"I am looking for inspiration.
And I think I found it in your heart.
It's the kind of thing you get when you're not looking.
It's the kind of thing you had from the start."
- Don't Take Your Love Away, Vast
"Kenzi, I've got a problem over here, I need you to come back to the house and bring Trick with you-" Bo was coming close to yelling down the phone to her best friend while she struggled to keep her strongest arm wrapped firmly around the small waist of the young girl she had stumbled upon no more than ten minutes ago, "-and please hurry!" She barely disengaged from the call itself before she found that the child had squirmed right out of her hold and was urging to get out of the room and into the hall. Things were becoming more and more hectic by the second. It had taken her a lot of effort to even get close in the first place so she didn't want to lose all of that progress. "Shit," she mumbled to herself and rushed out in pursuit of the stubborn female, "Tamsin, get back here this instant, I've already told you that I'm not going to hurt you! And I'd also really appreciate it if you didn't try to hit me!" The term 'challenge' would be an understatement for the utter trial that it was to keep the girl in one place. The valkyrie was a speed devil at this age, unsurprisingly. But the brunette just held a little more determination as she caught up with her. She slid onto her knees and stretched her hand out, gripping against the back of the girl's shirt before she gave a firm tug to pull her back from reaching the staircase, "oh no you don't," she warned and looped both of her stronger arms around Tamsin's fighting form. The girl was doing nothing less than kicking and scratching, anything to get away, being restrained wasn't something she liked, clearly.
She was beginning to growl like some wild child as she tried with all of her might to launch herself forward, but her renewed energy and her young age were no match against the solid force that the woman behind her had. It was like trying to run while being tied to a brick wall; useless. Although she didn't seem to learn too quickly as she kept making attempt after attempt until she began to tire herself out.
All Bo had to do was tighten her arms a little and she could practically feel that the younger valkyrie was becoming limp due to the exhaustion of her constant struggling, "hey, it's alright, just relax, I promise that I won't harm you," she was soothing her words in a rare motherly voice as she pulled Tamsin back into her, "when are you ever going to realize that you don't have to fight me?" Her question was, of course, a reference in general to the way that the pair had always interacted around one another. Even in youth the valkyrie was just as stubborn as she ever was. Although for now she was giving rough little groans while her chest rose and fell heavily, every time she desired to move forward to escape she soon came to realize that it was doing her no good.
The brunette brought one of her hands up so that she could brush the girl's hair behind her ear, and naturally the other female was jerking away as though the touch was burning her, but it was just an instinctive reaction. Bo ignored the resistance and closed her eyes briefly, 'this has to be Tamsin, she's wearing her shirt...and she has the same scent...and the same fire, apparently,' she started to tell herself, although many questions lingered in her head also, 'what happened to her? Why doesn't she seem to remember me?'
While she sat on the cold floor, almost cradling the unwilling girl into her, she began to try and calm her raging mind down so that all of her thoughts didn't somehow burn her brain to ash and embers. Her brief moment of peace was interrupted when the valkyrie made a sudden and new lunge forward in order to get out of her arms.
"Let me go, I wanna go!" Well, her first spoken words were retaliation, although that was hardly a shocking factor, it was just who she was.
Or who she seemed to be right now anyway.
Perhaps it had been the surprise of the voice, or maybe even just even the fact that her guard had been down, but Bo was cursing when Tamsin had broken free from the hold and was once more charging off at her own speed down the staircase. "Can I ever catch a break?" She was complaining loudly as she picked herself up from the ground and made a speedy descent to the bottom floor of the shanty shack.
However, by the time she made a turn towards the couch, she could see that the small valkyrie was mesmerized by the shiny glint that was coming off of one of the polished swords on the table. As the girl started to reach out for it, Bo was gasping a frantic and melodramatic, "n'ya!" She marched forward and caught a hold of Tamsin's little wrist before she even got close to the hilt, "honey you can't touch that, it's sharp, it's dangerous," she was starting to sympathize with permanent parents right now, and that pity soared higher when she felt a small, unwarranted, kick to her shin. She had dealt with worse pains before, but for no reason other than the impact, she was forced to let go of the valkyrie so that she could hop around on one foot while bringing her hands around to rub the sore area. "Ouch, that wasn't very nice, I'm not hitting you, so that means that you do not hit me-"
"I wanna play with the shiny thingy," Tamsin was insistent on trying to reach up for that damn sword again.
"The 'shiny thingy' is called a sword and you are most certainly not allowed to play with it," the brunette had finally rubbed her leg to the point where she could do no more, so she stood naturally again and looked down to the child, already having forgiven her for the hit the second it had happened.
"Why not?" The valkyrie immaturely stomped one foot on the ground, beginning to glare up at the taller female.
Bo found it scary how much the girl could actually resemble her older self when she got into a bad mood such as she was in now, "because you could cut yourself, or cut me...just judging by the way things are going," she grumbled the last part quietly to herself, "what is the last thing you remember? Do you know who I am Tamsin?"
"Noooo..." The girl said in a prolonged voice as she shook her head.
There was no physical way to explain the way that Bo suddenly felt as if someone had thrown a spear into her heart, subconsciously she was looking down to make sure it hadn't actually happened. The woman she loved was no longer a woman but a child and one who appeared to be lacking all of her memories.
"Well," Bo cleared her throat so that she wasn't awkwardly standing on the spot looking as though she was about to breakout into a river of tears, "my name is Bo and this is my house, I'm your...I am your friend."
"But how can you be my friend if I don't know you?" The small blonde was cocking her head to one side in confusion as a slight frown overtook her features. She still retained traces of her former attitude at the very least.
"It's complicated," the brunette crouched down so that she was at eye level with the girl, "but you are just going to have to trust me, if I wasn't your friend then I'd be mean to you right?"
Tamsin scrunched her nose, refusing to say anything on the matter, she was just acting as stubborn as usual.
"Right?" Bo emphasized again, beginning to smile as she narrowed her gaze and kept staring at the child until she got the answer that she desired.
"Right." The valkyrie mumbled and looked down to the floor, she was confused about everything at the moment, but she supposed that the woman had a point, she was being oddly kind and overprotective about everything, so that didn't make her a bad person, did it?
"See, we don't have to fight each other, we're totally cool, now how about we find you some better clothes to wear...and then I'll get you some ice cream?" Bo didn't know what else to use as a bargaining chip but her words must have done something because Tamsin's eyes had lit up and she was nodding so eagerly that it was a wonder that she wasn't making herself feel dizzy. "Okay then, my friend - sorry, our friend - Kenzi, she has some stuff upstairs that you can borrow," she prepared to extend her hand out, but to her surprise the young female was back to racing off again, straight to the staircase, "and so it goes."
Bo wasn't sure how she was going to survive with what was currently happening, not only was she still a human but the love of her life was now at the stage when she needed to be told bedtime stories. Perfect, things were just taking a turn for the worst. As she willed herself to navigate through the house until she got to Kenzi's room, she could see that the valkyrie was already snooping around. Obviously since this was the only other bedroom it'd be easy for her to distinguish that this one belonged to a younger person. "Here," the brunette opened the closet nearest to her and pulled out one of her best friend's tight fitting t-shirts along with leggings that were similar, "pull these on and see if they fit," she handed the items down to the small blonde before she averted her gaze to look at the wall.
"Do I live here with you?" Tamsin was asking as she followed the woman's orders and started to dress herself into the more suitable choice of clothing, "who is Kenzi? Does she like me?"
The questions caused the brunette to roll her eyes as a small smile crossed her lips, "yes, this is your home and Kenzi is my best friend, and your friend too like I told you, she adores you," once she was certain that the girl had finished changing, she glanced over her shoulder, "she's on her way over so you will see her soon enough. Now how about that ice cream?"
Seemingly, it was becoming a habit that whenever she mentioned something that appealed to the girl, she'd just jet off as quickly as she possibly could. Bo allowed her the freedom to rush back down to the kitchen. She intended to turn around and follow her, but when she looked at the discarded shirt on the floor, she noticed paper sticking out of the breast pocket. Tilting her head curiously, she crouched to the ground and grasped up the attire before she pried the small note out of it. As she unfolded it to read the message, her heart clenched.
It read; 'I will remember you, I promise.'
There was no mistaking that the valkyrie must have jotted this down last night, but the letters were barely neat. 'She wrote this while she was expiring,' Bo forgot how it felt to actually breathe seeing as how her chest had gone entirely hollow and the back of her throat was numb. She found it unbelievable that Tamsin's last actions were to give her a message whilst she was enduring whatever discomfort the rebirthing process must have brought.
