Author's Note: I owe a huge debt to Rabastan for reading through this to make sure there were no glaring errors. And for assisting me in fighting off very serious plot hang-ups. Go read her story, "The Human Doctor", I promise it is worth your while. ;)
- x -
Lauren made her way to the car window, a cup of coffee warming the palm of her hand. She smiled at the driver as he lowered the window.
"Detective," she acknowledged, handing him the cup.
Hale graciously accepted the coffee and gave her one of his winning grins. He tilted his head to the side and patted the passenger seat of the sedan. Lauren made her way around the car and slipped in beside him.
"She's not gonna see you, Lauren. She gave me explicit instructions to keep you 'the hell away from here.' I think those were her words."
Lauren shook her head sadly. "Why do you think I brought something to bribe you with?"
"Hmm." He took a sip of the coffee and nodded his appreciation. "It's a fool's errand, Lauren. I wish you wouldn't torture yourself like this…"
Lauren sat silently, staring out the window at the door to Bo's clubhouse. She fidgeted with her fingers before realizing the behavior, stopping herself and resting her hands on her thighs. She struggled with the emotions that warred within her. She wanted to see Bo, had to at least have some kind of closure. She also felt a little bit indignant at Bo's treatment of her. Why the succubus thought it was okay to completely blow Lauren off— despite what had happened—was beyond the doctor. It smacked of teenage petulance and Lauren wanted it addressed.
"I brought something for Kenzi, Hale; Something that will heal her." Hale's worried smile brightened and Lauren couldn't help but return it.
"You're awesome, Doc! If she won't see you, then you tell me and I'll come knock her head off the wall for you," he said.
"You don't need to threaten her, Hale. You Fae always seem to forget that I have my own special brand of charm," Lauren said, although she wasn't really that confident. But if Bo continued to give her the cold shoulder, Lauren was prepared to do whatever it took to improve the succubus' manners.
"So, uh, how's Doctor Bane?" Hale asked, attempting to change the subject. Not that the subject of Lauren's friend was much better.
"I had to turn her over to the Dark. It didn't seem to matter to the Morrigan that Zandra had made their pact while being manipulated by Lokee. She had no control over what she was doing whatsoever. She begged me incessantly for forgiveness, Hale. It was awful."
"Is she in danger?"
Lauren thought for a moment. "No. I don't think so. The Morrigan is hoping she'll end up with a human doctor of her very own. If Zandra works out, I suspect that the Morrigan will be very pleased."
"Will she work out?"
"I have no doubt, actually. As horrible as this experience has been for her, Zandra has always been resilient. She also has a voracious appetite for learning. This is just a new branch of education for her."
Hale made a non-committal noise and shook his head. "What a mess, eh?"
"Yeah, it really is. By the way, where is Dyson, anyway?"
"We decided we should take turns staking out Bo's place. We're just watching to make sure no one gets in or out. Bo didn't want us here, but we wouldn't take no for an answer."
"It's hard for you, isn't it? Being out here when all you want to do is be inside with Kenzi?"
Hale sucked in a sharp breath and gave her a 'thanks for reminding me' glare. But he supposed their relationship had put them in a position to be able to discuss the situation. And it felt kind of nice to be able to share his affection for Kenzi with someone. "Yeah, it's tough. But I am as close as I need to be right now. I feel better knowing no one is gonna touch a hair on her head."
"Hale," Lauren shifted in the seat, reached out and grabbed his hand. "I owe you an apology, too, you know. I'm sorry that this happened…"
"Lauren, stop. I told you before that none of this was your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself."
She muttered something about that being easier said than done while simultaneously nodding her acknowledgement. "I should go do this before I lose my nerve."
"Good luck, Lauren."
"Thanks. If I know Bo I'm going to need it," she said as she slipped out of the car. She closed the door and gave him a sad smile and wiggled her fingers in farewell.
- x -
Lauren tightened her hand into a fist and pounded on the door. She could hear heavy footfalls beyond. It opened just wide enough for Bo to peak out. When the succubus saw that it was Lauren at the door, she frowned angrily and tried to close it, but Lauren had been expecting that and was quicker. She stuck her foot in the opening just in time, ignoring the pain when the door connected with the side of it.
"You have no business here, Lauren," Bo spat.
