Hey all. So I've had a lot of reviews and I read them all. Some of you have mentioned that you have more questions than answers - good. You're supposed to. Some of you have also mentioned, mostly in PM's, that you feel it's not a true Doccubus story either because Lauren hasn't been in all 21 chapters or because Bo has had to feed off of other people or because I make Bo realistically bisexual. I want to be clear about something - this is a story. It's a journey and I would love every one of you to ride along with me and explore it with me, but having put myself in Bo's shoes (writing from first person I have to do that), I want to be true to the character, or at least as true as I can be. I think there's only been two times Bo has lusted after a guy - maybe 3 - and I will NEVER write about it in details because personally - I couldn't if I wanted to. I'm probably the biggest lesbian I know. I know a lot of you have mentioned "why Dyson" - if you really dig deep - in my story, Dyson isn't lusting after Bo nor vice versa. They still care about each other - but that's as far as it goes and I don't think Bo sees Dyson as her 'ex', I think she sees him as a friend - someone she can count on and depend on.

I am deeply thankful for all of the reviews and all of the support and love from all of you. I hope that you find yourself sticking through this journey. When someone happens that you may not like, I want you to think about the reality of the situation. I'm trying to write this as real as possible - bring the characters to life, make them 4-dimensional with feelings and emotions and fuck-ups and questions and doubts. Again, like i said, I know you ALL have questions and the answers won't be given right away. We will find the answers out as Bo does, but I'd love you to send me your questions - what are you wanting to know? I mean there are some obvious questions there, but some non-obvious and as fanfic is always an interactive writing process, I want to make sure I can answer your questions in the writing.

I love you all - I am so blessed to have so many amazing readers. You guys make me happy. I hope you enjoy the next chapter in our saga.

Anger. Fury. Hatred. All coursed through my veins, edging me to the precipice of psychotic rage.

I stood up slowly, my eyes immediately changing to their brilliant cobalt color. My blood was nearly physically boiling…my skin burning. I was hot – overheating to the point I felt like I was going to combust. I dropped the Siracon to the floor, deactivating it in the process and stretched my arms out in front of me. I began to draw first the Father's Brother's chi, and then the younger brother's beside him. Before, I would have surprised myself as I began to draw chi from other Magina in the room - the three Magina in the corner and then the three young sons fighting against my father. But I didn't surprise myself. Not this time. This time I knew. I let my instincts guide me – taking complete control. Finally, I began drawing the chi from the remaining four Magina who were teaming up against Darius. I could taste the differences among the men – some were there because they felt they had no choice and some were there because they adopted the way of life the Father had raised them to believe. I didn't care who was innocent or who was to blame. I simply drew in every single living Magina's chi simultaneously, as quickly as I could.

But I didn't stop there. I knew Lauren was alive – I could hear her in my head as she drifted in and out of consciousness. I reached my mind out to Lauren and connected with her – feeling that primal instinct to feed from them the way I had fed on the first Magina I encountered – drawing their own sustenance from them. The air was filled with purple energy and brilliant blue chi all leaving the nearly identical men and flowing directly into me. I smiled as I watched bodies drop, death overcoming them. One by one the Magina hit the floor until only two were left standing – the Father's Brother, who stabbed me and the one younger brother who had hit Lauren.

Though I was not in complete control of my instincts, I had focused on not taking either of the these two Magina's chi or sustenance too rapidly. I wanted to see the light go out in each of their eyes. I not only wanted them to see that they were dying by my hand, but I wanted to see them die at my hand. I stood over them, as they had previously dropped to their knees, and drew their chi ever so slowly. I took everything they had…watching intently as the life was drained from their bodies.

Once I'd tasted the last drop, I ran quickly to Lauren's side and fell to my knees. The young Magina hadn't killed her but, but she was severely injured. I cupped her face gently and pushed all of the chi from every Magina that I had sucked into her. I watched as the wounds on her skull closed, her skin repairing itself quickly. I continued to push all the extra chi into her – giving her as much as possible. I could care less if I was weak afterwards.

Lauren came back into consciousness and opened her eyes. She looked up at me weakly, fear and confusion written all over her face. "Bo?"

"It's okay, baby. I've got you. I've got you," I soothed, kissing her face and wiping the blood droplets away from her eyes and mouth.