"And I'll wait for you," Bo was making a promise, one that only she would ever know. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could and clutched on to the shirt and the note. As much as she wished that she could breakdown and cry over what had happened, she needed to be more responsible than that. She still had her top priority right now and that was keeping the young valkyrie safe, healthy and happy. A stray tear may have escaped from her eye but she rose her thumb to wipe it away so quickly that there was no evidence of it existing in the first place. She placed the items onto the wooden counter and exited so that she could make her way down to the kitchen instead. By the time she actually got there, her small lapse of depression and longing was overridden by the amusement she got from seeing that the valkyrie had already raided the fridge and had found herself a tub of vanilla ice cream. She walked across to the counters and took a seat down next to her while the girl chose to sit on the actual surface itself instead.
Tamsin had that childish curiosity about her again as she played around with the spoon whilst indulging herself in the fine taste of her reward for getting cleaned up a bit, "do you have a boyfriend?"
The brunette's eyes widened at the abrupt and unexpected question but she shook her head, "no, I don't."
"Why? You're like...old and stuff, do you have kids?"
"One, I am so not old. And two, the only kid I have is the bothersome little thing that's right in front of me," Bo said in a manner of playfulness, "but no, I don't have children, I'm too busy for that."
"Busy? What do you do? Do you have a job?"
"You ask a lot of questions," the brunette chuckled rested her elbow on the counter so that she could rest her cheek into her palm, "I help people who are in trouble, I save them and try my best to make their life a better place."
"Oooh, like a superhero?" Tamsin's eyes were lighting up again and she found herself immersing in a new enjoyment as she crawled forward, "do you have superpowers?" In the next second she was taking a hold of the woman's cheeks, she pinched and pulled slightly as though she expected something amazing to happen and when it didn't she then chose to grab and tug at one of her arms instead to test out the same theory.
'I always knew that little valkyries would be a nightmare,' Bo was grumbling inside of her own head as she reached out and took a hold of the girl's wandering hands to prevent her from prying and poking anywhere else. "I did have powers but they were stolen from me, in fact today was the day that I planned on getting them back, I made a promise to a lady and even though she's not here right now...I want to make her happy."
"What lady?" The blonde's nose crinkled as she gave up with trying to fight against the female's deflection of being grabbed at and prodded.
"A very special lady, she and I didn't get along at first but it turns out that she is the most special person that I'll ever meet," Bo brought her hand up and used her index finger to give Tamsin a gentle tap on the nose, "in fact...you remind me of her so much."
"Does that makes me special too?"
"Of course it does," Bo said with more sincerity than was needed, "you are always going to be special."
No doubt she would have continued on with her words, but the time soon came that she heard footsteps approaching the front door. Judging by the rushed pace, she knew that it could only belong to her best friend. With a small smile she stood up from the wooden stool, "it looks like we've finally got company," as she began to walk forward, she noticed that the small blonde had also hopped down from the counter, and more importantly that she had chosen to stay close to her, as in nearly standing behind one of her legs like some timid child would do. Bo felt her heart melt, one second the valkyrie was stubborn and hostile and the next she was innocent and unsure. She lowered her hand down so that she could let her fingertips stroke against the side of Tamsin's head to offer her some form of safety and confidence. She might have explained what was going on but even had she wanted to she was limited for time as the front door swung open.
Kenzi practically raced over the threshold as if she had been told that someone had stolen her blush brush collection, "help is here Bolicious, what's the-" she nearly tripped over her own feet as well as her words when her sights panned away from her best friend and to the kid at her side, "-YIKES! What did you and Detective Heartthrob do last night!?"
Bo's cheek turned bright red at the insinuation being made, "nothing like that! Ugh, Kenz, this is Tamsin...she just...I don't know..."
"WHAT!?" The thief's eyes bulged even wider. "As in honey I shrunk the kids...into actual kids!?"
"Well, when you put it like that yes, but I didn't do it-"
"Oh yeah right, you must've placed a curse on her."
"Hey now, I'm not that dumb I never want a repeat of Baby Yoda."
"Baba Yaga!" Kenzi corrected, sternly.
"Whatever, the point is I didn't do this, I just found her like this in the bathroom, she was trying to escape through the window," the brunette explained and averted her gaze to look down at the puzzled valkyrie.
Kenzi tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, "how do you know she's even Tamsin?"
"I just know."
Before the two friends could get into the thick of a long discussion over who was right and wrong, Trick broke up their verbal battle by closing the door behind him, "it is Tamsin," he clarified and walked further into the building.
Bo shot a very smug smile across to the Russian girl - who in return rolled her eyes.
"When valkyries go through their stage of rebirth they regress back through a state of youth from child to adult. This is the point in their life where they are most vulnerable and also most valuable," the blood king went on to explain as he stopped in the center of the room so that he could take a good look at the baffled child.
"...and they're most vulnerable because their memories are gone...right?" Bo spoke as though she knew that she hit the bullseye. Not only did her gut tell her that she was accurate but the surprise in her grandfather's face came as a close second to reaffirm her words to be true.
"Correct," Trick was hesitant but he assumed that his granddaughter had been trying to work with Tamsin prior to his arrival, "all valkyries witness much tragedy and destruction in their lives that they repress their memories, but in time they could come back."
"Could?" Both friends suddenly said in unison.
Although Bo was a little more forward, her hand tightened by her side and the young girl next to her flinched slightly due to the tense and abrupt movement. And as soon as she noticed that she had startled the child she softened up and sighed, unclenching the same hand so that she could rest her palm against the side of Tamsin's head instead.
The male nodded to confirm what he had said, "yes, depending on how much carnage the valkyrie has seen, she may not want to remember anything at all."
A silence was forthcoming in the room as Bo exchanged a very serious stare with Trick as if she were beckoning that he tell her some good news, but it never happened, not even after the first seven or eight seconds.
Tamsin clasped both of her hands around the female's wrist and gave a tug, "can we have more ice cream now?" She asked with an innocent boredom. It wasn't as if she could make heads or tails of the discussion that was going on so she would prefer to immerse herself in something that she could enjoy. Kids these days, they never held a strong amount of patience.
All of the information finally sunk into Kenzi's mind the moment she heard the girl act aloof - which was most definitely a typical Tamsin move - and she more or less sped across the next few paces while she stretched her arms out wide. "Holy smokes, a baby Tam Tam? This is the most adorable thing in the history of adorableness!" She exclaimed as she approached the small valkyrie, looking at her like she was a teddy that needed to be hugged to death, "hey there kid I'm your great aunt Kenzi!"
Bo's eyes widened the moment that her best friend surged forward and scooped the girl up into some sort of motherly cuddle, she had prepared to make a protest on how Tamsin didn't like being handled, but it really didn't appear as though she was any match for Kenzi's eccentric and energetic demeanour.
"And you're even wearing my t-shirt? Does the cuteness never end!?" The thief was rambling happily as she tightened her arms around the squirming girl and began to smother her with small kisses all across her face.
"Eugh, gross..." The valkyrie responded as any child would do towards being coddled and she scrunched her nose and tried to fight against the older girl's overly fond embrace.
"It's not gross - it's affectionate!" Kenzi nearly squealed.
"Uh take it easy there Kenz," Bo laughed nervously and reached a hand out, "you're holding precious cargo right there."
"Nonsense, I'm great with kids, they love me, seriously," the thief grinned from ear to ear and began to walk over to the kitchen area, carrying the small valkyrie along with her, "come on Little T lets get some ice cream!"
The mention of having some more of the frozen dessert caused Tamsin to stop her constant struggling until she became limp in Kenzi's arms and settled into the hold as if she was now content to be carried around. Apparently ice cream was the quickest way to get on her good side.
"Now why can't I do that?" The older brunette was huffing as she held her hand out to indicate over to the way that her best friend was handling the situation so much easier than she had done. "If I tried to pick Tamsin up and smother her with kisses she'd probably bite me, or doubt me into oblivion," she kept her voice to a low mumble and then glanced down to dust off the lint from her sleeve, "can she even use her powers yet gramps? I mean, what's going on with her? I'm not as sharp with my valkyrie studies as I should've been."
Trick moved over to the couch so that he could take a seat down and he beckoned his granddaughter to join him so that he could share his insightful intellect with her, "her powers are locked inside and they will come to her in time when she needs them, valkyries live through these cycles and I'm not certain as to how many Tamsin has undergone but from what I know she has retained her memories whenever she has been reborn before, so why should this time be different?"
As Bo perched herself down onto the cushion next to the male, she was shaking her head slowly while she trailed her fingertips through her hair, "I put her through a lot of stressful shit lately Trick, the way I always ran back to Lauren must have torn her up something awful inside...what if she represses the pain that I put her through? I doubt she's going to want to remember all of the heartache that I caused her."
"You may not have had the best track record with her, but in the end you did choose her, you did show her love and maybe because of that she will come to remember everything that she has shared with you."
"I hope so, I'm freaking out...for the first time in my life I felt like I had someone who was a security blanket to me...and now it has been stripped away...it's difficult to explain."
"If I remember, Dyson used to be protective of you also," Trick added.