"I'm not here for you," Lauren said, feeling slightly guilty about the white lie.
"Are you freakin' kidding me?"
"Bo, let me in. You're only prolonging Kenzi's pain if you don't let me give her what I have."
She knew that would motivate Bo. The succubus shoved her hand through the opening, palm up. "Then give whatever it is to me."
Lauren shook her head. "No, Bo. Let me in." She removed her foot, trusting Bo to do the right thing. The succubus slammed the door shut and Lauren stood there, feeling the wind the violent action had created blow the ends of her hair slightly. She waited, feeling her patience slowly draining away. It had almost disappeared completely when Bo finally opened the door only wide enough for Lauren to slip through sideways.
Lauren stared at Bo as she moved around the door and the succubus' eyes, full of anger and resentment, followed her. The brunette stood before Lauren in full gear, as though she were expecting trouble. She wore her tight leather pants, knee high boots, and a full complement of weapons. The only concession to comfort was the tank top fit precisely over her upper body.
Lauren felt her body react immediately and detested it for betraying her when she needed every ounce of strength she could muster. How could she possibly be turned on by this woman when she was required to present a rock-solid façade? She hated that Bo still managed to wrest all control from her.
"Bo—"
"Kenzi is sleeping. You can give whatever you need to and then you can go," Bo said, voice even and unaffected. Lauren searched the succubus' face for a chink in her armour. Unable to find any, Lauren merely nodded and started for Kenzi's room. Bo stayed where she was and watched. Lauren could feel the brunette's gaze boring holes into the back of her head.
Lauren carefully opened the door to Kenzi's room, hoping not to wake her. But when she peaked in she found Kenzi partially propped up in the bed eyeing her with curiosity. Lauren smiled, relieved that Kenzi wasn't trying to kill her with dagger-like stares, too.
"Hi," she said, "How are you feeling?"
Kenzi half-shrugged, then grimaced at the pain. "Meh," she said.
"I brought you something… Trick helped me find it. It will make you better."
"What is it?" Kenzi enquired, looking intrigued. Lauren assumed Kenzi might like the idea of accepting something, anything, from her better if she dropped Trick's name.
"Phoenix tears. They are extremely rare. I asked him to find me some for another patient and I had enough left over for you."
Kenzi eyed her with curiosity. "What did you have to do in exchange?"
Lauren smiled. It always amazed her how quickly Kenzi adapted to the niceties of being part of the Fae world. The girl was more spirited than anyone Lauren had ever met. It didn't matter that most of the time Kenzi didn't trust Lauren—even at times seemed to dislike the doctor—Lauren still admired and respected her. Of everyone Lauren knew Kenzi had no issues telling things like they were. You always knew where you stood with her.
"Never mind that, Kenzi," Lauren said, but at Kenzi's raised eyebrow, she explained, "I offered a future trade, but he accepted something that I had already done as payment."
"Well, Bo's pissed at you," Kenzi said.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious."
"She thinks you betrayed her."
Lauren sat down in the chair next to Kenzi's bed, where she suspected Bo had previously been sitting, and folded her arms across her chest. "I know," she said quietly. "She has a right to be angry, Kenzi. So do you."
To her surprise, Kenzi waved her good hand in a dismissive gesture. "I told Bo she was being harsh. It's not like you knew that jackass was going to show up and try to mess with your life—I mean our lives." Lauren stared at the younger woman, mouth only slightly agape. "What," Kenzi said, "you are surprised that I defended you?" It was Lauren's turn to shrug and Kenzi laughed. "It didn't do any good anyway, Bo's… stubborn. But you know that."
"Yeah, just a little," Lauren admitted.
"So what are you going to do?"
Lauren sat forward and rummaged in her pocket, withdrawing the vial she had brought with her. "Drink this, Kenzi. It will heal you."
"Ah, I see. You're going to fix me to get back into Bo's pants," Kenzi said, a mischievous twinkle lighting her eye.
"Not exactly. I don't think that's an option any more. I just want you healed so you can watch her back." She didn't add: because I won't be able to anymore.
Kenzi reached out and took the proffered medication. She held it still while Lauren unscrewed the cap for her, then upended it into her mouth and made an exaggerated face at the disgusting flavor.