I locked my eyes with hers – she was searching me for something…everything had happened so fast. She needed medical attention. Sure, what I did healed most of the outside and hopefully some of her inside wounds, but Lauren was an Eired – she didn't and couldn't heal like me. If I didn't get her help – and soon – who knew what could really happen, especially if she was bleeding internally.

I pushed back so I was squatting instead of kneeling and I picked her up in my arms, holding her close to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, holding onto me, the rest of her body relaxing into my embrace. I kissed her forehead before walking over to Darius and my father – both of them looking at me a little stunned.

"Can you take us to the Dark Fae compound? She needs a…"

"Doctor. Yes. I agree." My father interjected. "Darius – take them and then let the Morrigan know what transpired here. I'm going to get a few men down here to clean up the mess." He turned to me. "Bo – I'll see you soon, okay? I'll come directly to the Medical Unit as soon as I take care of this. We can't have anyone stumbling upon what happened here."

I nodded.

"Are you okay? What you did was…"

"I'm fine, Dad. We can talk about it later. I just need to make sure she gets help."

"I'll see you soon."

"Okay."

Darius walked over to me and put a strong hand on both Lauren and myself. I wasn't really sure what transporting with Darius would feel like – but it was near instantaneous and easier than I had imagined. Before I could blink I was standing in the hallway of the Dark Fae Medical Unit, still holding Lauren, Darius standing beside us. Darius ran ahead of me, calling for help as I rushed Lauren through the double doors. Almost immediately, several medically-trained Fae surrounded us. Some began grabbing supplies and others instructed me to lay Lauren down on one of the gurney's before working quickly to insert an IV catheter.

"What happened?" one of the professionals asked me as she worked diligently.

"She got hit in the head with a hilt of a sword pretty bad. When she fell, she hit the other side of her head on the ground."

"There's no bleeding?"

"I pushed my chi into her to try to keep her alive. She was barely conscious – I didn't know what else to do. It healed a lot of the outside wounds.

"What species of Fae is she?"

"Eired."

"What is her name?"

"Lauren Lewis."

"Lainie – pull up Lauren Lewis's chart, please. She should have had all her records sent over here."

"On it," the plump nurse replied, accessing the computer quickly.

"We need you to wait outside," the professional said to me.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Please…you must. Let us do our jobs."

I moved closer to Lauren's face – her slightly open eyes coming into view.

"I love you," I whispered to her before kissing her lips.

She looked up at me, her face full of fear. She hadn't said anything aside from my name since she was knocked out. She hadn't even reached out to me telepathically. I tried not to let my own worry and fear display on my typically animated face.

"It's going to be okay. I promise, Lauren. It's going to be okay…" I soothed.

"Ma'am. We really need you to wait outside!"

I glared at the woman, but internally knew that I had to give them space so they could do their jobs correctly.

"I'll be right outside," I promised, grabbing her hand and holding onto it tightly. "I love you so much Lauren," I emphasized before pressing my lips against her forehead.

I was ushered out of the room, the door shut behind me. I stood there, looking at the heavy wooden door, my insides knotting with worry. I sat down in one of the chairs against the hallway wall, my right leg bouncing up and down - a result of too much pent up energy, too many questions, a twisted turn of events, power surging through my blood steam, and anxiety about Lauren.

As I waited, I tried to process everything that had happened in the past few hours.

Lauren was alive. She was alive. She had been in this plane the entire time. That's why Hades couldn't find her. But how? I saw her body. I checked the body for every mark, scar, freckle… I read the DNA results – and I didn't just read the "match or no match" part. I looked at the actual results of the tests – and the bands of DNA lined up – it was a perfect match. How was she still alive? Why didn't I know she was still alive? She was called 'Slave'. What did they force her to do? How did she get there and how did we not know? And now…Lauren was actually hurt. Trick told me that there was not much an Eired couldn't heal from – I hoped he was right. I just found her…. I could not lose her again.

My mind then shifted to Isabeau. The Father, the Brother and the Son were all talking about my grandmother and that they had made a deal with her – that they would not kill me in exchange for Lauren. She gave them Lauren?! Only a few people knew that Lauren and I were going to be at the beach house. Did my own grandmother set me up and then pretended to care when I was trying to find her? How many things did she lie about? Is that why she wanted me to feed so soon? Is that why she brought Madison down into the living room? Is that why she was so adamant that I didn't see my father – she knew that he would help me determine the truth. Did Trick know? I would have never thought my grandmother would betray me…maybe Trick knew too… At the current moment I didn't know what was real and what was a lie.