Bo frowned in response and brought her hand down so that she could cross her arms over and slouch back, "it's not the same, Tamsin is different, she has risked more for me than Dyson ever would and she challenges me. It might frustrate me, but at least she respects me enough to be herself."
"Then you just need to have some faith that everything will resolve itself," the male said and gave a small smile to his visibly distraught granddaughter, "and speaking of things that need fixing, I have prepared a ritual to transfer your powers back across to you from the witch that stole them. She is still held in captivity at the medical facility."
"Right," Bo nodded once, recalling that the valkyrie had wished for her to return to who she was born to be, "I'm glad to hear you say that, the sooner I get back my fae mojo the happier I'll be. If Tamsin is as helpless as you say then I need to be strong enough to protect her, who knows what would happen if Evony found out about this."
"Exactly, which is why you need to keep an eye on her."
"I'll keep two eyes on her, actually."
Trick commended the female's continual devotion to the young blonde even though she was starting a new life span, he reached over and placed his hand onto Bo's knee, squeezing lightly as an act of comfort and reassurance, "we can go and get your powers back whenever you are ready, just say the word."
"Then I guess we should get this over and done with now," she patted the top of her grandfather's hand and paid him a small smile before she stood tall again. Immediately she directed her attention over to the counters in the kitchen and she saw that Kenzi and Tamsin were chatting away. Although her best friend was doing most of the talking so she pitied the way that the young valkyrie was probably enduring one of the thief's usual lengthy rambles about life and the fae world. Bo shook her head and proceeded over to the area so that she could round up the team, she wasn't keen on letting anyone she cared for out of her sight, not ever since the catastrophe with The Morrígan yesterday.
Nothing was certain anymore.
"Alright you two, we're going to take a little trip to Lauren's med lab so that I can become super woman again," she broke the news in quickly and saw the way that her friend was starting to groan, "oh don't sulk with me, there's no way I'm leaving you both in this house, it'll fall apart if I do."
"Fineeee," Kenzi stood up from the stool and wore a grin as she walked past her friend, "I want to see how your going to handle this with Doctor Hotpants anyway."
"You love watching me squirm, don't you?"
"Moi? Never," the thief spoke coyly as she patted the older female's shoulder and made her way to the door alongside Trick.
Bo closed her eyes for a moment to let her mind process the reminder that she would be facing Lauren more than likely.
"Who is Doctor Hotpants?" Tamsin's voice broke the short silence as she walked around from the wooden counter, looking upwards.
The former succubus was left exhaling heavily as she gazed down at the small girl, "a friend," she didn't use the term lightly, not with everything that had transpired over these recent weeks. Her voice sounded pained and she gave the briefest smile of despondency before she tipped her head across to the door, "come on kid, lets go." She turned on her heels and started to walk, although being who she was, she waited until Tamsin had chosen to move beside Kenzi. It was a preference to have everyone in front of her and in her sights.
She was just hoping that things would run smoothly from here on out.
The drive across to the medical facility had been a nightmare in itself, Bo's head was throbbing with an ache thanks to the amount of crazy videos Kenzi had decided to show Tamsin on the ride over. The two of them were in the back and the brunette had been the one driving so it wasn't as if she could have grabbed the blasted phone to put it on mute - although the two girls were getting along which is probably more than she could have asked for. Her own experience of handling this young version of the valkyrie had gone down in flames so she was relying on having her best friend around to back her up. She was going to have to take notes because quite frankly Kenzi was doing a better job with all of this than she was. Dealing with children wasn't something she had much experience in. As normal as she was on the outside she still couldn't get over the numbness in her heart, her insides felt weak and it was one of those times in life where she really would have loved to just run into Tamsin's arms. Lately it had been the only place she felt truly safe and now she didn't have that. All she had was a young girl who had no memories and no love for her. 'What if she expired without knowing how much she means to me? Are things ever going to get back to the way there were?'
"Hey Bo Bear, c'mon, we don't have all day you know." Kenzi's voice broke through the silence and her knuckles patted against the window from outside.
The former succubus hadn't even been aware that everyone was out of the car apart from herself, after parking it she had just gotten so lost in her own thoughts. She cleared her throat and gave one nod before she undid the seatbelt and then she got herself out of the stationed vehicle, she wasn't looking forward to having to face the human doctor but it wasn't something that could be avoided either. Kenzi was leading Tamsin into the building and her grandfather was at the back of them so she just followed behind. All of her regret was seeping into her whenever she looked at the valkyrie, after everything they had gone through to be together she couldn't accept that it was going to end like this. Maybe she had been difficult with Tamsin through the last few weeks, but she had been confused and now that she could finally see clearly it seemed as though it was too late.
Regret and guilt really didn't go hand-in-hand together.
Bo made her way into the facility with a morbid look painted across her face, her mood was dropping very quickly now that the severity of the situation was catching up with her. She looked up to see that the doctor was at the desk but as soon as they locked eyes Lauren was immediately standing to her feet and smiling.
"Bo..." The name left from her lips in her usual voice of softness but her gaze averted to notice that Kenzi had a very unfamiliar child standing next to her. Her expression contorted in confusion.
The thief only noticed when she looked up and then she grinned and beamed a bright - "oh!" She took the small valkyrie by the hand and led her across to the taller blonde. "Little T this is Doctor Hotpants. And doc this is our very favorite valkyrie...kid sized." She explained and then glanced over to her best friend to make sure that it was alright for her to talk about what was going on and when she received a nod she turned her attention back to the front.
Lauren's face had gone from confused to downright shocked in a matter of moments. "This is...Tamsin? As in Tamsin Tamsin?"
"The one and only!" Kenzi exclaimed with cheer and patted the young valkyrie on the back to usher her forward so that the doctor could get a better look at her.
"I didn't think that she would expire this soon." Lauren squatted herself slightly to get a closer view of the small blonde girl.
Bo's eyebrow twitched and she held her breath, "am I the only person who didn't get an A plus in valkyrie school?"
Trick was the only person standing close enough to hear his granddaughter's grumble, he gave sympathetic smile to her and turned his head, "I always told you that you should read more about the fae specimens," he stated in a voice that suggested he had been waiting for a long time to give her the whole 'I told you so' speech. But his voice was kind and he understood why she wasn't as highly spirited.
When Lauren reached her hand out to touch Tamsin's shoulder, the girl reacted by quickly jerking herself away, she stumbled herself back into Kenzi.
"Woah easy there Little T she isn't going to hurt you."
"That is right, I just want to give you a few check ups to make sure that you are in good health." The doctor may not have gotten along with the valkyrie in the past but since she was a child at the moment she felt obliged to want to do the best that she could for her. As she reached out with her hand for a second time the young girl seemed to growl a little before she pushed away from leaning against Kenzi and raced to the back of the room.
At first it appeared like she was doing a runner towards the door but she stopped right next to Bo and stayed at her hip like she had done when she had first been reintroduced to Kenzi and Trick.
The fleeting look of surprise on Bo's face was soon overtaken with a soft smile, she hadn't expected that the valkyrie would be coming to her for a form of protection but she was glad that it was a feeling she invoked within her. She lowered herself to her knees so that she was at eye level with Tamsin and then she set her gaze on her. "It's alright Tamsin, I gave you my word that I wasn't going to let anything happen to you, Lauren is our friend, she would never do anything to hurt you." As she done her best to soothe the girl's worries she hadn't ignored the pained look that crossed the doctor's face when she was referred to as a friend. It wasn't as if she was intentionally trying to hurt the human's feelings but she wanted to make it clear that her heart was still with Tamsin...even though right now things were awkward.
When she saw that the small valkyrie was coming close to pouting she brought her fingers under her chin and tilted her head up so that they were looking at each other. "Tamsin, you'll be alright, it will only take a few minutes, you like superheroes right?" She asked and grinned when she managed to get a stubborn nod out of the girl. "Well if you let Lauren help you then you will officially be my superhero."
Tamsin's eyebrows seemed to arch when she heard Bo's words, "really?"
"Really," the brunette confirmed and stroked her fingers through the girl's hair, "Kenzi will stay with you the whole time."
"What about you? Where will you be?" The valkyrie's lips pursed and she quickly went back to being a little bit moody, but it was out of her need not to be left on her own, as no child would feel comfortable with.
"Remember when I told you that I was getting my powers back? Well I'll be downstairs doing that." As Bo went to stand up again she felt the girl clinging at her arm, quietly insisting for her not to leave. "Tamsin, I won't be long, you can survive with Lauren and Kenzi for a while, this will all be over soon I promise you." Her numb heart was warming when the young valkyrie appeared to have grown more attached to her than she had been letting on. She waited until Tamsin was willing to loosen her grip and then she got back to her feet and made her way across to the staircase at the back.
However, while passing the human doctor she felt her arm being grabbed at lightly. "Bo, listen I know that things haven't been good with us lately but for what it's worth..."