"You sure you're not trying to kill me?" Kenzi muttered, scraping the tips of her fingers over her tongue.
"Are you saying that foot soup tastes better?" Lauren asked with an amused chuckle.
"Actually, that soup was phenomenal... aside from the obvious barf factor and narsty side-effects."
Lauren chuckled again. "I wouldn't doubt that an Aswang would be a very good cook."
Kenzi made a gagging noise and shook her head, trying to clear the memory. "Gah!" she said, waving her hand. "You better go talk to Bo, see if you can bat your pretty eyelashes and snap her out of it."
"If only it would be so easy. I'll come back to check on you, if I can get Wrath of Succubus to allow it," Lauren said. "Again, I really am sorry, Kenzi."
"If this works, Doc, you got my vote. Now skedaddle, let a girl get her beauty sleep!"
Lauren helped Kenzi lie back down and drew the comforter up, tucking it gently around her. She offered Kenzi one more tentative smile before slowly making her way through the clubhouse, unease spreading throughout her system. She hated the feeling of untied threads, and especially despised when they were beyond her power to knot.
She found Bo standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. As soon as Lauren entered the room Bo's eyes found her. The succubus was still smoldering and Lauren wondered how much ice would be required to thaw her out. It was a good thing some considered her cold—in fact, Kenzi had once compared her to a speculum!—because Lauren was going to need every ounce of frigidity for this fight. She could feel it.
"We need to talk," Lauren started. Bo merely lifted a sarcastically curious eyebrow. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you when I suspected who had taken Kenzi. It was… kind of a shock." She searched Bo's face. There was no change in her expression. "Look," she ran a hand through her hair in frustration, "dealing with problems on my own has been kind of a modus operandi for me, Bo. It's had to be. The fae certainly don't care about the struggles of their lowly human doctor."
Lauren stopped talking. The succubus still hadn't moved. She looked like a sculpture of pure ire. It was then that Lauren felt the fight go out of her. She had never been one to give up easily, but she could pick out fights she couldn't win and though it killed her she saw that this was one. She had at least figured on some sort of reaction on Bo's part, but there was nothing. The brunette simply stood staring, torso rising and falling in steady rhythm with her breathing. Lauren felt her own chest constrict in anguish. She shook her head sadly, gave Bo one long last searching gaze and then turned away. She let her head drop forward in defeat as she headed for the door, fought valiantly against the tears that threatened.
As her fingers found the knob, she thought she heard Bo say something. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Bo had taken a few steps forward and had reached out to Lauren. When their gaze locked, Bo dropped her hands to her side and her expression softened. In a very small voice Bo repeated Lauren's name. The tears finally fell. Lauren turned completely around, her face wet with them.
"I thought—" Bo's voice cracked slightly and she had to clear her throat to start again. "I thought I knew why I was angry, Lauren." She spoke softly, as though she was afraid that her previous behavior would make Lauren skittish. "I was so upset that you were still keeping secrets, after everything we've been through, you still didn't trust me. I thought about it though, Lauren, and I understand that your whole life is one giant secret. There is not a single person in this world that you can trust. You are right the fae don't care and you can't tell the humans. You have practiced for so long that it stands to reason that you can't simply undo that training, no matter… your relationship with another."
Lauren felt herself start to shake. Pent up frustration, anger, angst and woe were draining away and she had no energy left without them. They had been sustaining her. Bo seemed to know and came forward, gripping her shoulders to keep her standing. It was a gentle, strengthening touch.
"I figured it out. The real reason I was so, so livid," Bo continued. "You wanted to sacrifice yourself in exchange for Kenzi, Lauren. Why? Why would you think that I could bear to lose you any more than I could to lose her?"
"I didn't—"
"You don't, do you? Think. You just act. You're so used to triage that you do it with everything, Lauren. You can't see further than the means that justify the ends. You don't see the fallout. You don't see the way the world would change after you make your decisions."
"I can't afford to, Bo."
"You can, Lauren. You just need to slow down. Look around you, there are people who care about you. I care about you." Bo closed the space between them, enveloping the doctor in a tight hug. "I'm still angry, Lauren. I think I might be for a little while. But I think we can work this out if you'll wait for me—if you'll just hang on."
- x-
Fini
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story!