"Bo!" Kenzi's high pitched voice broke me from my raging thoughts.

The small girl ran towards me and wrapped her arms around me – holding me to her.

"While you were in with Lauren, I had Darius go and get Kenzi and bring her to you," my father said, walking up to us and wrapping his arms around me as Kenzi let go.

His warm embrace was comforting. I started to cry and he held onto me tighter. "It's okay, darling. It's okay… It's going to be alright now."

His words only made me sob harder. My legs gave out from under me and he eased us both down onto the ground, pulling me into his chest as he cradled my head. Kenzi knelt down beside us and placed her hand in mine – holding it tightly.

Eventually, the tears stopped flowing and I sat up. Kenzi shifted so she was in front of me and leaned over to wipe under my eyes. "Gotta clean up that eyeliner BoBo – can't go around looking like a raccoon."

I smiled weakly at her.

"How's Lauren?" My dad asked, his hand still on my shoulder.

"They've been working on her for a while. They practically forced me out of there."

"The Morrigan has assured me that Lauren will have access to anything she needs, including the best care available."

"How did you get Evony to agree to that? She has never cared about anyone but herself," I asked, surprised that the dark woman would give anything freely.

"Evony isn't all that bad, Bo. She can grow on you. She's Dark. Lauren is Dark. It's her job to offer Lauren protection and assistance. The Dark Fae aren't all bad. They do have certain agreements and most tend to abide by what they say. Plus, Evony and I have an ongoing mutual understanding," he explained.

"At the moment, the only thing I know about Light and Dark Fae is that I know nothing," I admitted, facing my father. "How could… how could she do that?"

"Who, Bo?"

"Isabeau! How could she do this? She's Light Fae… all good faith and be respectful and live by the rules and morals…how could she do this?"

"Your grandmother is a very…," Hades removed his hand from my shoulder and placed his palms together, before resting his index fingers against his mouth – his thumbs placed just under his chin. "Bo, there's a lot that you don't know because you grew up hearing about only the one side. Your grandparent's aren't bad people. I actually admire Trick and have for a very long time. Isabeau is a good person too. She will fight for those she loves, but…ultimately, she keeps an objective point of view. She will do what is necessary for the good of her family and the Light Fae. Your grandparents hold a lot of power – possibly more than the Ash. Their influence is heavily weighted among Light Fae Elders."

"But why would she betray me like that? She knows how much I love Lauren. She had to have – she's a succubus too. She knows what it takes for our kind to make the decision not to feed off others and work through a relationship!"

"You're going to have to talk to her, Bo. I have my theories, but your grandparents and I have a past."

"What's there to talk about?" I yelled, getting to my feet, my blood pounding once again.

"Bo…" Kenzi eased.

"No!" I shouted at her. "She is the reason that Lauren is here. She's the reason Lauren was kidnapped to begin with! I searched. I thought everyone was searching with me – but… it was all a lie. No one was searching… we were searching based on my grandmother's information – but she knew. She took Lauren away from me, made me try to forget her…"

I wasn't really yelling at Kenzi – I was just yelling. I was in a complete fury. All I could see was red. I wanted Isabeau to explain – and she would. I would force her to explain if I had to – just as I would force everyone else to tell the truth of whether they knew or not. I searched for Lauren for so long…even after the Magina told me she was dead; I didn't believe him. I didn't believe until I saw the DNA results. I still couldn't wrap my head around how the dead body looked exactly like Lauren or more so – how that body matched Lauren's DNA.

"I'm sorry, Kenzi…" I apologized, calming down slightly.

"Bo… Darius told me what happened. I can't even comprehend it."

"Neither can I."

"Your grandmother has been nothing but nice to me - I don't know why she would do such a thing. Maybe the Magina realized that you weren't really unconscious and that you could hear…maybe they were just trying to cause a war… maybe…"

"It sounded like they were truly concerned. I don't want it to be true. She's my grandmother, Kenzi. The only woman I've really trusted – I mean, she took me in when my mom left and she's the only mother figure I've ever known. She and Trick raised me."

"I know. They practically raised me too."

