." She started across the campsite and called back to Kenzi, "What about you? Ragweed allergies?"
"Nope. I don't get out enough." Kenzi slurped another sip of tea. "This is pretty tasty. Also, I think I'm getting a buzz from it." She giggled.
Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm cutting you off after three cups. You'll sleep well." She handed Bo two tablets. "So will you. I'm so sorry."
Bo grinned. "It's not like you to miss a medical possibility."
Lauren's face was serious. "I know."
She picked up her dinner and sat quietly while she watched Bo for any adverse reactions.
Bo sniffled melodramatically and Lauren half-rose to go to her. Bo held her hand up. "I'm okay, Doctor. It's alright. Eat your dinner. Drink your brew; you should get some good sleep, too."
Two cups of tea later Lauren was more relaxed, but not showing the effects of fleabane as much as Kenzi who was already tucked into her camp hammock. She and Bo cleaned up the site and hoisted their food bag between two trees to thwart any curious bears.
Lauren poured the last of the tea into her cup and offered Bo fresh water. "Sorry again for almost sending you into anaphylactic shock." They settled down around the dying embers of their small campfire.
Bo dismissively waved her hand. "No worries. In fact, it would have saved me a helluva fight tomorrow."
Lauren leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the sky, content to ignore the coming battle with Ajit. "It's a beautiful night."
"Clear." Bo yawned.
Lauren smiled. "The Benadryl taking effect?"
Bo shook her head, "No, I think it was the six hour hike." She smiled. "You, on the other hand, seem pretty fresh. How's that possible?"
Lauren grinned. "I love camping—haven't done it for ages. I think its just adrenalin and fond memories more than anything that's kept me going strong. I'm pretty sure I'll crash hard after this is all over." Her grin faded as she thought about the implications of after.
Bo noticed her change in mood. "You okay?"
She looked wistful. "Yeah. I just…after a day like today it's easy to pretend we're out here on a regular camping trip. Like normal people."
"Instead of?"
"A succubus, a kleptomaniac goth and a slave."
Bo winced. "I hate it when you call yourself that."
Lauren tilted her head. "I guess it is a strong term—I willfully committed myself- so I'm really more an indentured servant."
"I don't like that either." Bo picked up a couple of small stones and began to roll them around in her hands. "I'm curious. Why did you recommit yourself to Lochlyn after Nadia woke up? I mean, even when you knew you were going to get her out of town?"
"I didn't think I had much of a choice. I can't imagine a life outside of the Fae." She shrugged, "What would I do? Human medicine would be such a let down."
"I don't understand why it's an all or nothing decision."
Lauren laughed. Sometimes Bo's naïveté was almost unbelievable. "Bo, a human has to be claimed. You know that. I had to align with The Ash."
Bo answered quietly. "You could align with me."
When Lauren didn't answer, Bo prodded her. "Well?"
Lauren's voice was gentle but her answer was not. "What could you give me?"
"A life with the fae. A life with me." Bo's answer was quiet and resolute. It was so sweet it almost broke Lauren's heart.
"That's a big commitment, Bo. I'm not sure either of us are ready for that."
"It works for Kenzi."
Lauren dropped her head in dismay. "I'm not exactly like Kenzi." She drank the last of her tea and let the bitterness ease down her throat. The fleabane was relaxing her inhibitions and she felt her emotions rise closer to the surface. It would be so easy to show Bo how different from Kenzi she was.
On the other hand, giving into her desires would make it more difficult to lure Ajit to their position. Lauren sighed.
"Besides, no offense, but you couldn't give me what I need."
She hated herself when she heard Bo's sharp intake of breath. She clenched her jaw and carried on. "Honestly. Think about the issues. The Dark Fae would delight in coming after me—I've made enemies during my time with the Ash. Imagine the problems that could cause you and Kenzi. Also, I wouldn't be able to carry out any meaningful work. The Clubhouse has a certain gritty charm, but it's hardly comparable to the labs and research facilities I have with Lochlyn. I'd be relegated to baking and cooking and rooting from the sidelines while you have all the fun. That doesn't really work for me."
"So you'd just rather answer to an asshole for the rest of your life?" Bo's voice was tight. "I mean, isn't it possible you could work for Lochlyn and still align with me?"
"Not likely."
"But you didn't even try, Lauren! You just gave up and threw your life away." She threw the rocks she held into the stream. "You gave up on us before we even had a chance."
Lauren's response was genuinely angry. "Give me a break, Bo. There's no us to give up on! You've no idea what you want, so you just avoid making a decision by pretending it's someone else's problem." She stood and kicked rocks and sand onto the embers, quenching the flame. "It's getting late. We need to get some sleep." She walked away without a backward glance.
"Right. You're one to talk! You never stick around to have a complete conversation. Talk about immaturity." Bo took a deep breath.
Lauren climbed into her hammock without any sign of response.
Bo clenched her hands. Honestly, she felt as though she'd just run headlong into freezing rain.
In the distance, he lifted his nose to the wind. He could smell the fury of a woman scorned. His mouth watered at the promise.
A red light blinked on the screen. "You did well. How did you plant the transmitter?"
"I slipped it into Bo's backpack when I pulled her over for speeding." Jenn smiled. "It hasn't moved for several hours. They must be camping for the night."
"They've made surprisingly good progress for city folk. I thought you said the youngest one was going to slow them down."
"I was wrong. At this pace, they'll be nearing Ajit's territory by lunch time tomorrow."
"Your preparations are complete?"
Jenn nodded. "My bag is packed. And Nadia is eager to go out on a nature photography hike tomorrow. I've promised her some good wildlife sighting."
"She still doesn't know about the Fae?"
Jenn's smile wavered. "No. I think it will be better if Dr. Lewis lets that cat out of the bag."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Jenn. For all our sakes."
Jenn hugged the older woman. "I learned from the best, Gran. Trust me."
Rosetta returned her granddaughter's hug tightly. "Just be careful."