"Just make sure that Tamsin is alright for me." The other female cut in before Lauren could finish what she had wanted to say, but naturally that didn't quite cut in as she would have hoped, as she made another move the hold on her bicep tightened minutely.
"So you are choosing to get your powers back after all? Have you really thought about this?"
"It's what Tamsin wanted before she..." Bo frowned a little unable to say the rest of her sentence, but it was clear what had been implied.
"Tamsin doesn't even know who you are Bo, what if she never remembers?"
"Then I will just have to make her fall in love with me all over again."
"Bo-"
"No. No, don't bother because I already know what you are going to say. What if Tamsin never feels the same for me ever again? What if she wants to leave and start a new life? What if she falls for someone else?" Judging by the way that the doctor's grip loosened Bo knew that she was hitting the mark with all of the questions. Granted her voice was a little on the defensive side when she was talking but she was raw with her emotions about the whole expiring thing, since it had literally been a surprised launched on her she was doing all that she could to rationalize it. But that certainly didn't mean that her heart wasn't hurting. She knew now that this was why the strand of the valkyrie's hair had fallen out the night before. If she had realized this would happen afterwards she would have done so much more, or said so much more. "Tamsin fought with her life to have me, and now I'm going to fight with everything I have for her. I'm not going to accept that this is the end for us. I can't."
She hoped that if the version of the valkyrie she knew could have seen her that she would have been proud with her resolve for their relationship. Tamsin had worked damn hard to do everything for her and now she was being put to the test to give it all back. Bo was going to try with her heart and soul to keep their love alive. It was a tricky road since she was the only half that remembered anything, but even if she had to wait years until Tamsin had grown up then that was something she was going to do.
"She and I belong together, we'll find our way again." The brunette said nothing more as she left for the basement below. She felt Lauren's disappointed gaze on her but she endured it and focused more on where she was going other than what she was leaving behind.
Trick nodded his head once over to Kenzi and then he made his way behind his granddaughter, he was carrying a rather large and ancient book in his hand which was no doubt to help with the ritual process that he was about to initiate.
"Well...lets get started." Lauren made her way to her desk and signaled for the thief to bring the small valkyrie over.
As Bo made her way into the dimly lit cellar she took in a deeper breath, she had only been down here a couple of times when Lauren asked her to retrieve something from storage but she was all too aware of the small cell it had built inside of it - which was usually for patients that needed to be quarantined. She saw Dyson and Vex standing guard outside of the small medical prison and she guessed that they must have been here for a while.
"You look tired." The wolf shifter commented and narrowed his stern gaze as he scanned her features. When he said tired he hadn't meant as much with physical exertion, more so he got the feeling that there was something troubling her. Over the years he had known her he recognized certain patterns with her and her eyes weren't those of a person who was thriving on happiness.
The mesmer scoffed and rolled his eyes, "she's probably been up all night shagging the valkyrie daft while we're stuck babysitting some old hag," he said in his usual smart ass way. And it hadn't gone appreciated when Dyson growled and nudged him in the ribs...roughly. Vex flinched and overreacted as always as he rubbed his side after it had been impacted, "oi watch it wolf mutt, you weren't the one tortured yesterday."
"Neither were you," Dyson bit back with his words, "you barely got a scratch compared to Tamsin."
"Sue me for being lucky, I wasn't the one running my mouth off to Evony when she had an arsenal behind her."
Bo inhaled a slow breath and raised her hand to stop any more disputes before they started, "guys if you two don't man-up and shakes hands then you are about to know what if feels like to have a human kick your ass."
"What has got you so worked up my little crumpet? Was your blonde bombshell too tired to perform last night?" The mesmer asked and tried to put on a sultry voice just to get under the female's skin.
"Actually...Tamsin has been reborn, she expired last night and now she is just a child." She didn't want to go into long details about it, especially not when she could feel Dyson's gaze on her, she knew that he wanted to say something but it was an issue that she hadn't yet wrapped her head around fully, but Lord knows she was trying to. It was just the strangest thing to be around the person she gave her heart to...but at the same time not be around her. The valkyrie she had come to love was hidden deeply somewhere within a small and confused girl.
A croaking laugh rumbled in the background, it belong to neither of the males around her, in fact it was a female vocal she she knew that it had come from the other side of the cell. More specifically from the witch who had wronged her and Tamsin. "So the valkyrie has turned into nothing more than a bumbling girl? This is better than I could have hoped for." The woman said through a cough and then twisted herself around and approached the iron bars of the cell - which thankfully Dyson and Vex weren't stupid enough to stand too close to. They had taken the necessary precautions and bound the witch's wrists behind her back to strip away the chance of her trying anything devious.
The last thing that Bo needed to hear was some woman taunting her about what was going on in her life. "Well don't hope too high because I'm not giving up on her, you haven't won anything and when I get my powers back you're going to wish that you didn't call her a bumbling girl."
"And you think that this Tamsin of yours is going to remember you at all?" The witch continued to try and speak her venomous words to stir as much trouble as she could.
"Of course she is, she promised me that she would and she has never failed me before," Bo snapped and then turned her attention to her grandfather, "can we just get this over with please?"
Trick nodded once and signaled for Dyson to open up the cell door. The detective done so with caution to his actions, his intense gaze was fixed on the woman to warn her into cooperating and the mesmer was at the ready next to him, prepared to use his powers if need be. Dyson yanked the door open and then he grabbed at the older woman's arm with a strong grip and dragged her outside, his dislike for her was causing her to struggle for balance with the force he was using. Truthfully he wasn't even aware of it until she nearly tripped so then he decided to tame it down.
When both of the females in the room were standing opposite from each other Bo was the one left frowning while the witch smirked. She didn't understand why the woman persisted in being spiteful when she was going to pay for what she had done, wouldn't it have been easier to ask for forgiveness? Or to at least try to beg for mercy?
"Why are you so hateful? Tamsin and I have never wronged you before, but you take pleasure out of seeing us suffer? Is your life such a bitter place that you make it your mission to tear down everyone around you?" Maybe Bo was looking in the wrong place for trying to find any source of redeeming qualities in a person. But her nature was - and would always be - to seek out to see whether there was any good left in a stranger. If she could give someone a second chance rather than take their life then that was what she would go for.
"Silly girl," the crone cackled, "perhaps I should teach you a lesson in life; the world is a bad place."
"No, I don't believe that for a second. Just because bad things happen doesn't make it all a bad place. You just sound like someone who has given up way too easily and I don't hate you for that...I actually pity you."
"I don't need pity from some succubus who is about to kill me."
Bo looked as if she wanted to say more, her teeth were gritted slightly but she held herself back and glanced to Trick to hint that she was ready to undergo the ritual that he had planned.
The blood king placed himself in front of both women, he laid the book down on the chair next to him, and it was opened on a specific page, however the text was in Latin. It wasn't something that Bo could decipher for herself, her languages were rusty compared to everyone else around her. She steadied herself as Trick's hand settled against her arm and then she turned her gaze to watch as his other one rested on the witch's wrist. However his eyes were only on the scripture on the chair. He began to chant said incantation in a way that made his granddaughter believe that she was about to be exorcised rather than have what was rightfully hers restored to her. She couldn't focus on hearing the words clearly when her mind was a not-so-clear place right now but they must have been powerful if they were going to solve her humanity problem for her.
Seconds went by with no change by then her eyes squinted to see the amber glow radiating within the witch's chest, the more that Trick talked the brighter it became and she watched as the light traveled up the woman's torso and then coursed along her arm to the point where Bo's hand was touching. She felt a sudden jolt as the energy began to return into her, the brown in her eyes was being replaced by a sparking hue of blue and she could feel so much strength returning to her - strength that she had taken for granted until just now. She hadn't realized how weak she was in her human state, but having the succubus that she was born as finally coming back to her was kickstarting her with energy that she had forgotten. Her stance became broader and she straightened her back, unlike the witch whom was now beginning to hunch with the life force she was losing.
When the transfer ended Bo was left letting go of the crone's arm, she looked at her own hand in admiration and flexed her fingers before curling them into a tight fist. "It feels good to be back." For all of the energy and revitalizing the return of her powers had granted her, even that couldn't come close to repairing the emptiness she felt inside of her heart. Maybe she shouldn't have felt it because it could be argued that she hadn't lost anything - Tamsin was still alive and right upstairs. But really, at the same time, all of the memories of what they had were lost, or at least buried away deeply in the girl's psyche somewhere. She wanted to find the woman that had won her over, she wanted to bring her back out but she just didn't know how long that was going to take.
"So is this the part where you kill me succubus?" The witch was coughing more violently than before now that she had lost the extra boost of powers. Even though Lauren had taken safe measures to cure her from the virus it had taken a toll on her for so long that it was going to be impossible for her to ever have a full recovery from it. So the karma for all of her misdeeds had already caught up with her.