"Bo, you need to get the truth from your grandmother. Don't go in raging – it might not be what you think," my father cautioned me. "Confront her, yes. But don't approach her in a fury. You love her and despite these accusations from the Magina, she loves you too."

"If she loved me, she wouldn't have done this!" I growled – my temper rising again.

"Bo, listen to me. You have every right to be angry – to be pissed off. But if you let your rage get the better of you right this second, you will regret it. Lauren is right behind those doors and she needs you. She needs you with a clear, calm head. We don't know what is going on or where she stands right now, but we do know that regardless of her physical state, she will have a lot of emotions to work through. She will need you and you cannot be there for her if you are raging."

"You're right."

Dammit. I hated when someone else was right. I knew I let my emotions overrule my logical processes far too often, but I just always felt so deeply. It was hard for me to remain rational and objective when I was hurt or someone I loved was in danger. It just wasn't me. This is only but one reason Lauren was perfect for me. She was the Yin to my Yang – even in the smallest of things. When I'd get edgy because of something trivial like school or work, she would just touch me and I'd calm down. She had a way of bringing me back to center – hell, she was my center. Without her, I didn't even know where center was. I had felt so off-focus and off-balance these past few weeks without her – like I wasn't complete. A part of me was missing – a giant gaping hole in the middle of my soul.

"Bo," a nurse called, walking into the hallway from behind the large door.

I turned around swiftly and walked towards her – my eyes searching her face for information.

"Lauren is going to be okay. She has a lot of healing to do still, but what you did probably saved her life."

"Oh thank God," I exclaimed, covering my mouth with my right hand, relief washing over me.

"As an Eired, she will heal almost completely and relatively quickly, but she needs rest," she continued.

"Wait…" I said, processing every word the nurse had told me. "What do you mean 'almost?" I quizzed.

The nurse's face turned serious. She took a deep breath and I braced myself for what was to come. "Lauren has suffered extreme head trauma. She doesn't appear to have any amnesia, but through some testing we have found that she is experiencing some cognitive deficits – minor short-term memory loss, impaired arithmetic function, impaired logic reasoning… Again, as an Eired, she should heal, but the thing with Eireds is that they only heal to a point. Sometimes they don't fully recover. We have evaluated all of her cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. We are mostly optimistic…"

"But…"

"But… currently, while Lauren's major cognitive and motor functions seem to be intact, her minor cognitive functions and some sensory functions are a little more concerning. She's lost her ability to hear."

"What?" I gasped, tears starting to form at the bottom of my eyes.

"We will have to do routine check-ups and frequent testing to monitor her. The minor cognitive deficits and her hearing loss may not improve physiologically."

I shook my head, letting everything the nurse was saying process, but trying hard as hell to keep my emotions in check.

"Can I see her?"

"Of course… follow me."

"We'll be out here, Bo," Hades called to me.

I reached Lauren's room and stood in the doorway – she was laying in the bed, her eyes closed, her skin pale and her body fragile. My heart melted at the sight of seeing her so weak. I walked over towards her and ran my fingertips up her arm. She opened her eyes suddenly, her face fear-stricken, but her expressions softened when she realized it was me. She smiled at me weakly before I pressed my lips against her forehead firmly.

When I pulled back, I noted that the IV was on the side opposite of me, so I lowered the bedrail closest to me and gently moved Lauren's form closer to the other side of the small bed. I crawled in beside her, initially I was going to hold her from behind but she resisted. Before my heart could break – thinking she was resisting my comfort – she turned to face me and snuggled into me. I eased myself onto my back and pulled her close – her head resting against my breast. I kissed her head firmly – making sure she could feel the contact – as I ran my left hand up and down her back.

Hades was right – my confrontation with Isabeau could wait. It would most definitely happen – but it could wait. Right now, my focus needed to be on Lauren. I had no idea what she had been through with the Magina – she had probably thought that her life was over. But now, she was in my arms and I was stronger and more powerful than ever. I could and would protect her from anyone who tried to harm her. We had a long road ahead of us. I had no idea what it meant that Lauren couldn't hear. I had many questions, but I knew they would all be figured out eventually. For now, Lauren was here, she was alive, and she was stable. It may have seemed that I was holding her – my arm wrapped protectively around her back, my other arm laying atop hers which was thrown around my middle – but the reality was Lauren was holding me. Everything would be okay. We would make it through. Lauren and I together. As it was meant to be. This was our chance. Now.