Bo sensed that the crone had been pushed into a state that she was no longer going to be a threat unless she was allowed to roam free and get her hands on the most powerful magical tomes in existence - and the chance of that happening was slim. "No, unlike you, I'm not a killer. Dyson is going to take you to whatever fae elders still remain and they can decide your fate. As far as I'm concerned you and I are finished-"
Just before her words came to an end she heard a loud crash from the floor above, her blue eyes snapped upwards and she immediately frowned. It didn't sound like an accident, that was for sure. The newly energized succubus was running up the stairs without a second thought and leaving the three males behind to deal with the crone - she wasn't her problem anymore. Bo sped up to the main floor of the building after jumping up two steps at a time, she burst through the door into the medical room and her heart froze when she saw how a couple of Dark Fae had stormed into the place and caused havoc. On Evony's orders no doubt. Lauren had been knocked over her desk and had suffered from a pretty painful looking gash across her temple and Kenzi was facedown on the floor, dazed and disorientated. But the valkyrie wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Where is Tamsin?" The succubus blurted her words out as she raced over to lean down by her best friend's side, her eyes were dangerously fixing upon the two men who were making their way out of the door and she didn't even need to hear about what had happened to know exactly what this was about. Trick had mentioned that valkyries were most valuable at their young age, but she just didn't think that The Morrígan would be tactful enough to send her agents in so soon, she must have had more spies lurking around than even Bo had given her credit for. She heard the door at the back of her swinging open again, she didn't know which of the three from the basement it was but regardless she spoke the same words. "Help Lauren and Kenzi, I'll be right back."
There were no words invented to describe the amount of adrenaline pumping through Bo's body as she jolt back up to her feet, she ran straight out of the exit door at the front. Not only was she hyped up from the return of her powers but her worry for Tamsin made her act with an incredible determination. She closed the distance on the two Dark Fae that had been running at an insane rate, but she could see that they were running to a van ahead - coincidentally following a third man who just happened to be hauling the young valkyrie with him.
Tamsin was struggling and kicking her legs around, "let go of me...you jerk!" Even as a kid she still retained some of her old attitude. But when her green eyes locked on the succubus in the distance she squirmed a little harder, "Bo! Bo help!"
As if the brunette didn't have reason enough to want to lay waste to these three goons already then hearing the girl pleading for help just renewed all of her efforts, once she got close to the two she had been pursuing she grabbed at the first man by the back of his head. She wasn't going to waste and time so she abruptly and quite harshly used her hand to slam the front of his skull into the wall next to him. The force of her movement combined with the sudden shock knocked him out cold upon impact and she left his body to hit the cold floor while she then caught up with his other friend. This time the man was a little smarter and stopped running so that he could face her, although his actions were late on his part - unfortunately.
By the time he raised his hand Bo had already grabbed at his wrist, she tugged him forward and met his jaw with her other fist. She neglected no power in her hit and used her anger to help her lash out. The man staggered and would have fallen if she hadn't kept a solid grip onto his forearm. She pulled him back into her and crashed her knee into his groin sharply. As expected the wind was knocked from his lungs and he crippled down. Only then did she let him go, but to ensure he wouldn't get up any time soon she gave a hefty kick into his ribs with her foot which took him lower to the ground. Her two current problems were taken care of and she didn't use any time to catch her breath, she ran ahead and set her sights onto the parked van. She gave a silent thank you for the poor planning these Dark Fae had seeing as how the man hadn't been smart enough to leave the vehicle unlocked. He was trying to search for the keys while holding onto a very agitated young valkyrie - in other words a fool's combination.
Tamsin was hitting at the man's arm and doing everything to get out of the tight lock he had around her waist, she might have been a kid but her urge to fight never left from her. "Quit squirming around you little brat!" The male sneered angrily and he stopped himself from searching for his keys and raised his hand as if going to slap the girl.
And just as his attack came forward it was soon amounting to nothing when Bo caught his wrist. The blue in her eyes was brighter than before. Her hand continuously tightened around the man's forearm and she could feel the bones and muscles beginning to crush. "Did you sign your own death certificate? You must have right? Because coming after Tamsin was only going to end one way for you." Her voice was laced in anger as she spoke and the Fae in her grasp was hissing in pain and had no choice but to drop the valkyrie when the succubus twisted his other wrist the wrong way.
The girl landed on her rear against the ground and then she crawled herself back slightly, she was trembling a little and her breathing was shaken up as she watched the display in front of her.
Bo slapped the male harshly with the back of her hand, his lip was of course burst on first contact and then she furthered her movements by kicking him behind the shin to bring him to his knees. She had still yet to release his arm, the more she twisted it the louder his groans of pain were becoming. "How would you prefer to die? Want me to send you in parts back to Evony? Or shall we come up with something more creative? I'm open to suggestions!" Her other hand grasped ruthlessly at the male's throat and she was a second away from sinking her nails into the flesh and tearing his gullet out but she only stopped when she heard the imperceptible gulp from the young valkyrie.
When the succubus looked at her all she saw was fear in her eyes - and possibly the worst part was that it wasn't entirely aimed at the Dark Fae. No, she appeared scared of how the brunette was acting. Bo realized how much of a monster she would have come across as with how she was reacting, and Tamsin wasn't even at an age to understand the concept that people lost control over their emotions when someone they loved was in danger. She looked back at the male and frowned before she let him go with a softer shove. "Forget it, you aren't even worth it, tell your boss that if she ever makes a move for someone I care about again that it will be the last thing she does."
She paid little attention to the man as he scrambled to his feet and took off in the other direction, he must have been fearing for his life considering that he left the van behind. The brunette relaxed her stance and approached the young valkyrie, she leaned down to her and gave a small smile. "Hey Tamsin, are you alright?" She moved her hand out to touch the girl although a look of hurt crossed her face when the valkyrie pulled back, had she scared her? Had she exhibited too much violence in front of her? The worry in the girl's eyes all indicated to a heartwrenching yes. Bo made no further attempt to reach for Tamsin, the blue in her hues faded back to their usual warm brown and the smile was no longer across her lips.
It was the first time that the valkyrie had ever looked at her as if she really was a monster, and even though it pained her beyond any comprehension she didn't hold it against her. Hell, Tamsin was basically an innocent child and she had been about to take someone's life in front of her. Bo deserved to feel bad about that, she should have been more considerate but she just got caught up in the terror of losing the girl. She wanted to safeguard her with her life, her age and appearance may have been different, she may have even been paving new memories and feelings for herself - but she still had the heart of the same woman she had fallen in love with. That was never going to change.
And precisely because of that reason the succubus was going to be everything that Tamsin needed her to be. She would act as a guardian to her while she was as vulnerable as she was in her current state.
"Holy crapballs Bo Bo are you alright?" Kenzi's voice came from behind, the girl had recovered from her dizzy spell and she had caught up to her best friend's side as quickly as she could. "Did they hurt Little T?"
The smaller valkyrie managed to get back up to her feet and without a second thought she made her way to the human girl's side, even though the succubus had only took action to protect her she hadn't seen anything violent before and it was a little scary for her.
"...you better take Tamsin home Kenzi...it's safer there for her." Bo was yet to rise to her feet, she aimlessly watched the spot where the valkyrie had just been. The intensity of this day was beyond her, she couldn't think straight. Whenever something went wrong she took comfort in the fact that she could always turn to Tamsin even if all she was going to get was some smart ass remark from her, but now it didn't feel as though that person was here right now. And she missed her. She missed her in each second that had passed today.
Kenzi could piece together that Bo must have frightened Tamsin with how aggressive she had gotten during the fighting, she had seen the two other unconscious Fae on her way down the street. "Alright, me and Little T will chill out back at the shack, are you going to be okay Bo? You can come with us."
"No thanks...I've got some things that I need to deal with first." The succubus told a small lie, truthfully she had nothing to deal with but she wanted to give the valkyrie some space and she realized that the best person to make her feel better would be Kenzi. "I'll be home later." She said and then took in a deep breath when she heard the two sets of footsteps departing away from her.
'God...I can't do this without you Tamsin, I need you to be you again.'
Within the next few hours that had gone by Kenzi had done her best to help the valkyrie put the hardships of the day behind her and she felt as though she had achieved much success when she let the girl play her video games with her, they had gone on to crash on the sofa and watched through a couple of movies together afterwards. Tamsin was more talkative than she had been all day, although she had mainly been asking a lot of questions about everything. The Fae world, who the men were that grabbed her, why Bo's eyes were blue. Basically all of the things that Kenzi wasn't prepared to deal with, but she had done it anyway, she didn't lie to the girl either, she done her best to explain everything to her using small and easy to understand words. She could tell that it was all still pretty confusing but at least the valkyrie was taking it all in. By the time they had talked she had moved the conversation to her bedroom, and of course she had cleared enough space and set up the spare bed opposite from her own one.
She figured that it would be easier if the valkyrie shared with her as opposed to being in the same room as Bo - it'd be weird on so many levels right now. But oddly she knew that her best friend wouldn't mind just as long as she was near Tamsin.
"So are you finally gonna tell me why you ran away from Bo like she was the big bad wolf?" Kenzi asked and saw how the younger girl scrunched her nose and looked down to the bed covers. All of a sudden she had gone quiet again.
The valkyrie shrugged her shoulders and then shook her head slowly, she couldn't really think of what answer to give other than it had freaked her out.
With a sigh the thief made her way across to the other bed and crouched down in front of it so that she could look up to the girl, she rubbed her arms gently and smiled, "look Little T," she began slowly, "I get it that Bo Bo can get of angry but she would never hurt you, those men that she fought were really bad guys, remember? Just like I told you."
"...I know..." Tamsin mumbled quietly and used her fingers to continue fidgeting with the bed sheets.
"They were pretty scary when they took you right? But I'll tell you a secret, do you know that as soon as Bo saw that they had taken you she ran after you without a second thought?"
A small silence aired in the room for moments.
However it was broken when Tamsin peered up shyly and uttered a surprise, "really?"
"Totally," Kenzi grinned brightly, "I know my best friend, she would never let anything happen to you, she's a good girl but there are a lot of people in the world who want to hurt her. But you know what? She still protects everyone else before she even thinks about herself."
"Did I upset her?" The valkyrie sat up a little and her brows furrowed in nervousness. "Did she not come home because of me?"
"No Little T...no Bo just has some things that she has to sort out for herself," the thief continued to talk in a light voice, "you could never upset her, she cares for you so much."
"But...but I..."
Before the valkyrie could get out the next set of words that she had been stammering with the sound of the front door opening and closing sounded.
It was a little later in the evening than intended but Bo had found her way back home, never in all of her years had she taken so long to mindlessly wander around the town just to think things through. It wasn't as uplifting as she had hoped, really she tried searching for answers within herself about what she was going to do, she felt lost all over again. And now more than ever the weight of her conscience was heavier than an anchor, she kept replaying everything that she and Tamsin had been through over in her head and she reminded herself of all of the times that she had hurt the valkyrie - being with Lauren, arguing with her, not trusting her. So maybe this was her way of paying for it all. It was a fitting punishment. Finally she stops running from a woman who has been standing in front of her all along and when she does the same woman vanishes over night.
The succubus walked up the stairs with heavy footing and sighed in exasperation, "hey guys I'm home," she announced in a tired voice.
What was worse was that she was already off to a bad start at making the valkyrie trust her again now that she was probably going to be the pinnacle of her nightmares.
She assumed that the two younger females were in Kenzi's room and she was completely fine with that, it was a better arrangement. Bo made her way along the opposite end of the hall and turned into her room, she hadn't been in here since the night before. It fried her brain to recall that she and Tamsin had made love that same night and now it didn't even feel real anymore. Of course she knew that it was, but her mind was just switching in and out of emotions. At some points she was telling herself that things would return to normal in time but another part of her was just crushed that Tamsin hadn't warned her about any of this. 'I should have been with her,' Bo told herself as she strolled over and sat on the edge of her bed, 'she should never have expired on her own, I should have been there.'
The guilt and regret that still circled her heart and her soul were like venom, it grew worse with time and she had no way to get it out.
Bo hunched over and held her head in her hands, her eyes were on the floor and she supposed that the only reason she hadn't broken down one thousand times already was because she felt too hollow. It was as if she had skipped the mediocre stage of crying her heart out and landed herself straight into the void of being numb and hopeless.
She was so lost in her own personal despair that she hadn't even realized that she was being watched from her door. It took seconds before she chanced a coincidental look up and when she saw the young valkyrie by her door she had to admit that it was the last thing she expected right now. "Having trouble sleeping?"
At her soft question she was left watching as Tamsin gave her head a quiet shake.
So she tried for something else, "are you alright?"
This time she received a timid nod.
"Do you know that you are a terrible liar?" Bo started to smile a little.
But her shock rapidly returned to her when the valkyrie made her way straight over to her, before she could react she felt the girl throwing herself against her lap and wrapping her arms around her waist as tight as she could. "I'm sorry that I upset you!" Tamsin sobbed.
"What?" Sufficed to say the succubus hadn't prepared herself for that, she was left wide eyed and freezing up. This counted as the second night in a row that she had seen the valkyrie cry. Yesterday it was as a woman, today it was as a girl. Regardless of the inner torture she had put herself through during these last hours it didn't stop her from immediately circling her arms around Tamsin, she very quickly and carefully pull the weeping girl up onto her lap properly.
"Hey Tamsin...don't cry, it's alright, you didn't upset me sweetheart," Bo hushed in a soothing voice and let the valkyrie hide her face into her shoulder, "I was just worried that I scared you, I didn't want that."
"You didn't scare me," Tamsin mumbled and tried to tighten her arms around the succubus some more, "you're really really nice, you saved me from those bad men because you put everyone else first."
In that moment the succubus heard that it was Kenzi's words coming out and she smiled at the idea that her friend must have talked to the valkyrie on her behalf for her, and clearly it had worked. She wouldn't trade the human girl in for ten million dollars, she always had her back and she was going to repay her for that in whatever way she could, even if it meant that she would have to stay awake all night with her to play some video games.
"Well I gave you my word that I wasn't going to let anything happen to you, but it's alright if you were afraid Tamsin, this had been a really confusing day for you." Bo ended her sentence sooner than intended as she looked over to the clock next to her and when she saw that it was well past midnight she knew that it was probably time that the valkyrie got some shut eye. With all things considered she needed the sleep after all of her ordeals today. "Come on let me take you to bed."
The succubus stood up and carried Tamsin in her arms, the girl had quietened down considerably, maybe she was wearing herself down with all of the sobbing or maybe Bo's words had calmed her but for whatever reason she looked pretty tired all of a sudden. She didn't make any more noise as she was carried all the way back to the human girl's side of the house, like most young kids she just seemed to drift off within an incredible space of time. Even by the time that the older female was laying her down onto the bed opposite from her best friend's the valkyrie was hardly stirring anymore.
Looking down to her with tired eyes Bo gave another smile and made sure to tuck her under the covers until she was fully comfortable, "goodnight Tamsin," she murmured quietly and turned to make her way back out of the room. But of course before she even considered leaving she leaned down to her best friend whom was fast asleep and she grinned while she placed a quick kiss to her cheek, "and just when I think I can't love you anymore."
By the time that it had taken Bo to reach her own bed, she was too emotionally exhausted from the length of the day that she slumped forward onto her mattress and crashed into a heavy sleep within minutes. The fact that her pillow still had Tamsin's scent all over it relaxed her more than anything else in the world could at this moment in time and she tried to shut her brain off for the rest of the night so that she could focus on making it a better day tomorrow.
...only when tomorrow came it didn't quite start as she had planned.
When the first ray of morning light broke out the succubus was being shaken awake with her best friend constantly calling out her name in a frantic voice, "Bo Bo you've got to come and see this," Kenzi didn't speak too loud but she wasn't exactly whispering either, "and just try not to freak out."
First of all Bo had yet to properly get herself adjusted to reality again, she grumbled in coherently and rolled onto her side while she pulled the covers tighter around her, "it's not even eight yet, just gimme a few more minutes."
"Oh no, no believe me Bo Bo you really want to check this out," the girl insisted and then took in a deep breath, "it's Tamsin."
Well, the second that name was dropped into the conversation the succubus quit her resistance and sprung into a perfect sit up. The first expression she wore was concern and she was practically kicking off the covers which she was once trying to keep wrapped around her. "What? Where?" Bo was up from the bed in even shorter time and she didn't even give herself a chance to get her bearings back, she was rushing out of the room and preparing herself for the worst.
Kenzi's eyes widened and she jumped up from the mattress and dashed after her alerted friend, "Bo wait a sec, you haven't even let me explain yet."
"Is it Evony? Is she causing more trouble for Tamsin?" The succubus wasn't very much awake now even though she still outwardly appeared tired.
"Actually-"
Bo didn't get to hear the rest of Kenzi's answer when she ran into her room expecting to find some horrible travesty, although much to her shock her eyes bulged wide and she stopped so quickly that she almost tripped herself up.
What she found herself looking at now was a very teenage looking version of Tamsin. It was uncanny how much she was now physically resembling her old self, even if she did only look as though she was eighteen, perhaps nineteen at a push. And not to forget that the clothes she had been wearing were now strained and torn in some areas due to the rapid overnight growth.
"Oh..." The succubus said breathlessly.
She caught the valkyrie's attention quickly and the blonde was spinning around from the mirror and glancing straight back at her.
"Uhm...I think I grew...a lot." Tamsin's voice was sheepish and she offered an innocent smile across to Bo.
Well guys, what can I say other than I am so incredibly and deeply sorry for the 5-6 month gap that has passed since my last update for you all, to be honest usually I cope with the stresses and strains in my life by escaping through writing but for this last half year they have just been so agonizing and I'm sure you all know how stress works, it gets you down pretty low. It sucks all joy, fun and motivation out of everything and it has been weighing me down for so long now that only recently I've gotten past it. I have this thing where I like to deal with things myself but looking back on it, it was the harder path, so let me say now that if any of you guys are having a tough time and need to vent/talk then send me a message! Because trust me if I can help someone get through a tough time even by listening then I will!
You all know how much I love writing this story for you, but things got so intense that writer's block kicked in and I couldn't jot down a single sentence which is crazy because writing Bo/Tamsin scenes are a privilege for me as a writer, however I'm back now! And if I promise to give you a lot of Valkubus moments then will you forgive me for the absence? I really want to make it up to all of you as much as I can because I owe it to you!
I wish that I could've made Valkubus happen for you in season 4, if I could write a script for the show even for a single episode I would make your Bo/Tamsin dreams come true! I seriously wish that I could do that for you guys, but my powers are only limited to words so I'll give it to you through writing instead. No matter what happens in the show in this fanfic Bo and Tamsin are the love story! xD
I've realized that this fic has primarily shown us Tamsin's determination and feelings for Bo, and now it seems like it is time to show how much Bo is going to be the one fighting hard! [x
You know how at comic cons tv/movie stars will always say something like "seriously we have the best fans ever" well I want to top them right now by saying that I seriously have the best reviewers ever! You guys are always so awesome, I actually love replying to your reviews as much as I adore putting up this fic for you!
(Reviews! And expect a lot of 'sorry's' xD )
tuk1917 - Well let you be the first person that I apologize to for the ungodly length of time it has taken me to update, but I've loved reading all of the reviews that you have left me and I promise that I won't ever take so long again! But it is always my pleasure to respond to all of my reviewers, you guys are sweet enough to take the time to write to me so at the very least I want you all to know that your every word is appreciated! (':
BSwifty1997 - Why hello again stranger! ;) I'm terribly sorry about the late update, y'know how that old thing called life gets when stress is involved, but I'm back in action and ready to write about so much Valkubus that the whole world knows about it!
buffiasmeno - Ah, I'm so sorry that I have given you withdrawal symptons from not updating this fic sooner, it's never something that I am going to abandon (which must sound strange because of this five/six month absence) but I adore all of you guys for your constant support! But going with what we were talking about during the fourth season, I agree with you so much about there being so many underrated Valkubus moments, especially with the quote "that's what love feels like" if that isn't a declaration then I don't know what is. How many different ways is Tamsin going to have to spell it out for Bo? I love them both and now I speak for all of us when I say that season 5 better shape up and throw them together or I will just lose my mind. The potential for them in season 4 was right there and I wish I had the power of mind control so that I could've helped one of the brilliant writers to have tweaked a few things here and there! ;)
FlipChick23 - Thank you very much! And also I apologise for the long delay that this had been, it shalln't happen again! x]
DelusionalDaydreams - I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to leave it there, honest! It's not me it's sods law! But if I give you lots of Bo/Tamsin moments to look forward then will you forgive me!? xD
AshleyDonovan - First of all let me also say sorry to you for this outrageously long update, I never meant for months to pass but life just got really hectic out of nowhere!
But secondly, let me now quote you "Holy mini TamTam, Batman!" Why did that make me laugh so much!? Ugh I just love how it sounded in my head! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic and review it by the way, I know that what I'm writing to you and all the other reviewers is only words but I just wish you knew how blessed I feel to have so many amazing people liking what I write! *High five* XD
Purple-Ketchup - Budddddy, I've been gone longer than one of Tamsin's lifecycles lasts! But I'm totally back and also totally sorry that I've left you and everyone else hanging for about 1783272772 years! Can we talk about season 4 for a moment? I mean...my brain was slightly fried after it and my heart is still in a million pieces over Kenzi! :'(
What happened to Valkubus!? The ship was sailing so clearly with the whole "I never hated you scene" I swear! Two more minutes together and it would have happened...and then in 4x08 I just died from feels! But of course it had to be like all of the other Bo/Tamsin moments that never gets talked about ever again.
But I'm glad that chapter 25 managed to get you thinking that it was going to be The Wanderer, because that is still all on it's way trust me! And it'll be even more colossal since in this world Bo and Tamsin love each other. Uh oh, it's going to be intense to either make Bo figure out that Tamsin made a deal long ago to find her, or to have something happen where Tamsin nearly betrays Bo (kinda like in the show) God I can't wait until I reach those intense points and I'm freaking out about writing it all too because I really love trying to blow everyone's mind with feels! xD
Puppets' Master - Well this Goddess owes you one Hell of a huge apology, I am so deeply sorry that I have been absent for about half a year now, I could go into all of the details about how crazy and stressful life has been but honestly I don't want to bore you with it all and I would rather focus on all of the good stuff again - like writing back to you! :'D
But let me also take the time now to thank you for how sweet, generous and unfailingly supportive you have always been to me! I'm actually so very lucky to be able to converse with someone as lovely as yourself and despite how long I have been away for I've never taken any of this for granted at all! (:
Now with things of similar importance, how have you been doing anyway? I hope that life has been treating you well!
And also, what did you think of the rest of season 4 of Lost Girl? It seems like everyone has mixed opinions on it all around which I can fully understand, there were so many turning points and not to mention the shocking finale!
But perhaps season 5 will be our time to shine with Valkubus, we're going to have another 13 episodes to get really frustrated with the almost Bo/Tamsin confessions...so yay for that! Believe me if I was ever able to write a script for a single episode I would make every Valkubus fans dreams come true! If only i had that power! x'D
Anyway I hope to hear back from you soon! Because as always I do look forward to hearing about how you are getting on! X
Future Mrs RSkar - First of all my sincerest apologies for this longggg update! But secondly let me try to redeem myself by bowing down to your screen name in awe! Future Mrs RSkar? I LOVE THAT! I've enjoyed writing about Bo trying to take care of young Tammers in this chapter, and then the next chapter...well a teenage Tamsin and Bo...hmm...I wonder what sort of stuff that'll lead to! ;D
Gast1234 - Oh you do me far too much credit, but thank you so much for thinking that I'm the kindest person ever! :')
And also as I'm doing with every reviewer I owe you an apology also for not having updated recently. I could go on for hours explaining the in's and out's of my absence but I would rather use that time to try and write as many more chapters as I can for you guys to make up for all of the lost time! And you don't know how much I smiled when I read your review, you quoted Tamsin! It was so awesome! Had me grinning like a fool for hours...seriously my cheeks are starting to hurt now!
I hope to hear from you soon & I also hope that life is treating you fabulously! x x x
Mystical Snow - Thank you very much for taking the time to review the story and I also apologise to you for not updating and responding sooner. It has always been my intention to return to the fic so that I can write a lot more for you to read but there was just a rough patch along the way that I needed to deal with, but all is clear sailing now and I want you to know that I appreciate you taking the time to read this fic and I doubly appreciate your kindness to review it also! (:
rookie802 - Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed so far! And I'm so sorry that I haven't given you an update sooner!
raelynne9 - Uh oh is certainly right! xD I'm very sorry about not getting this chapter up more recently, but I promise to be back to my usual consistency now!
Elenadlm - Well if you need this fic in your life then I'm going to work my ass off to give it back to you, because I'm sorry that it has taken me this long so far! x
Valkubus kills - If I say that this is an early 2014 Christmas present for you then will you forgive me? ;D I'm sorry that it has literally taken me forever to get back on here! I promise I'll make it up to you with loads of Valkubus moments!
SoGleekedUp1687 - I'm actually very flattered that my fic was the first Lost Girl one you've read, that makes me feel so good and you are even more amazing! I'm just sorry about the length of time that has gone by since my last installment! x
tuk1917 - Hey there again, sorry about the lateness in getting back! Thank you so much for all of your reviews so far, each one brought a smile to my face. The fic is called 'The Lies You Fake' because I based it on how in the beginning Tamsin was always trying to hide/lie about how she felt for Bo because she believed that it was the best thing for her to do. Back then I didn't expect to write up to 25 chapters and I've loved going on this journey with you and everybody else! And thank you so much for asking your question, I'll always be happy to answer anything! (p.s you get two replies for reviews! Mwhaha! xD )
TrustInFaith - Thank you so much for loving what I've written! And also...sorry so much that I haven't written anything for you sooner! x
writting is love - Don't worry! Things will pick up again with Bo/Tamsin! This isn't the end! xD But I loved your reaction, t'was priceless! And I do sincerely apologize for not updating for this lengthy period of time! x
eve - Thank you very much for your wonderful compliments and as with everyone else I also apologize to you for how long it has taken me to reply, and also greetings back to Poland! I do aspire to be a writer someday, I've found that in life the only job that will make you happy is one that you love. And I do love writing! xD
urbanlb - I am SO sorry for not updating and leaving you hanging! I really never meant for the delay to be this long, good grief season five of Lost Girl will be upon us in no time! But until then I will give to a lot of Tamsin and Bo moments to look forward to! x]
kaysii - I am so sorry about the long update! But I promise that I am back on track with things now, I swear! xD
valkubangin - I'm deeply and terribly sorry for leaving you on that cliffhanger! Now that I've returned there will be no more delays! I'm getting this ship and fic back on track! :'D
Isabel Q - *Hugs* I'M ALIVE! Granted...that sign was probably a little too late! But I'm back! And I'm sorry for being gone for so long! But let me try to make it up to you by saying that I love the icon picture that you are using of Tamsin! So awesome! xD
lostlex - And I love you for loving this story! xD I'm just so sorry that it has taken me so long to say that to you!
team-valkyrie - Sorry for being gone! I've been writing that word so much today! It's the only word on my mind! But I'm so relieved that you love this fic and I've enjoyed making Bo work for Tamsin, even in this story and in the show I think that she has to prove her feelings for Tammy are real so that it doesn't just seem like something purely out of lust! xD
blasphemicrage - I'm so glad that I've given you this fic to be invested in for a while, I know that it has been so long since I've updated and I am very sorry about that because I know how much it sucks to keep people waiting so I'm giving myself one million kicks right now! xD But for you I will definitely try to keep surging this storyline along! There are still so many elements that I can work with since this plot isn't so much as canon to the actual show, it'll be along the same lines obviously but with different ways of getting there! (:
her-valkyrie - Sorry for the delay in update! xD
And also thank you for the kind words, but I really don't mind at all, I take on every review and I always like to learn ways to improve upon my work, it's what helps make me sharper!
lat14cha - Wow, let me start with owing you billions of apologies for taking so long to reply/update! And now let me just say that I loved reading your review. Irregardless of the five/six months that I have been gone whenever I read and then re-read over what you have written it amazes me, I don't think that I can quite put into words how much it really does mean to me to know that you enjoy the fic so much that you are willing to write such a lengthy and detailed point by point review for me. It's always a pleasure getting back to you also to just let you know how much I truly do appreciate it! And hey if you ever wanted to draw any fanart for this fic then you would have my full support and blessing for that! Although of course I'll leave that choice up to you but the gesture is incredibly sweet! And p.s I'm glad that you loved the Norwegian touch! It's doubly as awesome that you are actually half Norwegian yourself, seriously that rocks! I'm so going to need you to teach me some words because it all sounds so cool! xD
And let me thank you for being such a wonderful reviewer and person to write to! If I'm the shipmaster then I need a second in command y'know, can't think of anyone better than you! ;D
TheJojo99 - Hey there! Long time no speak! Although that is all on me, I'm sorry about the update! 2014 started off with much unneeded real life chaos...the usual fun stuff! ;D But I understand why you've unfollowed, it wasn't fair to you and everyone else reading that I kind of disappeared from the face of the earth but I am back now! And how are you getting on these days anyway? I hope all is going well for you! xD
unexpected sabotage - I'm so sorry for taking so long to respond/update, but judging by your last review why do I think that you've secretly got a soft spot for Bo? ;)
I'm just kidding! But thank you for leaving the awesome review, it actually made me chuckle and I hope that you still enjoy what you are reading!
Ana - Hey there again Ana! Long time no speak!
You don't owe me any apologies at all, actually I should be the one saying that I am sorry because it has taken me so long to get back to updating this fanfic! But you should know that your review has definitely made me smile! And I promise that I am going to write more for you!
But that rocks that you passed all of your finals! Go you! *High fives* I always hated school work myself, but it actually wasn't so much the work as it was school, I was kind of a loner...like Kenzi! Didn't really fit in at all I guess, I seem to have more in common with all of you Valkubus shippers than I do with anyone else in my town! So I'd say that I've gotten an ever greater victory out of it all! xD
I remember taking Physics in school and I thought that it was going to be a piece of cake but then with all of the formulas and time/space distortion and everything else I just kind of thought "ah crap...what have I signed myself up for!?" x]
It'd be pretty cool to be like Tamsin in real life...I could definitely see myself pining over a succubus for the rest of my days and being eternally jealous of wolves and human doctors!
Things do seem to be tense right now in the world of this fic with Tamsin being out of her element and unsure...and Bo is emotionally all over the place, but our girls will find their way in the end, trust me, love never fails!
But Rachel was adorable in Birds of Prey you are right about that, whenever I right about her during her rebirth that's always the image that comes to mind when she's in her teens.
Oh and the Tamsin/Dyson scene killed me...like I just pretend that it never happened at all, ever. I hate the fact that it did happen, because to me it really ruins how Tamsin was only affection, physcial and close to Bo, like in season 3.
Hey I would definitely put the effort in to reading your chapters no matter what language they are in, I'm always up for a challenge I can promise you that! ;D
dmode - Don't you worry this fic will never end, it may have taken me a while to update but things are all good now and I'm just so sorry about leaving you hanging for so long! xD
btwnwrongandright - You read this all in one sitting? Now that is what I call devoted and downright legendary! You have all of my respect for doing that! I bow down to you! And I also apologize to you because I know that it has taken me a while to get back to this but I'm on track with things again and there will be plenty more chapters to come! XD
Justanothertwit - I'm so sorry that my update took so long and now let me say that I love you for everything you wrote in your review, you have no idea the kind of emotion and happiness it evoked from me, it is such a nice thing to be able to read and it's amazing how it can completely make my day. I'm very grateful that I am lucky enough to have someone as kind as you reviewing/reading this fic and I promise that I will give you more to read and I hope that you enjoy it just as much! x
Caalisto - Hey there, thank you so much for your awesome review! And if you are reading this then I too apologize to you for not responding sooner! I'm so happy to hear that you like what I am writing and I plan on getting back on track and putting more chapters up for you soon! And if I ever do write any new stories then I promise that I'll let you know! xD
tamxiety - It seems like sorry is the most popular word for me right now so let me also apply it to you, I am very sorry for updating so late on in the year! But if this fic has been a good session of procrastinating for you then I feel proud...but don't tell anyone I said that otherwise they'd think I'm a bad influence! ;D But then again it is Valkubus we're talking about here and I'd much rather read about Bo and Tamsin kissing than revising so I don't blame you at all!
And I love your rhyming skills, keep it up! It impresses me greatly!...You're a poet and you don't know it! (ah-ha gotcha back! xD )
jensaje - Ah that is very sweet of you! I'm so glad that you found Tamsin's emotions heart-wrenching, I've been building her up so strong for over twenty chapters that it seemed like the right time to let her come apart. :'D
I'm sorry that it has taken me this long to respond to you, but I guarantee that there'll be more Tamsin/Bo moments in the future for you to read! I'll never give up on this fic no matter how long I might be gone for! :')
Unsureself - Well your vibes of love and awesomeness shall be greatly accepted, it'll give me the strength and power to continue on! XD And just so you know I'm sorry about taking so long to get back to you...my awesome little reviewing friend! ;)
Sheena-MFfan - Hello there! I do apologize for seeming as though I had abandoned this fic, I can understand entirely that I've been a ghost for the past few months but I am back now. And now let me get on with the more important stuff, your review literally left me speechless, I read it when I woke up this morning and even now when I'm re-reading over it I'm still just as stunned. Stunned in the best possible way! My whole reason for writing is because I like making people happy, I like being able to reach out and ignite emotions in readers and people from across the world that I don't even know, if I can write something that someone can relate to or that is important to someone then I already consider that a great achievement in life. The world and reality in itself can be a pretty hard place for people to survive in these days, and I often escape through writing, and if this fanfiction can give other people a place to escape to that no one else in their world knows about or can take away from them then I'm going to keep doing it for as long as I can. Bo and Tamsin are two characters I hold near and dear to my heart and writing their love story has been a pleasure for me as a writer.
And I do understand what you are saying about such selfless and unyielding love, it doesn't seem to exist much in the world this day in age, but I believe that it is still out there somewhere. Most young people these days think that money, popularity and growing up are the most important things in life - but I believe that love and happiness are what help to get people through the harder days. It's what everyone wants. But I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for leaving such a lovely review, I've never been so flattered before, it has been a pretty tough week but reading your words has made me forget about it all completely. It's amazing how kindness from a stranger can make such a powerful impact these days. I'll be more than happy to write for you to help with tiding us all over until the fifth season, you can count on that! :'D
Once again thank you for such an amazing review, truly has me smiling even right now!
Guests(s) - For all of you guys that have read/reviewed recently and way back last year I am so sorry about taking so long to update but I promise you that I am getting it all back on track now. And also for the reviewer who pointed out that i do overuse the word 'done' a lot in a context that is probably not accurate then I do agree with you on that, sometimes it's just a bad habit, I'll read over something quickly and it'll sound fine in my head which is why sometimes my brain misses it completely, but I do thank you for the pointer! xD